Group stage: Milan - Schalke Report
3-2 defeat in Milan seals Champions League exit
A strong performance by Schalke 04 was not enough to prevent a 3-2 Champions League defeat at AC Milan on Tuesday evening. And as PSV Eindhoven won their clash with Fenerbahce by two goals to nil, the Royal Blues now bid farewell to Europe's premier club competition and will enter the UEFA Cup next year. Nevertheless Ralf Rangnick's men once again demonstrated that they are capable of holding their own against the top sides in Europe.
Rangnick made one change to the team that won in Bielefeld last Saturday, Hamit Altintop coming in for Gustavo Varela. Marcelo Bordon came through a late fitness test on his injured thigh and was declared fit to play.
From the outset Schalke showed the eight-time European champions little respect. A strong defensive display in the first half stifled the Italians and restricted them to just a few half-chances. For their part the Royal Blues fashioned their first opening after just eight minutes, Kevin Kuranyi, who again operated as a lone striker, heading Rafinha's cross wide of the target.
Not until the 20th minutes did the home side register their first attempt on goal. Andriy Shevchenko reacted the quickest to a mistake in the Schalke rearguard, but the Ukrainian was denied by Frank Rost. Two minutes later there was a shock for the Royal Blues when Shevchenko unintentionally stepped on Rost's hand while battling for the ball. But the Schalke keeper was able to continue after a short break for treatment.
Three minutes later the Royal Blues carved out another good opportunity. Lincoln's free-kick found Mladen Krstajic at the far post, but his shot landed in the side netting. The next chance also fell to the visitors from Gelsenkirchen. Hamit Altintop seized on a mistake by Paolo Maldini to claim possession, but instead of slipping the ball to Lincoln, he drove the ball narrowly wide of the Milan goal.
Schalke were more than holding their own at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, building on their recent good performances in the Champions League. Yet there was a moment of danger in the 34th minute when Shevchenko fed Inzaghi. The Italian international shrugged off Bordon's challenge but slipped in doing so and was thus unable to make contact with the ball, allowing the Royal Blues to clear. Otherwise the Schalke defence stood firm against Milan's fleet-footed strikers, denying them the space they needed to exploit their pace.
Yet the Royal Blues did go behind in the 42nd minute. Andrea Pirlo gave last year's losing finalists the lead with a fiercely struck free-kick from 22 metres. But the Royal Blues did not allow the goal to knock them out of their stride and hit back almost immediately. Lincoln floated in a free-kick to Christian Poulsen, who was impressive yet again, and Dane headed home the equaliser from close range.
Ralf Rangnick's men started the second half well, creating chances for Asamoah and Lincoln, but in the 52nd minute they were caught cold. After Schalke had lost possession in midfield Shevchenko broke clear before passing to Kaka, who put Milan 2-1 up with a crisp shot into the far corner.
And just eight minutes later Kaka struck again after a Schalke build-up broke down, allowing Inzaghi to force his way into the penalty box. His square pass was mishit by Shevchenko, but Kaka reacted the quickest and fired an unstoppable shot past Rost. Kuranyi could then have pulled one back for Schalke within a minute of going 3-1 down, but the Germany international directed his effort wide of the goal from Poulsen's cross.
On 66 minutes Lincoln made no such mistake, however. When Bordon's free-kick rebounded off the wall the ball landed at the Brazilian's feet, and his shot took a deflection on its way past the hapless Dida into the net. The action heated up and an open end-to-end game ensued with chances for both sides. In the closing stages the Royal Blues put all their eggs in one basket and introduced two fresh strikers in Ebbe Sand and Sören Larsen for Kevin Kuranyi and Mladen Krstajic. Unfortunately, Schalke's courage was not rewarded and they were unable to fashion any further clear-cut chances.
Yet the 6,000 travelling Schalke fans were not despondent for long, showering the players with applause and encouraging chants as they left the field. It would seem the supporters are already setting their sights on the UEFA Cup and the Bundesliga title...
