The great UEFA Champions
League matches
CHAMPIONS
LEAGUE
AC Milan v FC Barcelona - Athens, 18 May 1994
It was the storybook final where the truth was stranger than all the pre-match fiction. The
clubs were acknowledged as the best in Europe and both had renewed their domestic
league titles shortly before travelling to Greece. Yet Johan Cruyff's Barcelona and Fabio
Capello's Milan were said to use two very different recipes for success. Cruyff, comparing
Barcelona's league tally of 91 goals with Milan's 36, claimed that victory for his own side
would be a triumph for attacking football while a win for Milan would endorse a defence-
minded philosophy. Many critics also felt that the absences of Franco Baresi and
Alessandro Costacurta, both suspended, would rip out the heart of Milan defence and
allow Barcelona's devastating attacking partnership of Romario and Hristo Stoitchkov to
settle the issue. On a sultry night in Athens, Capello's side proved the forecasters wrong in
spectacular fashion.
The surprise was not only the 4-0 scoreline but also the manner in which Milan achieved
their victory. In most big finals, both teams can claim to have dominated certain periods of
the game. Milan dominated from the first whistle to the last. Their 'heartless' defence,
comprising Maura Tassotti, Christian Panucci, Filippo Galli and Paolo Maldini, looked imp
regnable thanks in great part to the midfield strangehold which cut off supply routes so
effectively that Romario and Stoitchkov were simply irrelevant. Marcel Desailly seemed to
be everywhere, breaking up Barcelona's timid attempts to play creative football, launching
wave after wave of Milan attacks and, ultimately, being rewarded with a fine goal. Dejan
Savicevic produced one of his finest performances for Milan and once he had the ball,
Barcelona looked incapable of taking it away from him. It was Savicevic who set up the first
goal in the 22nd minute by breaking past desperate challengers into the Barcelona box and
crossing for Daniele Massaro to connect with his left boot at the far post. Seconds before
half-time, a beautifully-elaborated move ended with Roberto Donadoni cutting the ball back
from the left wing for Massaro to make it 2-0 with a fierce shot. Savicevic ended any hopes
of a Barcelona revival only two minutes after the interval. Fie heat Miguel Angel Nadal to a
bouncing ball on the right wing and struck a magnificent lob which sailed over Andoni
Zubizarreta and into the far corner of the Barcelona net. On the hour-mark, Desailly won
the ball in midfield for the umpteenth time, combined with Demetrio Albertini, ran clear of
the Barcelona defence and coolly curled a
fourth pas Zubizarreta. In a surprisingly
goal-less last half-hour, only the woodwork
and good goalkeeping prevented 'defensi
ve' Milan from running up the highest score
since 1962.
Barcelona defenders watch helplessly as Daniele
Massaro scores AC Milan's second goal. In the
background, the supplier of the killer pass, Dejan
Savicevic.
PHOTO: SPORTING PICTURES
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