Chapter 124 Advancing to the Finals
After examining Kaka, the team doctor signaled to Ancelotti to make a substitution, as Kaka had suffered an ankle contusion and could not engage in strenuous exercise for a short period of time.
Ancelotti made an emergency substitution, bringing on Ronaldinho and replacing Inzaghi with Flamini, adding a defensive midfielder to strengthen the midfield's interception capabilities, and changing the formation to 4-4-1-1.
With about 20 minutes left in the match, Milan only needs to hold onto the current score to advance to the final.
After the game resumed, Giggs did not perform as Ferguson had hoped; he was completely marked out of the game by Flamini.
Following Ancelotti's instructions, Flamini stayed close to Giggs, never leaving his side, preventing Giggs from touching the ball at all, and the two of them became detached from the team.
After shutting down Kaká last season, Flamini has finally delivered another top-level performance, prompting Ancelotti to remark that after almost a season, Flamini's performance has finally justified his salary.
As the match ticked away, the chants from the San Siro stands grew louder and louder, with all the Milan fans waiting for the final whistle to sound.
However, fate always likes to play tricks, and in the 85th minute, the situation on the field suddenly changed.
That was Manchester United's attacking opportunity. Carrick played a through ball from midfield, and Park Ji-sung dribbled forward. After attracting the attention of Kaladze and Gattuso, Park Ji-sung passed the ball to Rooney on the left.
Rooney dribbled down the left flank to the outside of the penalty area, knocked past Zambrotta, and then passed the ball across to Ronaldo in the middle.
Maldini immediately made a sliding tackle in the penalty area, but Ronaldo skillfully avoided Maldini's tackle and chipped the ball into the net.
Manchester United equalized 3-3 away from home, making the aggregate score 4-4. With the away goals advantage, they took control of the game and advanced to the next round.
After scoring, Ronaldo also celebrated wildly. He quickly ran to the sidelines and hugged his mentor Ferguson tightly.
Ferguson patted Ronaldo hard on the back, his face flushed, and kept praising him for doing a good job!
The singing at San Siro stopped abruptly, followed by a deathly silence.
The Milan players on the field also looked bewildered. They were only 5 minutes away from victory, but in that instant, the situation between Milan and Manchester United suddenly reversed, and they deeply experienced what it felt like to go from heaven to hell.
Maldini got up from the ground, adjusted the captain's armband on his arm, clapped his hands with a determined look, and shouted, "Again! We still have time!"
Finore pulled up the hem of his jersey to wipe the rain and sweat from his face, picked up the ball from the goal, and urged the referee to return to the center circle to restart the game.
At this point, Ferguson used another substitution, replacing Rooney with Rafael to strengthen the defense.
While Manchester United were making substitutions, Fino and the others gathered together to discuss their next tactics. Time was running out for Milan, and they had to make the most of this kickoff opportunity.
After discussing it, they nodded to each other, patted each other on the shoulder, and walked to their positions with serious expressions to wait for the kickoff.
Fino stood at the very center of the center circle, hands on his hips, took a deep breath, and waited for the referee's whistle.
After the whistle blew, Fino swung his right foot and gently pushed the ball to Ambrosini, who had taken a step forward. He then moved forward toward Manchester United's half, creating the illusion that he was going to quickly attack behind Manchester United's defense. Manchester United's defense quickly retreated as well.
The moment Fino kicked off, Ronaldinho made a quick run down the right flank, and Evra immediately chased after him.
After receiving the ball, Ambrosini did not dribble forward, but unexpectedly passed it back to Gattuso in Milan's half, and then made a run down the left flank, drawing away O'Shea in his position.
After advancing a few meters, Fino quickly stopped and turned back to the center circle area. Fletcher and Carrick, who were marking him, were caught off guard and could only stop and turn back as well.
Gattuso passed the ball to Fino, who then pretended to dribble past his opponent.
At this moment, Ronaldinho and Ambrosini were about to cut into Manchester United's backfield from both wings.
Fino dribbled forward until he faced Fletcher and Carrick again, then turned and passed the ball back to Pirlo. He then turned again and dribbled forward, passing between Fletcher and Carrick, and went straight into the Manchester United penalty area from the center.
Milan's players' repetitive passing and unpredictable runs left Manchester United players bewildered, forcing them to rely on instinct to react. Their defense was quickly dismantled, giving up a lot of space.
At this moment, Pirlo was unmarked. After receiving the ball, Pirlo delivered his signature long diagonal pass over the top, targeting Ronaldinho, who had already made his way down the right flank.
Ronaldinho skillfully turned and beat Evra behind him, controlled the ball with his chest, and crossed from the wing. Fino, who was running from midfield, received the ball and broke into the Manchester United penalty area.
At this moment, there were three defenders in the Manchester United penalty area: Ferdinand, Vidic, and Rafael. Ferdinand and Vidic both made a head-on interception.
After confirming that Ronaldinho and Ambrosini had no chance to receive the ball, Fino chose to go it alone and break through the blockade head-on.
He dribbled the ball to the left and cut forward, drawing Ferdinand to block him on the right. Then, with a clever turn, he leaned the ball behind Ferdinand and dribbled through the gap between Ferdinand and Vidic.
