While we all like to see the sides that are regarded as the best in the world face off in the latter stages, it is also incredibly exciting to see team that weren’t expected to get very far reach the final of the Champions League.
That is exactly what will happen in the 2022/23 campaign because we are being treated to a semi-final Derby della Madonnina between Inter and AC Milan. The winner will face either Real Madrid or Manchester City and, although they will be the underdogs, they certainly have a huge amount of pedigree in the tournament.
Looking at Milan specifically, they are one of the most decorated clubs in the history of the tournament.
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Winning the European Cup/Champions League seven times is a remarkable achievement for any club but what makes AC Milan’s record so impressive is that they have won it in four different decades, showing a repeated ability to build elite sides rather than having one clearly defined decade of dominance.
The first victory in the early 1960s came against a generational Benfica team, as exemplified by the fact that Eusebio scored their goal in the 2-1 Rossoneri win. Jose Altafini grabbed the two Milan goals for a team that featured names like Giovanni Trappatoni and Cesare Maldini, father of Paolo.
A few years later, Milan got the better of another team featuring one of the greatest footballers of all time: Johan Cruyff. A Pierino Prati hat-trick and an Angelo Sormani goal sealed another European Cup for Nereo Rocco’s side.
|
Date |
Venue |
Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
|
1962/63 |
Wembley, England |
AC Milan 2-1 Benfica |
|
1968/69 |
Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid |
AC Milan 4-1 Ajax |
|
1988/89 |
Camp Nou, Barcelona |
Steaua Bucharest 0-4 AC Milan |
|
1989/90 |
Praterstadion, Vienna |
AC Milan 1-0 Benfica |
|
1993/94 |
Olympic Stadium, Athens |
AC Milan 4-0 Barcelona |
|
2002/03 |
Old Trafford, Manchester |
Juventus 0-0 AC Milan (3-2 Milan on pens) |
|
2006/07 |
Olympic Stadium, Athens |
AC Milan 2-1 Liverpool |
20 years passed before Milan were in another Champions League final. Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten grabbed two goals each to beat Steaua Bucharest in Barcelona. Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Frank Rijkaard and Carlo Ancelotti all started the game, coached by Arrigo Sacchi. Gheorghe Hagi was a starter for the Romanian side.
They were back the next season to defend their crown, and the starting XI against Benfica only had one change from the team that won the previous year. Alberico Evani was in for Roberto Donadoni to help beat Sven-Goran Eriksson’s…
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