Much ado about nothing in Milan

By Patrick Hart

"A lot of noise for a little action." That was the Gazzetta dello Sport's view of Wednesday night's UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between AC Milan and Internazionale FC.

'Il derbissimo'
The tie, which had been billed in Italy as 'il derbissimo', did not meet the expectations of the Italian papers as the first leg ended in a stalemate at San Siro. "The first reaction is that a 0-0 draw is an unacceptable result after all the expectation that Italy had for this match," the Gazzetta wrote.

'No good football'
The rival Corriere dello Sport's headline insisted that Milan's finest "wake up!" while Tuttosport lamented that "nobody could have expected this - no goals and no good football". The match might have lacked high drama but the action did at least confirm what local observers already knew: "The two sides played to type," the Gazzetta said, "Milan were better with the ball for almost the entire 90 minutes, but Inter were much more dangerous whenever they attacked."

Fear factor
But with a place in the Old Trafford final at stake, the Corriere said, "the fear of losing was greater than the desire to win". What chances there were fell to Alvaro Recoba and Hernán Crespo for Inter, and Andriy Shevchenko who "missed a great chance" for Milan, according to Tuttosport.

Purpose served
Yet as a prelude to next week's deciding match, this game served its purpose. "The fever for the return leg is even greater now," Tuttosport said, while the Corriere concluded: "There is going to be incredible joy on one side against incredible disappointment on the other."

Show of pride
What is certain is that Milan will be represented in Manchester on 28 May. And so could Turin after Juventus FC's narrow 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid CF in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday. "Juve, you will qualify!" was the headline in the Corriere, which went on: "The Bianconeri played with pride and proved that they can reach the final."

Press complaints
They may even have had one foot in the final, the papers said, had Roberto Carlos's winning goal been disallowed. "The Spanish media criticise Italian sides, but the truth is that the linesman had his flag up when Real scored their second goal," explained the Gazzetta. "When there are three players in offside positions in front of the goalkeeper, the goal should not stand."

Real class
However, Tuttosport acknowledged that Madrid had deserved their victory at the Santiago Bernabéu. "Real did not win because of this decision," it said, "they won because they played great football in the first half and in the closing stages of the second."

'Thorn in Madrid's side'
No less magnanimous was the Spanish daily Marca which admitted Juventus's part in an absorbing contest. Once David Trezeguet had equalised Ronaldo's opening strike, "Juve looked like they were going to become a thorn in Madrid's side," it said, "and only the belief of [Vicente] Del Bosque's men, the control of Zidane, and a Roberto Carlos 'torpedo' at a time when his team were struggling allowed them to go to Turin next week with the tie in their favour".

Better than expected
But despite telling readers that "Juve were not the stingy, mean-spirited bunch that many expected to see", the paper could not resist a swipe at the Milan clubs for their contribution on Wednesday night - "a boring match in which neither side could overcome their weaknesses". Whether Italian football will have the last laugh remains to be seen.