Just as he was about to shoot, Rafael slid in with a powerful tackle. Rafael's tackle seemed to be aimed at keeping his man rather than keeping the ball.
The San Siro was even muddier in the rain. Fino lost his balance while trying to avoid the mud, but before he slipped, he managed to flick the ball to the left side of the penalty area. Ambrosini broke free of O'Shea and headed the ball into the goal.
Goal!
Fino and Raphael collided violently, both letting out a cry as they fell to the ground.
Fino felt pain in his left calf and guessed that he was injured, but it shouldn't be serious.
At this point, Ambrosini forgot about celebrating his goal and quickly ran over to squat down and ask about Fino's condition.
"Phineas, how are you feeling?"
Fino frowned and said, "Call the team doctor, he must be injured."
Ambrosini quickly called the team doctor onto the field, while Ancelotti told Favalli to warm up.
After examining him, the team doctor signaled to Ancelotti to make a substitution, as Fino had strained his left calf muscle.
Manchester United's team doctor also entered the field at the same time, and Fino fell right on Rafael's knee.
After receiving treatment, Rafael was able to continue, while Milan used their last substitution, replacing Fino with Favalli.
At this point, there was only one minute left in the game.
Milan are now leading 4-3 at home and 5-4 on aggregate, their situation has immediately reversed with Manchester United, and it is now Manchester United who are anxious.
After returning to the bench, the team doctor conducted further examinations on Fino.
"How is it?" Fino asked, but his eyes were fixed on the game on the field, not on the team doctor.
"Don't worry too much, Finney, it's not a big problem. It's just a muscle strain. He'll be fully recovered in two to three weeks and can return before the Champions League final."
"Will I be able to make it to the home game against Roma?" Fino asked again.
The home game against Roma is Milan's last home game of the season, and it's also Maldini's farewell game at the San Siro. Fino doesn't want to miss this match.
The match is in 19 days, which is a very delicate time. If his calf can recover in two weeks, he can make it in time. If it is delayed until three weeks, he will unfortunately miss it.
The team doctor stated that they are unable to make an accurate prediction at this time.
Fino didn't say anything more, but focused all his attention on the field.
Regular time has ended, and we have now entered stoppage time.
Manchester United's counterattack was incredibly fierce, with several defenders already rushing into Milan's backfield.
However, Milan gave Manchester United no chance, and under Maldini's command, Milan maintained the 4-3 score until the end.
The referee blew his whistle, and the game was over.
The cheers at San Siro resounded throughout the land.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between AC Milan and Manchester United has concluded. AC Milan defeated the defending champions Manchester United 5-4 on aggregate, reaching the final again after two years. The other semi-finalist, Barcelona and Chelsea, drew 0-0 in their first leg at Barcelona's home ground. The second leg at Chelsea's home ground will kick off tomorrow at the same time. The winner of that match will be AC Milan's opponent in the final..."
The rain was still drizzling, bringing Ferguson's memories back to two years ago.
Even the result is the same, except that two years ago Kaká dominated everything, and now it's Fino.
Ancelotti came over and shook hands with him.
Although rivals are often considered enemies, there are only so many teams that compete in the Champions League year after year. They often meet at the Champions League draw ceremony, so they are old acquaintances and have a good relationship.
“Congratulations, Carlo!” Ferguson extended his hand and said in heavily Scottish-accented English.
"Thank you, we played a good game." Ancelotti hugged him.
Ferguson patted him on the shoulder, then covered his mouth: "You really need to study English!"
Ferguson has his own sources of information, and Ancelotti is very close to joining Chelsea.
Ancelotti raised an eyebrow, smiling without saying a word.
Ferguson then asked casually, "Is that Cabrini badly injured? I'd like to go check on him!"
Ancelotti's face darkened, and he deliberately glanced at him sideways.
→_→, you old fox, don't think I don't know what you're thinking.
Ferguson looked at him calmly and said, "You're leaving anyway, why bother with all that?"
Ancelotti simply smiled without saying a word and did not concede.
He also had his own ulterior motives. If Milan really wanted to sell Fino, he would definitely try to bring Fino to Chelsea. Young, smart, versatile, and with a clean private life, what coach wouldn't want a player like that?
Seeing Ancelotti's insistence, Ferguson had no choice but to give up, patted Ancelotti on the shoulder again, and turned to the field to comfort his players.
As the victor, Ancelotti wasn't entirely happy. The victory came at a high price: Kaká and Fino were both injured.
According to the team doctor, Kaká and Fino will need two to three weeks to recover from their injuries, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to play in the Champions League final.
But what about the next three league matches? Juventus, Udinese, and Roma are all formidable opponents.
Milan is now plagued by injuries again, with Abbiati and Borriello out for the season, and Nesta, Pato, Fino, and Kaká all unavailable for the next three league matches.
Ancelotti sighed and decided to wait and see.
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Author's note: Turns out everyone thought this nickname was weird, hahaha [laughing and crying emoji]
I've spoiled you a lot by enduring this for so long [laughing and crying emoji]
Change it! [Evil grin]
Thank you everyone for your support! [Lop-eared bunny head]
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