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KAKA': 'It's all fantastic' MILAN - Ricky Kakà had this to say about winning the Champions League: 'I am very happy, these are the feelings I am trying to impress. I really wanted to win this trophy and it was a dream to finish top goalscorer.'

Kaka: Istanbul was a fluke Kaka insists Milan’s defeat to Liverpool in 2005 was a mere fluke and the right team won this evening. The Rossoneri will never get over that loss in Istanbul, when leading 3-0 at half-time they conceded three goals in six minutes to eventually fail on a penalty shoot-out. When Dirk Kuyt scored at the 88th to make the scoreline 2-1, did Kaka fear a repeat comeback from the Premiership side? “Absolutely not,” assured the Brazilian. “We knew that if we had played that Istanbul match a thousand times it would not have happened again. So, after tonight’s goal, we knew it would not be the same.” Kaka is crowned top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals – four clear of Peter Crouch in second place – and is the hot favourite for the Ballon d’Or. “I have always said that any personal prizes would come as a consequence of what I did with the team. Today I saw a great Milan.”

PAOLO MALDINI: 'It is always wonderful' ATHENS - Milan captain Paolo Maldini spoke after lifting the UEFA Champions League trophy: 'It is the fifth time, but it is always wonderful. I have the fortune to play in a great team that has given me the opportunity to make up for the disappointments that are nevertheless outnumbered by the good times. I want to play another Champions League, another league season and the World Club Championship that escaped me the last three times. Ending like that would be fantastic.'

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You're welcome Aga

Nesta gives critics cold shoulder Milan defender Alessandro Nesta says he proved his doubters wrong in the Champions League Final after a long spell out with a shoulder injury. The Italian international offered an outstanding performance at the heart of the Rossoneri defence and is glad to be back after surgery on a dislocated shoulder kept him sidelined for four months. “I have been criticised a lot in the past year. Some people even said that Italy won the World Cup because I was injured,” the former Lazio star told uefa.com. “But I have come back and I am delighted we won because Milan are like a family to me,” added the defender, who recently extended his contract with the Rossoneri until 2011. “When I returned from injury the team was starting to play well again and that helped me. Now the season has ended on a wonderful high. It wasn’t a beautiful game but we had to win and I feel it was a fair result.” Milan will now face UEFA Cup winners Sevilla in the European Super Cup on August 31 at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, having won four previous titles in 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2003.

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Thanks footballfan#7, Sandy & Aga

