Boca Juniors 2 – AC Milan 4, CAMPIONI!

By: Gianfranco | December 16th, 2007

Boun Giorno Milanisti!

Cup

Three changes for Carletto today from the semi’s.

Dida, Bonera,Nesta, Kaladze, Maldini
Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambro, Seedorf, Kaka
Pippo

Just as suspected Maldini has started at the fabled wingback spot, to me this means that Kaladze will work harder to his immediate left so that Maldini can press. Nesta will have to do more as well, Bonera will have to prove he can move up the flank, a surprise start in my book with others on the bench.

First 5

Boca is dictating play and possesion creating one chance. Pippo takes a great ball from Seedorf shoots…it rolls wide of the goal mouth.

7 Min

Boca presses a good through ball Kaladze recovers, Bonera collects, looses it briefly but ultimately recovers. Milan counters Pippo moves well in the box, passes to Kaka who is marked by four Boca players. Milan is showing more possesion and bit more control of the game.

10 Min

Dida unable to make a grab on a cross, whats new?, ball rolls through the box one way then the other, crisis averted.

13 Min

Pippo, the poacher that he is, almost picks a pass from keeper to defender. Crowd woos but almost does not count here.

17 Min

Palermo, of Boca, presses in the box makes a great pass but no one home, Milan gains possesion clears and then regroups from the back.

18 Min

Boca is doing a great job suffocating the play of Kaka and Pirlo as well. Both Rossoneri superstars are having a tough time making space for themselves. Ball runs out to Maldini, amazing cross to Kaka, shot!, blocked.

20 Min

Boca rips a shot on Dida, Kaka begins a counter, shoots, and Pippo as always cleans up the mess!! GOAL MILAN!!!! The poacher proves himself yet again, I do not care what people say about him, when you need a ball in net he does the job hands down.

23 Min

Boca wins a corner, play it short quickly, ball crossed into Palacio, GOAL! Milan is standing around like they do not know whats going on, NOT GOOD BOYS, NOT GOOD!. Game is all tied up. A truly inexcusable goal has left Il Capitano shaking his head disgusted, Bonera has let me down again, Gattuso is a bit to blame as well…

28 Min

Kaka strong run leads to a shot, and a Pirlo follow up. Both shots strong and on target but no dice.

34 Min

Boca is continuing to press hard, but Milan is still able to counter when giving the chance. Bonera is not playing well, and Gattuso is letting him now about it. Where’s Oddo? While I look for him I will look for Seedorf as well, oh there he is…nice of you to get involved Clarence.

35 Min

Palacio jukes out Ambro and makes a great pass into the box, no one home. Gattuso and Bonera have to get on the same page because Palacio is heating up.

38 Min

Ibarra rips at Maldini’s heels, gets a yellow, and will soon get smashed by a one Rino Gattuso. Pippo gets another shot on net but shoots high and wide right, he does not score them all folks.

42 Min

Ambro goes down hard, looks for a PK but I did not see much and the ref agrees.

43 Min

Pirlo makes a bad pass, folks he is human… Seedorf makes a great run and rips a shot, nice work. He must have read my earlier criticism.

44 Min

Crosses for the Rossoneri are not working, this cannot continue, with Pippo up front anything remotely in the box is goal potential.

45 Min

Boca breaks out, alone on Dida, flag up offside. End of half.

Halftime Thoughts

Kaladze good, Bonera not, find Oddo or even Cafu. The right side is weak and needs repair. Otherwise noce work by everyone involved, and someone please tell me what on Earth is going on with Palacio’s weird braided rat tail. Does he think he looks cool? A very even half, both teams playing well, and exciting soccer. Good for the cup and good for fans.

46 Min

Seedorf wins a corner, Ambro goes crashing in with his arm? Odd.

47 Min

Battaglia shuts down Kaka’s run, Inzaghi had space on the left flank. I appreciate and enjoy Kaka’s runs, but pass the ball when you cannot make headway.

49 Min

Hard challenge on Seedorf, clearly a yellow, great chance for Pirlo. Great cross in, Nesta GOAL!!! Alright boys get focused, nice work by Ambro slashing through to get the first touch.

54 Min

Battaglia hard challenge on Kaka, yellow card given. Kaka great run inside the box, cut right, cut right again, PLEASE PASS, instead shot, collected by Boca and cleared.

56 Min

Hard challenge on Rino, no call, no yellow. Do ref’s not know that you do not want to make Rino mad?

58 Min

Ibarra fires a screamer, rattles off the post!!! Dida lost in space, VERY LUCKY. What a shot by the Boca back. Boca is hard charging, Milan needs to focus on posession and tempo to quelch this attack.

60 Min

Maldini goes down injured, Kaka continues to play up the left flank, cuts parallel to the end line, squeezes it past the keeper, GOAL!!! Awesome stuff, and he still belongs to Jesus, what a sweet boy. Maldini goes off the pitch but will continue, fittingly so.

63 Min

Pippo drudges towards a pass, he looks ancient on that run. Time for a switch of the poacher.

64 Min

Rino gives way to El Puma, my insides sink becuase there is no player I loathe watching more than Emerson. Why not Brocchi?

65 Min

Free kick taken by Murrell, Dida desperatly punches it out with no one around him. Boca subs Gonzalez for Ledesma, Ledesma is quality young player who surprisingly did not get the start today. Milan buzz the net again, again no dice.

69 Min

Maldini still pressing forward, it brings me close to tears because I have begun to realize that every run forward on the flank may be one of the last ones I am able to see…
Boca shot on, high, no worries.

71 Min

Great ball movement in the box for Milan, Kaka dominating the area, lays off to Pippo, GOAL!! PIPPO BRACE!! Great work from Seedorf and Kaka, and Milan is starting to flex their muscle.

73 Min

Kaka draws a tough challenge on top of the box, no card, Pirlo will have a go, plays it low but wide.

76 Min

Pippo out Cafu in, Carletto is giving the Japanese what they want, a ton of Brazilians. Looks like Carletto is happy with four.

77 Min

Kaladze shown red!??! A hard challenge, but nothing out of the ordinary in what was a tough challenging game. Clearly a card, but a yellow would have done the same, it is a cup final. Boca does not capitalize on the free kick.

86 Min

Lots of Boca pressure leads to a Milan own goal, but it is to few, to late. Seedorf gives way to Brocchi. Brocchi will do some solid dirty work. Maldini goes bonkers, it looks like Ledesma attacks Kaka, this is just a bad end to a good game, the challenge is rather clean, but late, and maybe viewed as unwarranted.

90 Min

Final two minutes go off without hitch, MILAN ARE WORLD CLUP CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!

Final Thoughts

Dominance today from the Rossoneri, a big FU to all the naysayers. Milan are old, but wise, they are slow, but dominate games like no other. The bottom line is when they are amped to play they will do what they can to win. Kaka owned the pitch today, and despite a ton of defensive pressure on him he found a way to excel, my hats off to an amazing performance and most definetly Man of the Match. Take nothing away from Maldini who gave his all on the left flank, just like the good old days. The right flanked tightened up and everything came up Rossoneri. Bask in the glory tifosi, the Serie A is coming up soon.