| Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino hammered Manchester United 3-0 to set up another Champions League Final against Liverpool! The Rossoneri knew they had to fight back from a 3-2 first leg defeat at Old Trafford and so went for an attacking line-up with Massimo Oddo and Marek Jankulovski as full-backs and Pippo Inzaghi replacing the disappointing Alberto Gilardino upfront. Paolo Maldini was in the stands, but Gennaro Gattuso recovered from a bruised foot to start. Rio Ferdinand was only fit for the bench, but Nemanja Vidic returned and Patrice Evra was suspended. Kaka bagged a brace in the first leg and had a chance after 60 seconds when he sprinted past Vidic but his low cross was just past Inzaghi in the driving rain. Moments later Edwin Van der Sar tipped a Clarence Seedorf strike out from under the bar. Oddo's cross from the right found a too weak volley from Kaka and the Brazilian did a lot better on 11 minutes by giving Milan the lead. Seedorf nodded a searching Andrea Pirlo pass back to the edge of the area where Kaka drilled his low volley into the near bottom corner of the net. This goal consolidated his position as Champions League top scorer with 10 in 12 games and put Milan ahead on goal difference, 3-3 on aggregate. Van der Sar rushed out to close down Pirlo's pass towards Inzaghi, then a Pirlo shot flashed across the face of goal. A Paul Scholes header looped over as Oddo kept him onside and Nelson Dida smothered a Ryan Giggs effort, as no Manchester United players were ready to pounce on the loose ball. Vidic slipped inside his own area and gave the ball to Pirlo, then the clearance found Seedorf and he was able to shrug off two defenders to place a perfect low right-foot strike into the same corner as Kaka's goal. Massimo Ambrosini's sliding tackle stopped Darren Fletcher short and Dida plucked a deflected cross off Cristiano Ronaldo's head. But Milan had a great chance to make it 3-0 before the break, as Oddo's low cross found Inzaghi to drill just wide of the near post. Gattuso used his strength to shrug Cristiano Ronaldo off the ball on a counter, earning a standing ovation from the San Siro crowd. Wayne Rooney's snapshot felled Nesta and Ronaldo blazed well wide from distance. Ambrosini won back the ball in midfield on 53 minutes and Kaka again left Vidic eating his dust, but Van der Sar parried the shot a little too far away for Inzaghi to pounce. A defensive error at the other end sent Cristiano Ronaldo free, but his effort was charged down by Nesta. A Giggs through pass just missed Rooney's foot and Gattuso blocked Ronaldo's free kick. Van der Sar ran out to clear from Inzaghi, but United were growing in confidence and Fletcher drilled wide of the near post, as he was totally unmarked on the edge of the box. Rooney managed to turn Nesta but his shot flashed across the face of goal, then the England striker had penalty appeals as he attempted an ambitious overhead kick under pressure from Oddo. Gilardino came on for Inzaghi as the Rossoneri seemed to tire after an hour of play. Kaka gathered a Seedorf pass and his shot was deflected wide with Van der Sar stranded. From the corner a Seedorf cross was cleared with some difficulty. The first booking of the game only arrived after 74 minutes for Ambrosini's tackle on Paul Scholes. Gattuso fell awkwardly and appeared to twist his knee, but he was able to continue after treatment. Striker Louis Saha replaced defender O'Shea as Sir Alex Ferguson went for broke. Milan made it 3-0 moments later with a classic counter-attack. Seedorf's first-time pass sent Gilardino clear on goal and he ran forward for 40 metres to side-foot the ball past a desperate Van der Sar. It was only his second Champions League goal in 10 appearances this season. Kaka went down with cramp and so Milan put out the ball, but Manchester United did not return the sphere and had a shot on goal. Gattuso was furious and his teammates had to hold him back from attacking Scholes, the Italian earning a booking for his trouble. Cristiano Ronaldo hacked down Seedorf and was also given a yellow card, which would suspend him from the Final. Gattuso was replaced by Cafu to keep him calm and Kaka made way for Giuseppe Favalli.
| 
