‘It was wonderful’: Shevchenko on Milan beating Inter in the 2003 semis

T he odds are stacked against Milan going into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against their city rivals. Two early goals from Edin Dzeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan mean Inter have one foot in the final and, truth be told, they could have been out of sight in the first leg. Milan need an early goal on Tuesday night, so who better to speak to than the last player to score for Milan against Inter in a Champions League semi-final?

Andriy Shevchenko played a vital role when Milan beat Inter on away goals in the semi-finals 20 years ago. “I remember everything about it,” says Shevchenko, who received a clever pass from Clarence Seedorf just inside the penalty box as half-time loomed in the second leg with the tie still goalless. “It was a very important moment. The emotions were incredible and that’s why it’s impossible to forget: the pass from Clarence, the goal, the jubilation, the emotion, my heart pounding.”

Shevchenko still had a lot to do. He squeezed past the bull-like figure of Iván Córdoba and lifted his shot over the advancing Francesco Toldo and into the net. Milan were the “away” team in the second leg and, even though Obafemi Martins equalised for Inter, Milan advanced to the final to set up the first, and so far only, all-Italian final with Juventus at Old Trafford.

It could have been very different for Shevchenko and Milan. Their previous performances in the Champions League had been disappointing and they only scraped into the first group stage by beating Czech side Slovan Liberec on away goals in a qualifier. Milan were not among the favourites, but Silvio Berlusconi and his trusty sidekick Adriano Galliani had quietly constructed what would become a legendary side. The nucleus of the last