LizDevil30 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 Match Suspended After AC Milan Goalie Hit by Flare Champions League Game Between Two Milan Teams Stopped After 73 Minutes By CHRIS LEHOURITES, AP Sports http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/sports/article....412163309990019 MILAN, Italy (April 12) - AC Milan didn't have to finish its game and Chelsea didn't even win, but both advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League on Tuesday. Milan was leading crosstown rival Inter Milan 1-0 and 3-0 on aggregate when the match was halted in the 73rd minute because Milan goalkeeper Dida was hit by a flare. The Brazilian was treated at midfield and the teams were escorted off the field about 10 minutes later. After 10 more minutes had passed, German referee Markus Merk tried to restart play, but more flares were thrown onto the field and UEFA officials quickly abandoned the match, sending Milan to the last four and in search of its seventh European Cup title. "He's OK, although he does have some pain where he was hit," AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf said of Dida. "The government, the entire country, has to understand that something must be done." Chelsea was leading Bayern Munich for much of night, but the German hosts scored two late goals to edge the English leaders 3-2. Chelsea still advanced with a 6-5 aggregate win. Dida had played superbly before being hit by the flare, but Inter fans were upset that a goal by Esteban Cambiasso was annulled for a foul in the 71st. Christian Abbiati replaced Dida for the brief restart. Andriy Shevchenko gave Milan the lead in the 30th minute, blasting in a shot from the edge of the area for his fifth goal in this season's Champions League. Shevchenko, who returned last week after a 46-day absence due to a cheekbone fracture, also scored in the first leg. Alessandro Nesta was cautioned in the 43rd for a tackle on Adriano. The defender's second yellow card means he will miss the first leg of the semifinals. In 2003, AC Milan eliminated Inter from the semifinals and went on to win its sixth Champions Cup title. The scene at San Siro stadium followed one of the worst violence-marred weekends in Italian league play this season, when scores of fans were arrested throughout Italy due to confrontations with police and racial slogans. In Munich, Frank Lampard scored the first goal in the 30th minute, his third against Bayern in the two-leg series. Claudio Pizarro leveled in the 65th, but Didier Drogba reclaimed the lead for Chelsea with a header in the 80th. Paolo Guerreo then scored in the 90th, and Mehmet Scholl added the winner in injury time. Chelsea was playing without manager Jose Mourinho on the bench for the second straight Champions League match. The Portuguese coach was banned last week after UEFA found him guilty of bringing the game into disrepute and "making false declarations." He originally took his seat away from the field at Munich's Olympiastadion, but soon left and reportedly watched the match at the team's hotel. Mourinho, who won the European title last season with FC Porto, will be back for the semifinals. "We missed the manager tonight. You miss his presence in the changing room," Lampard said. Lampard took a pass from Joe Cole and scored with a shot that went in off goalkeeper Oliver Kahn's foot after deflecting off the leg of Bayern defender Lucio. Last week, Cole scored Chelsea's opening goal with a shot that deflected in off Lucio. Bayern, which unlucky not to score on several occasions in the first half, finally got a goal in the 65th when Pizarro tapped in a rebound after Michael Ballack's header was saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. Ballack missed a pair of late chances in the first half, and 19-year-old Bastian Schweinsteiger made a dangerous run in the 18th minute but shot wide. "We could have gone ahead in the first 30 minutes but then we allowed a goal on another deflection," Bayern coach Felix Magath said. Cole set up his team's final goal with a cross for Drogba, who also scored late in the first leg. But Guerrero earned the draw in the final minute. "You can see the hunger in the players to win this thing," Lampard said. "We got very close last year we know it will be very tough but we want to go all the way." Chelsea lost to Monaco in last year's semifinals. On Wednesday, Juventus hosts Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven takes on visiting Lyon. Liverpool topped Juve 2-1 last week in the first leg, a match that commemorated the Heysel Stadium tragedy nearly 20 years ago. PSV scored late to hold Lyon to a 1-1 draw. In the semifinals, Chelsea will face either Liverpool or Juventus, while Milan challenges PSV or Lyon. The semifinals are scheduled for April 26-27 and May 3-4, with the final set for May 25 in Istanbul, Turkey. 04/12/05 18:42 EDT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redruM Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 yeah some of these European fans are nuts, although I have to admit, some of the paretns at these youth travel soccer games are just as bad!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diablo Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I love this quote from his press conference " 'I was even more scared in the title game against Roma last May as I heard explosions all around my ears." Soccer is a passionate game that sometimes incites the wrong passion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 This was awful. I have a question though. What the hell is security doing before these games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 This was awful. I have a question though. What the hell is security doing before these games? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Trying not to get their asses kicked for getting in the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redruM Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 The guy who launched the flare was probably a member of security!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruins4777 Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 My friend told me bout this. He said the reason a lot of people are so passionate about soccer in europe is the fact that soccer IS their lives, there literally IS NOTHING else. I don't think thats really an excuse for some of the craziness....but meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 The passion for soccer in Europe is WAY more intense than any seen in North America. Some of the rivalries run along sectarian lines, which only exacerbates the hatred. For example, Celtic (Catholic's team) vs. Rangers (Protestant team) or River (Rio's "rich mans' team") vs. Boca (Rio's "common man's team") can be very scary derby matches. As for the this specific instance in the Milan derby there are a couple of interesting aspects; It is fairly common for fans to bring flares to matches in Italy and in other parts of the world, so it wasn't an issue of fans smuggling them in past security. Both clubs share the San Siro as their home stadium just like Giants and Jets do with Giants Stadium. Inter was the home team for this leg of the series - so it was their fans that did this. I have heard that some of the Inter fans planned to symbolize their displeasure at some point during the second half and orchestrated this whole thing - so it may not have been spontaneous. Regardless it was a terrible scene and I'm almost certain that Inter will be banned from European competition for many years to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langsgirl Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 (edited) ouch.....i just saw the video on the news... i dont know why i just thought it was a flare.. unlit... but owwww... i should have assumed it was lit!! Edited April 15, 2005 by langsgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 BTW here is a link for those that haven't seen the incident: http://owen.footballclips.net/richie/Highlights/CL/dida.wmv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redruM Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 BTW anyone know how DC united did in its Conacaf Champions league game the other night?? they were done 1-0 at half i thin kand missed the 2nd half. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeps Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 [quote name='L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 (edited) Inter gets off pretty easy: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/UCL/news/...sId=295903.html Edited April 15, 2005 by L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Diablo Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 DC went down hard - 5 -1 no contest pretty disheartening... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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