Back tomorrow with a proper recap, but had to get a few things off my chest...
-An interesting dynamic to the match when the home team merely needs a draw to advance. Totts never playing with urgency and never really exposing themselves, Milan needed the goal but you wouldn't know it by their lack of urgency...almost to patient and often times to casual.
-Abate and Silva put in absolutely stellar and clinical performances, but on a day where the team needed two goals having one of their best matches defensively is not much of a silver lining.
-The Gallas save on the line was not a goal, it was simply an excellent defensive effort. Not much else to say on that topic.
-Milan were unable to capitalize on the sloppiness of Gomes. It was unlikely he pulled a rabbit out of his hat for a second consecutive match but he was never really truly tested despite a few mistakes through the course of the match.
-Credit to Totts for playing well defensively, they are not comfortable in possession but were well organized at the back and marked Zlatan and Pato admirably. They came out well in the second half and to say they earned this draw is fair statement despite the utter lack of respect they showed Milan as a team leading up to the match and the way the media had ended this tie before it even started.
-Zlatan continues to disappoint...in the 83rd minute when a hobbled Corluka cut off a pass to his feet at the edge of the attacking third it pretty much summed up his performance. Pato was by far the more dangerous player but he never once had the ball in 1 v 1 situations that make him so dangerous.
-A really tough match to swallow from start to finish. Milan were the better team on and off the ball, but when it mattered most in the final third they just didn't show up. Credit to Tottenham for playing a solid match, it wasn't pretty but as mentioned earlier when you didn't need a win it was simply the smart way to play.
Back tomorrow, this was not an easy match to take, and a night off from Milan is probably in order. All hope is not lost and I hope that sentiment is echoed across the blog. This loss merely puts into focus the absolute need to win the Scudetto and the chance at a domestic double should not be taken lightly. Being eliminated three years running in the KO rounds by EPL teams is nothing to be proud of, but when Milan gets it right back in the boot, they will be back in the CL stronger than ever. This team has European pedigree, and always will nothing will take away SEVEN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHIES, but it is time to take back what is ours in Italy!! The CL success we have all come to expect will return with a little patience...