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WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!: CL Final: AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool - match report Scorers: Inzaghi 45, 80 (M), Kuyt 88 (L) Pippo Inzaghi's brace has given Milan revenge over Liverpool with a 2-1 Champions League triumph in Athens! These teams clashed in Istanbul in the 2005 Final with the Rossoneri throwing away a 3-0 lead to lose on penalties. Two years later they were back fighting for the trophy and Paolo Maldini recovered from a knee injury to play his eighth Final. Pippo Inzaghi was picked ahead of Alberto Gilardino to start upfront, while Liverpool opted for Dirk Kuyt with support from Steven Gerrard and Bolo Zenden. Both sides qualified for the tournament via the preliminary round, as Milan were originally excluded due to the Calciopoli trial, but battled their way to their third Final in five years. Jamie Carragher charged down an Inzaghi volley after five minutes, then Clarence Seedorf's first touch let him down from an overhit Marek Jankulovski cross. A terrible Jankulovski error on the edge of his own area gave Jermaine Pennant the ball, but Nelson Dida was at full stretch for a fingertip save. Pennant found more space down the right and luckily for Milan Gerrard scuffed his shot. At the other end Inzaghi sprung the offside trap on Andrea Pirlo's chipped pass over the defence, but couldn't get the ball under control with only Pepe Reina to beat. Reina got down well to smother a Kaka strike from distance and Daniel Agger escaped without a card for his cynical shoulder-charge on Kaka. Gerrard had too much space to drill over the bar on the counter and Kaka flicked the ball round two Liverpool players on the sole of his boot before he was eventually stopped by Javier Mascherano. Pennant again was allowed to push forward and the ball eventually fell to Xabi Alonso's shot that whistled just wide of the far post. John Arne Riise blasted well over, but another Jankulovski error handed Liverpool a great chance with Kuyt's finish deflected off target. Gennaro Gattuso was the first player in the Final to enter the book for a sliding tackle on Alonso on 40 minutes. Alonso pushed Kaka on the edge of the area and from the resulting Pirlo free kick on the edge of the D took a crucial deflection off Inzaghi to beat Reina. Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was furious, as he felt it was a handling offence, but the ball struck him between his shoulder and his chest. There was a pitch invasion from a local Greek supporter straight after the restart, who was dragged off the field by stewards. Kuyt and Kaka were both halted for incorrect offside positions and Jankulovski was shown the yellow card for a futile foul on Pennant. Inzaghi pounced on an Agger error inside the area, but hesitated and allowed the Liverpool man to recover. Mascherano was booked for going through the back of Pirlo and the first substitution saw Harry Kewell replace Zenden. Kaka sprinted past Carragher and the England international could do nothing but drag him back for a yellow card. Pirlo curled the free kick over the bar. Gattuso handed the ball straight to Gerrard and the captain ran towards the area, but the tame right-foot shot was into the arms of Dida. It was arguably Liverpool's best opportunity of the game so far. There was bad news for Carlo Ancelotti on 70 minutes when Alessandro Nesta pulled up with breathing difficulties, saying he felt sick, but the defender recovered and was able to carry on. Pirlo's pass struck the referee and fell kindly for Gerrard, but the shot was off target from 20 metres, then Gattuso won the ball back only for Kaka to be charged down. A corner came out for Clarence Seedorf and was deflected off Riise before Mascherano closed down Inzaghi with a crucial tackle. Liverpool's top scorer with six goals, Peter Crouch came on for Mascherano in the final 12 minutes, so Kakha Kaladze replaced the disappointing Jankulovski. There was a fantastic opportunity for Milan, but Inzaghi was surprised that Gerrard failed to get a touch on Kaka's cross, so it slipped past him. Carragher did very well to stop Kaka's run through the middle. However, Milan doubled their lead with eight minutes to go. Kaka threaded a perfect pass through for Inzaghi. He went round Reina and placed a delicate but remarkably precise angled drive under the goalkeeper from the tightest of angles. SuperPippo was in the stands in Istanbul due to injury, so this was a particularly special chance to avenge that day. Riise battled to hold off another Kaka run, but Dida did brilliantly to fingertip a Crouch long-range drive over the bar. Alberto Gilardino replaced brace hero Inzaghi and Arbeloa came on for Steve Finnan. Milan can never relax when it's a Champions League Final against Liverpool, as they got one back with less than two minutes left on the clock. A corner kick took several touches on the way to Kuyt's header at the back post for his first Champions League goal for the club. The referee added three minutes of stoppages and Giuseppe Favalli came on for Seedorf. The Dutchman joined Inzaghi in stalking up and down the sidelines shouting at his teammates. Gerrard's shot was charged down and Milan lifted the Champions League trophy!

AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool Milan: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski (Kaladze 79); Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf (Favalli 91); Kaka; Inzaghi (Gilardino 87) Liverpool: Reina; Finnan (Arbeloa 87), Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano (Crouch 78), Zenden (Kewell 59); Gerrard; Kuyt Goals: 1-0, Inzaghi, 45' 2-0, Inzaghi, 82' 2-1, Kuyt, 88' Ref: Fandel (Ger)

