TIME MACHINE: REAL MADRID v AC MILAN

It is the present, it will always be history. After more than 5,000 days, AC Milan and Real Madrid meet again in an official match. Pippo Inzaghi confirmed his immortality with an extraordinary brace in a 2-2 draw at San Siro. After a series of friendly matches around the world, the 2024/25 Champions League will once again bring together the queens of the competition, the two teams with the most wins. Back then, the gap was small, but today the difference - compared to the rest of the field - is largely in favour of Los Blancos.

AC Milan and Real Madrid are synonymous with Europe, football and spectacle. For a few moments, we want to bring back and relive a great memory. And a special one for us. 21 October 2009. It's enough to remember: 3-2, Pato's double. The Rossoneri were in Madrid, and the odds were certainly not in our favour. We started the round well in Marseille (2-1), but a home defeat to Zurich (1-0) put a damper on our plans. The Spaniards' visit to the home of the former player Kaká already clinched them the qualification, even before a very complicated fixture. Leonardo chose the 4-3-3 formation: Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta; Ambrosini, Pirlo, Seedorf; Pato, Inzaghi, Ronaldinho. The first half was marred by an error from Dida, who lost his grip on a harmless ball from Granero in the 19th minute and allowed the rampaging Raúl to take the lead. A fine strike, but in the second half...

Pride, experience, class. The Diavolo rose to the occasion and overturned the game with a magnificent display. Pirlo got the ball rolling in the 62nd minute, unleashing a rocket into the corner from some distance to taunt Casillas. Then the Pato-show began. In the 66th minute, the Brazilian was picked out by Ambrosini, took advantage of the goalkeeper's position and slotted the ball home. If the equaliser came as a relief, the goal that followed was a breath of fresh air. No sitting back and no relaxing, because the dam has now been unleashed. Drenthe's goal in the 76th minute, a left-footer against the post from a corner, wiped the smile off the face of the crowd and put the result back in uncertainty. In the 88th minute, it was once again Il Papero who made AC Milan's dreams come true, volleying home Seedorf's cross to bring the majestic Real Madrid to their knees. Practically a film. An indelible page, a turning-point for the rest of the round.

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