'Catenaccio, the art of defending a one-goal lead, was invented in Milan and last night it was used to shut Manchester United out of the Champions League with absolute efficiency. There is no side in Europe more adept at keeping or extending a first-leg lead than AC Milan; Paolo Maldini was lifting a European Cup when Wayne Rooney was two years old and Sir Alex Ferguson's pessimism when United landed at Malpensa Airport was justified. His team were not just beaten, they were ruthlessly outplayed.
This season rhythmic chants of "Argentina" have been beaten out around Old Trafford in praise of Gabriel Heinze but over the two legs another Argentine, Hernan Crespo, has been the reason why for the second year in succession the wealthiest club in the world have failed to even reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup.
No English side had ever overcome Milan in their own stadium. There is something Germanic, rather than Italian, about the smooth, mechanical efficiency of their defence and when Ruud van Nistelrooy had his one sight of goal in the first half, he was pounced on by Maldini and Jaap Stam.
For the first time, the San Siro was sold out for a Champions League fixture. Not even for the semi-final of the European Cup in 2003, when AC Milan had played Inter here, had it been full.'