bad_meetz_evil
03-29-2006, 10:25 PM
http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2006/soccer/03/29/champions.wednesday.ap/p1_lyon_milan_0329.jpg
LYON, France (AP) -- Lyon drew 0-0 at home against six-time European champion AC Milan in a Champions League quarterfinal first-leg match at Stade Gerland Wednesday.
Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko wasted three scoring chances and Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet made several key saves.
The return leg will be next Tuesday at Milan's San Siro stadium, where Lyon will welcome back influential playmaker Juninho from suspension. But Portugal midfielder Tiago will miss the second leg after receiving a yellow card in the final seconds.
Lyon attacked strongly in the second half, but was thwarted by a Milan defense led by Alessandro Nesta and Kakha Kaladze.
With time running out, Tiago shot from 25 meters and Milan goalkeeper Dida had to be alert to tip it over the bar.
Lyon has never reached the European Cup semifinals, while Milan last won the trophy in 2003 and was runner-up to Liverpool last year.
With Alberto Gilardino paired in Milan's attack with Shevchenko, Lyon's backline looked nervous throughout the first half.
Three times Coupet was forced to foil former Golden Ball winner Shevchenko, kicking away a shot in the seventh minute and blocking another shot with his legs after Kaka set up the Ukraine striker in the penalty area.
Milan early exploited the left side of Lyon's defense and Francois Clerc, who repeatedly was beaten down the flank by Brazilian Serginho.
In the 20th minute, Kaka sprinted left, skipped past Clerc and tried to reach Shevchenko unmarked at the back post, but his hurried pass hit the side netting.
Lyon survived the early pressure and pushed Tiago forward, negating the deep-lying Andrea Pirlo and enjoying more possession.
In the 24th, Florent Malouda broke down the left but his pass was too strong for John Carew.
A minute later, Benoit Pedretti's free kick curled menacingly and forced Dida into action.
Lyon probed the left to test Alessandro Costacurta, who turns 40 next month, and he struggled to contain Malouda, forcing center back Nesta to cover.
Moments before the interval, Shevchenko headed the ball down, ran around Cris, took a step forward and hit a powerful shot which Coupet punched clear.
With five France internationals in the starting lineup, national coach Raymond Domenech looked on as the impressive Malouda muscled past Nesta and shot wide early in the second half.
A defensive blunder by Serginho almost gave Lyon the lead in the 55th. He lost the ball inside his area and was lucky to deflect Tiago's shot wide for a corner.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti tried to spark his team in the 61st, replacing the ineffective Gilardino -- who has not scored a Champions League goal this season -- with Filippo Inzaghi and pulling Costacurta for Paolo Maldini.
Increasingly Lyon pressed Milan's defense, and only a desperate block stopped Tiago from scoring midway through the second half.
Milan created few chances, and Shevchenko's hopeful 80th-minute strike was an easy save for Coupet.
With seconds remaining, Tiago was cautioned for grabbing a sprinting Kaka, and held his head in his hands at the final whistle, knowing he will sit out next week's decider.
Inter Milan 2, Villarreal 1
MILAN, Italy (AP) -- Obafemi Martins scored the winning goal and Adriano broke out of his slump Wednesday in Inter Milan's 2-1 win over Villarreal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Diego Forlan and Adriano traded goals in the first seven minutes of the match. Inter then began the second half with an all-out assault and Martins scored off Dejan Stankovic's cross in the 54th minute for the winner.
Martins deflected the ball in with the back of his foot as he was spinning around, making contact with his back to the goal.
Two minutes earlier, Villarreal goalkeeper Sebastian Viera had to punch away a long free kick by Juan Sebastian Veron.
Argentina playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme nearly equalized with a free kick that hit the crossbar in the 63rd.
Forlan put Villarreal ahead after 45 seconds, pounding in a rebound off Jose Mari Romero's shot.
Having led the Spanish league last season with 25 goals, Forlan is rediscovering his form this year. He has also scored four goals in Villarreal's last seven league matches.
Stankovic, filling in for Luis Figo on the right wing, also provided the cross for Adriano in the seventh. After receiving the ball, the big Brazilian spun around and equalized from outside the goal box.
Inter coach Roberto Mancini had indicated he might not start Adriano due to the forward's poor form -- he entered with only three goals this year in all competitions, including one penalty. He had scored 10 between August and December.
He did start, though, and was a force throughout the first half, barely missing headers in the 18th and 42nd and free kicks in the 35th and 45th.
Alvaro Recoba was the other forward that started for Inter. He was replaced by Martins in the 28th after picking up a yellow card.
Martins nearly made it 3-1 in the 79th with a header that went wide.
Besides the early strike, Villarreal produced only occasional counterattacks and Inter 'keeper Francesco Toldo easily gathered shots by Javier Calleja and Forlan in the 14th and 23rd.
A dangerous free kick by Riquelme from inside the arc went wide in the 29th.
