Milan edge into last 16

Leonardo's men fail to inspire, but get the job done

Last updated: 9th December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Milan edge into last 16

Pirlo: Not at the races

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Seven-time kings of Europe AC Milan earned a place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League despite being held to a 1-1 draw at 10-man FC Zurich in Group C.

The Swiss side, who were already eliminated from the competition, threatened to repeat their victory at the San Siro on matchday two after the aptly named Milan Gajic scored a stunning first-half free-kick.

But Ronaldinho converted a second-half penalty after Alain Rochat had been sent off which, combined with Real Madrid's win at Marseille, was enough to guarantee the Italians second place in the group.

The first half was a relatively uninspiring affair, with Milan struggling to find any rhythm after having their best moment in the opening minutes when Pato had a volley saved by Johnny Leoni.

It was Zurich, already condemned to bottom spot in the group, concluding their European involvement for 2009/10, who were playing as if a place in the knockout stages was on offer.

Rotten evening

Gajic was proving far too energetic for the sluggish Massimo Ambrosini and Andrea Pirlo, and rightfully it was the Zurich midfielder who opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a superb free-kick.

Having run beyond Ambrosini, Gajic was awarded a generous set-piece 30 yards from goal following a slight tug on his shirt and the 23-year-old responded by smashing past Dida as the Milan goalkeeper incorrectly attempted to second-guess the flight.

The pattern continued after half-time and Ambrosini's rotten evening came to an end shortly before the hour mark as manager Leonardo, who had lost Thiago Silva through injury in the first half, introduced former Arsenal man Mathieu Flamini.

Milan, though, got the break they barely deserved in the 64th minute when Marco Borriello was felled by Rochat inside the Zurich 18-yard area, earning the left-back a red card and the visitors a penalty, which Ronaldinho calmly dispatched.

A host of substitutions disrupted the end of the match as both sides appeared content with the share of the spoils and so it remained as referee Pedro Proenca brought proceedings to a close after three minutes of injury time.

FC ZürichTeam StatisticsMilan
1Goals1
11st Half Goals0
3Shots on Target3
5Shots off Target9
2Blocked Shots1
2Corners4
20Fouls10
1Offsides7
1Yellow Cards2
1Red Cards0
81.5Passing Success85.9
28Tackles16
71.4Tackles Success93.8
40.6Possession59.4
48.4Territorial Advantage51.6

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