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!: CL Final: AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool - match report Scorers: Inzaghi 45, 80 (M), Kuyt 88 (L) Pippo Inzaghi's brace has given Milan revenge over Liverpool with a 2-1 Champions League triumph in Athens! These teams clashed in Istanbul in the 2005 Final with the Rossoneri throwing away a 3-0 lead to lose on penalties. Two years later they were back fighting for the trophy and Paolo Maldini recovered from a knee injury to play his eighth Final. Pippo Inzaghi was picked ahead of Alberto Gilardino to start upfront, while Liverpool opted for Dirk Kuyt with support from Steven Gerrard and Bolo Zenden. Both sides qualified for the tournament via the preliminary round, as Milan were originally excluded due to the Calciopoli trial, but battled their way to their third Final in five years. Jamie Carragher charged down an Inzaghi volley after five minutes, then Clarence Seedorf's first touch let him down from an overhit Marek Jankulovski cross. A terrible Jankulovski error on the edge of his own area gave Jermaine Pennant the ball, but Nelson Dida was at full stretch for a fingertip save. Pennant found more space down the right and luckily for Milan Gerrard scuffed his shot. At the other end Inzaghi sprung the offside trap on Andrea Pirlo's chipped pass over the defence, but couldn't get the ball under control with only Pepe Reina to beat. Reina got down well to smother a Kaka strike from distance and Daniel Agger escaped without a card for his cynical shoulder-charge on Kaka. Gerrard had too much space to drill over the bar on the counter and Kaka flicked the ball round two Liverpool players on the sole of his boot before he was eventually stopped by Javier Mascherano. Pennant again was allowed to push forward and the ball eventually fell to Xabi Alonso's shot that whistled just wide of the far post. John Arne Riise blasted well over, but another Jankulovski error handed Liverpool a great chance with Kuyt's finish deflected off target. Gennaro Gattuso was the first player in the Final to enter the book for a sliding tackle on Alonso on 40 minutes. Alonso pushed Kaka on the edge of the area and from the resulting Pirlo free kick on the edge of the D took a crucial deflection off Inzaghi to beat Reina. Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was furious, as he felt it was a handling offence, but the ball struck him between his shoulder and his chest. There was a pitch invasion from a local Greek supporter straight after the restart, who was dragged off the field by stewards. Kuyt and Kaka were both halted for incorrect offside positions and Jankulovski was shown the yellow card for a futile foul on Pennant. Inzaghi pounced on an Agger error inside the area, but hesitated and allowed the Liverpool man to recover. Mascherano was booked for going through the back of Pirlo and the first substitution saw Harry Kewell replace Zenden. Kaka sprinted past Carragher and the England international could do nothing but drag him back for a yellow card. Pirlo curled the free kick over the bar. Gattuso handed the ball straight to Gerrard and the captain ran towards the area, but the tame right-foot shot was into the arms of Dida. It was arguably Liverpool's best opportunity of the game so far. There was bad news for Carlo Ancelotti on 70 minutes when Alessandro Nesta pulled up with breathing difficulties, saying he felt sick, but the defender recovered and was able to carry on. Pirlo's pass struck the referee and fell kindly for Gerrard, but the shot was off target from 20 metres, then Gattuso won the ball back only for Kaka to be charged down. A corner came out for Clarence Seedorf and was deflected off Riise before Mascherano closed down Inzaghi with a crucial tackle. Liverpool's top scorer with six goals, Peter Crouch came on for Mascherano in the final 12 minutes, so Kakha Kaladze replaced the disappointing Jankulovski. There was a fantastic opportunity for Milan, but Inzaghi was surprised that Gerrard failed to get a touch on Kaka's cross, so it slipped past him. Carragher did very well to stop Kaka's run through the middle. However, Milan doubled their lead with eight minutes to go. Kaka threaded a perfect pass through for Inzaghi. He went round Reina and placed a delicate but remarkably precise angled drive under the goalkeeper from the tightest of angles. SuperPippo was in the stands in Istanbul due to injury, so this was a particularly special chance to avenge that day. Riise battled to hold off another Kaka run, but Dida did brilliantly to fingertip a Crouch long-range drive over the bar. Alberto Gilardino replaced brace hero Inzaghi and Arbeloa came on for Steve Finnan. Milan can never relax when it's a Champions League Final against Liverpool, as they got one back with less than two minutes left on the clock. A corner kick took several touches on the way to Kuyt's header at the back post for his first Champions League goal for the club. The referee added three minutes of stoppages and Giuseppe Favalli came on for Seedorf. The Dutchman joined Inzaghi in stalking up and down the sidelines shouting at his teammates. Gerrard's shot was charged down and Milan lifted the Champions League trophy!

AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool Milan: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski (Kaladze 79); Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf (Favalli 91); Kaka; Inzaghi (Gilardino 87) Liverpool: Reina; Finnan (Arbeloa 87), Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano (Crouch 78), Zenden (Kewell 59); Gerrard; Kuyt Goals: 1-0, Inzaghi, 45' 2-0, Inzaghi, 82' 2-1, Kuyt, 88' Ref: Fandel (Ger)

