5 Classic Games In AC Milan History
AC Milan has achieved as much success as just about anyone on an international level while also being one of the best Serie A performers. The Italian club has had a lot of high points throughout its history, including some matches that go down as some of the fans’ all-time favorites. Here are our picks for five classic games in AC Milan history that you should go back and watch.
1963 European Cup Final
Now known as the UEFA Champions League, the European Cup was one of the most coveted football trophies in the world, and perhaps the biggest one after the World Cup itself. The league was founded in 1955, and AC Milan hadn’t won any of the first eight editions. In the 1962-63 tournament, however, AC Milan made a nice run, which included a 14-0 opening-round win over Union Luxembourg.
Milan then defeated Ipswich Town 4-2 and Galatasaray 8-1 before an easy 5-2 victory over Dundee in the semis. With the final brought down to one match instead of two legs, it was all on the line on May 22, 1963, when Milan took on Portugal’s Benfica. Benfica took a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to a goal from Eusebio. However, Jose Altafini scored in the 58th and 69th minutes to give Milan the 2-1 lead that they would hang on to for their first European Cup title.
AC Milan 6-0 Inter
There have been well over 300 matches throughout the history of the Derby della Madonnina that pits inter-city rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan. Throughout the series, the two clubs have traded wins and kept things close in the head-to-head. There have been a few instances in which one club dominated the other, but no victory was as convincing as the one from the 2000-01 Serie A season.
The two clubs first met in January 2001 that season with a 2-2 draw. Things were dramatically different. Gianni Comandini scored two goals in the first two minutes, and those would be the only two goals of the first half. Frederico Giunti made it a 3-0 match in the 51st minute, with Andrii Shevchenko adding two more before Serginho netted the final goal that made it 6-0, the biggest margin in the rivalry’s history.
2003 UEFA Champions League Final
There have been several times in which AC Milan has won the UEFA Champions League, but some of those have been sweeter than others. Since the tournament changed to its current name and format in 1992, there have been three finals matches where AC Milan took home the title. The top three on the list are those finals matches, with the first of them being the 2003 edition.
Milan entered the tournament in the third qualifying round and advanced past Slovan Liberec on away goals. After passing through the group stages, Milan defeated Ajax and rival Inter to take on yet another rival, Juventus. Neither team scored in the match, sending the championship to penalties. Serginho netted the goal that put Milan ahead, while Shevchenko scored the decider, giving Milan the 3-2 edge.
1994 UEFA Champions League Final
The next Champions League Final win on the list is the first one under the tournament’s current name. In the 1993-94 edition of the Champions League, Milan defeated Aarau 1-0 in the first round, then proceeded to demolish Copenhagen 7-0, with six of those goals coming in the first leg. Milan advanced alongside Porto from the group stage to take on Monaco. It was another easy victory, with Milan winning 3-0.
Barcelona was coming off of a 3-0 win themselves, taking out Portuguese team Porto. The finals were held in Athens, and the two teams were seemingly evenly matched. Milan would prove that wasn’t the case early on when Daniele Massaro scored in the 22nd minute. He added a second goal in added time just before the half. Dejan Savicevic opened the second half with a third goal for Milan while Marcel Desailly added the cherry on top to give Milan the 4-0 Champions League final victory.
2007 UEFA Champions League Final
Due to sanctions from the Calciopoli scandal in 2006, Milan was knocked down to the third qualifying round and had to take the hard road through the 2006-07 Champions League. Milan defeated Red Star Belgrade to get things started, then won their group which also contained Lille, AEK Athens, and Anderlecht.
After a 0-0 first leg, Milan defeated Celtic in the round of 16, needing extra time for the 1-0 victory. The club then beat Bayern Munich and Manchester United to advance to the final against Liverpool. It seemed that the clubs would head into halftime scoreless, but Pippo Inzaghi scored in the 45th minute to give Milan the lead. He then scored again in the 82nd minute. Dirk Kuijt scored for Liverpool in the end to make things interesting, but Milan came out on top.