ITALY: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - AC Milan will play Liverpool in the final of the Champions League after knocking out Manchester United

AC Milan set up a repeat Champions League final showdown against Liverpool when they brushed aside Manchester United 3-0 on Wednesday (May 2) to complete a 5-3 win on aggregate. First-half goals by playmaker Kaka and midfielder Clarence Seedorf, and a second-half strike by substitute Alberto Gilardino rewarded a commanding display by the six-times European champions, who will dispute their third final in five years and the 11th in their history in Athens on May 23. The game against Liverpool will also give them a chance to avenge the defeat they suffered against the English club in the 2005 final in Istanbul, when they squandered a 3-0 half-time lead before losing 3-2 on penalties. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson appeared taken aback by the enormity of the loss. "I wasn't expecting it at all," he said. He said that the first two goals had been sold "cheaply" by United and that his team had not coped with the first 25 minutes well. "It was two goals very cheaply and I think at this level you can't cope with that you have to do better at defending these situations. And I have to say that they put on a fantastic performance, AC Milan, and much fresher than us," he said. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said: "None of the coaches could imagine a match like this. We played perfect football. It is like a dream. Manchester United are a very strong team but we played well in the first leg so it gave us strength to play well today." He looked forward to the final: "'The final will be different from our last one, but we are happy to play again against Liverpool.' The game and pre-match preparations in the city passed off peacefully despite fears of violence after Roma and United fans clashed in the last round. But United were outclassed from the moment they stepped out at the San Siro.

ITN Source | May 4, 2007

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