The return leg is scheduled for Tuesday at Villarreal's El Madrigal stadium.
LYON, France (AP) -- Lyon drew 0-0 at home against six-time European champion AC Milan in a Champions League quarterfinal first-leg match at Stade Gerland Wednesday.
Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko wasted three scoring chances and Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet made several key saves.
The return leg will be next Tuesday at Milan's San Siro stadium, where Lyon will welcome back influential playmaker Juninho from suspension. But Portugal midfielder Tiago will miss the second leg after receiving a yellow card in the final seconds.
Lyon attacked strongly in the second half, but was thwarted by a Milan defense led by Alessandro Nesta and Kakha Kaladze.
With time running out, Tiago shot from 25 meters and Milan goalkeeper Dida had to be alert to tip it over the bar.
Lyon has never reached the European Cup semifinals, while Milan last won the trophy in 2003 and was runner-up to Liverpool last year.
With Alberto Gilardino paired in Milan's attack with Shevchenko, Lyon's backline looked nervous throughout the first half.
Three times Coupet was forced to foil former Golden Ball winner Shevchenko, kicking away a shot in the seventh minute and blocking another shot with his legs after Kaka set up the Ukraine striker in the penalty area.
Milan early exploited the left side of Lyon's defense and Francois Clerc, who repeatedly was beaten down the flank by Brazilian Serginho.
In the 20th minute, Kaka sprinted left, skipped past Clerc and tried to reach Shevchenko unmarked at the back post, but his hurried pass hit the side netting.
Lyon survived the early pressure and pushed Tiago forward, negating the deep-lying Andrea Pirlo and enjoying more possession.
In the 24th, Florent Malouda broke down the left but his pass was too strong for John Carew.
A minute later, Benoit Pedretti's free kick curled menacingly and forced Dida into action.
Lyon probed the left to test Alessandro Costacurta, who turns 40 next month, and he struggled to contain Malouda, forcing center back Nesta to cover.
Moments before the interval, Shevchenko headed the ball down, ran around Cris, took a step forward and hit a powerful shot which Coupet punched clear.
With five France internationals in the starting lineup, national coach Raymond Domenech looked on as the impressive Malouda muscled past Nesta and shot wide early in the second half.
A defensive blunder by Serginho almost gave Lyon the lead in the 55th. He lost the ball inside his area and was lucky to deflect Tiago's shot wide for a corner.
Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti tried to spark his team in the 61st, replacing the ineffective Gilardino -- who has not scored a Champions League goal this season -- with Filippo Inzaghi and pulling Costacurta for Paolo Maldini.
Increasingly Lyon pressed Milan's defense, and only a desperate block stopped Tiago from scoring midway through the second half.
Milan created few chances, and Shevchenko's hopeful 80th-minute strike was an easy save for Coupet.
With seconds remaining, Tiago was cautioned for grabbing a sprinting Kaka, and held his head in his hands at the final whistle, knowing he will sit out next week's decider.
Inter Milan 2, Villarreal 1
MILAN, Italy (AP) -- Obafemi Martins scored the winning goal and Adriano broke out of his slump Wednesday in Inter Milan's 2-1 win over Villarreal in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Diego Forlan and Adriano traded goals in the first seven minutes of the match. Inter then began the second half with an all-out assault and Martins scored off Dejan Stankovic's cross in the 54th minute for the winner.
Martins deflected the ball in with the back of his foot as he was spinning around, making contact with his back to the goal.
Two minutes earlier, Villarreal goalkeeper Sebastian Viera had to punch away a long free kick by Juan Sebastian Veron.
Argentina playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme nearly equalized with a free kick that hit the crossbar in the 63rd.
Forlan put Villarreal ahead after 45 seconds, pounding in a rebound off Jose Mari Romero's shot.
Having led the Spanish league last season with 25 goals, Forlan is rediscovering his form this year. He has also scored four goals in Villarreal's last seven league matches.
Stankovic, filling in for Luis Figo on the right wing, also provided the cross for Adriano in the seventh. After receiving the ball, the big Brazilian spun around and equalized from outside the goal box.
Inter coach Roberto Mancini had indicated he might not start Adriano due to the forward's poor form -- he entered with only three goals this year in all competitions, including one penalty. He had scored 10 between August and December.
He did start, though, and was a force throughout the first half, barely missing headers in the 18th and 42nd and free kicks in the 35th and 45th.
Alvaro Recoba was the other forward that started for Inter. He was replaced by Martins in the 28th after picking up a yellow card.
Martins nearly made it 3-1 in the 79th with a header that went wide.
Besides the early strike, Villarreal produced only occasional counterattacks and Inter 'keeper Francesco Toldo easily gathered shots by Javier Calleja and Forlan in the 14th and 23rd.
A dangerous free kick by Riquelme from inside the arc went wide in the 29th.
The return leg is scheduled for Tuesday at Villarreal's El Madrigal stadium.