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!: CL Final: AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool - match report Scorers: Inzaghi 45, 80 (M), Kuyt 88 (L) Pippo Inzaghi's brace has given Milan revenge over Liverpool with a 2-1 Champions League triumph in Athens! These teams clashed in Istanbul in the 2005 Final with the Rossoneri throwing away a 3-0 lead to lose on penalties. Two years later they were back fighting for the trophy and Paolo Maldini recovered from a knee injury to play his eighth Final. Pippo Inzaghi was picked ahead of Alberto Gilardino to start upfront, while Liverpool opted for Dirk Kuyt with support from Steven Gerrard and Bolo Zenden. Both sides qualified for the tournament via the preliminary round, as Milan were originally excluded due to the Calciopoli trial, but battled their way to their third Final in five years. Jamie Carragher charged down an Inzaghi volley after five minutes, then Clarence Seedorf's first touch let him down from an overhit Marek Jankulovski cross. A terrible Jankulovski error on the edge of his own area gave Jermaine Pennant the ball, but Nelson Dida was at full stretch for a fingertip save. Pennant found more space down the right and luckily for Milan Gerrard scuffed his shot. At the other end Inzaghi sprung the offside trap on Andrea Pirlo's chipped pass over the defence, but couldn't get the ball under control with only Pepe Reina to beat. Reina got down well to smother a Kaka strike from distance and Daniel Agger escaped without a card for his cynical shoulder-charge on Kaka. Gerrard had too much space to drill over the bar on the counter and Kaka flicked the ball round two Liverpool players on the sole of his boot before he was eventually stopped by Javier Mascherano. Pennant again was allowed to push forward and the ball eventually fell to Xabi Alonso's shot that whistled just wide of the far post. John Arne Riise blasted well over, but another Jankulovski error handed Liverpool a great chance with Kuyt's finish deflected off target. Gennaro Gattuso was the first player in the Final to enter the book for a sliding tackle on Alonso on 40 minutes. Alonso pushed Kaka on the edge of the area and from the resulting Pirlo free kick on the edge of the D took a crucial deflection off Inzaghi to beat Reina. Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was furious, as he felt it was a handling offence, but the ball struck him between his shoulder and his chest. There was a pitch invasion from a local Greek supporter straight after the restart, who was dragged off the field by stewards. Kuyt and Kaka were both halted for incorrect offside positions and Jankulovski was shown the yellow card for a futile foul on Pennant. Inzaghi pounced on an Agger error inside the area, but hesitated and allowed the Liverpool man to recover. Mascherano was booked for going through the back of Pirlo and the first substitution saw Harry Kewell replace Zenden. Kaka sprinted past Carragher and the England international could do nothing but drag him back for a yellow card. Pirlo curled the free kick over the bar. Gattuso handed the ball straight to Gerrard and the captain ran towards the area, but the tame right-foot shot was into the arms of Dida. It was arguably Liverpool's best opportunity of the game so far. There was bad news for Carlo Ancelotti on 70 minutes when Alessandro Nesta pulled up with breathing difficulties, saying he felt sick, but the defender recovered and was able to carry on. Pirlo's pass struck the referee and fell kindly for Gerrard, but the shot was off target from 20 metres, then Gattuso won the ball back only for Kaka to be charged down. A corner came out for Clarence Seedorf and was deflected off Riise before Mascherano closed down Inzaghi with a crucial tackle. Liverpool's top scorer with six goals, Peter Crouch came on for Mascherano in the final 12 minutes, so Kakha Kaladze replaced the disappointing Jankulovski. There was a fantastic opportunity for Milan, but Inzaghi was surprised that Gerrard failed to get a touch on Kaka's cross, so it slipped past him. Carragher did very well to stop Kaka's run through the middle. However, Milan doubled their lead with eight minutes to go. Kaka threaded a perfect pass through for Inzaghi. He went round Reina and placed a delicate but remarkably precise angled drive under the goalkeeper from the tightest of angles. SuperPippo was in the stands in Istanbul due to injury, so this was a particularly special chance to avenge that day. Riise battled to hold off another Kaka run, but Dida did brilliantly to fingertip a Crouch long-range drive over the bar. Alberto Gilardino replaced brace hero Inzaghi and Arbeloa came on for Steve Finnan. Milan can never relax when it's a Champions League Final against Liverpool, as they got one back with less than two minutes left on the clock. A corner kick took several touches on the way to Kuyt's header at the back post for his first Champions League goal for the club. The referee added three minutes of stoppages and Giuseppe Favalli came on for Seedorf. The Dutchman joined Inzaghi in stalking up and down the sidelines shouting at his teammates. Gerrard's shot was charged down and Milan lifted the Champions League trophy!

AC Milan 2:1 Liverpool Milan: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski (Kaladze 79); Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf (Favalli 91); Kaka; Inzaghi (Gilardino 87) Liverpool: Reina; Finnan (Arbeloa 87), Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant, Xabi Alonso, Mascherano (Crouch 78), Zenden (Kewell 59); Gerrard; Kuyt Goals: 1-0, Inzaghi, 45' 2-0, Inzaghi, 82' 2-1, Kuyt, 88' Ref: Fandel (Ger)