Editorial

Champions League Comment: Better The Diavolo You Know, And Other Milan-Madrid Reflections

Goal.com's Ewan Macdonald looks back at the draw between the Rossoneri and the Blancos...

Nov 4, 2009 9:30:21 AM

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Marco Borriello - Milan (Getty Images)

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Looking for an overarching theme to the 1-1 draw between AC Milan and Real Madrid was a futile endeavour. There was no single act of dominance, no one moment that tipped the balance in either direction. Perhaps it was inevitable that in a game with so much at stake - for pride, for (some would say) managerial futures, for qualification, for players' reputations - there were at times too many nerves on display to make for a coherent, flowing performance.

Instead we saw a variety show that contained a few well-worked bits, a couple of genuine thrilling scenes, but also plenty of moments that saw disbelief well and truly unsuspended.

This was not a game that saw one engrossed as much as one observing - it was less Theatre of Dreams than Brechtian Epic Theatre. (Only, mercifully, with no audience participation.)

So, what did we see as the curtains went up?

Gonzalo Higuain, after a decisive weekend, did absolutely nothing for the duration of proceedings.
At the other end, Marco Borriello - a man with an unhappy Milan career, in contrast to Higuain's sunny days at Madrid - did arguably less. Not a day for strikers.
Pato's disallowed goal was better-taken than most of the legal strikes across Europe this evening.
Incidentally, Alvaro Arbeloa must still be attempting to clamber out of the Brazilian's pocket. He's not the only one. It will be a source of wonder to all that Pato did not score this evening.
A much more even personal battle was between Lassana Diarra and Massimo Ambrosini. The old Milanese warhorse and the parvenu Madridista put on quite a shot. For me, Lass edged it. Goal.com's Peter Staunton disagreed, defending 'Ambro' to the hilt. We'll leave it to you, the reader, to decide who was best.
One fine save from Dida was more than cancelled out by his amateurish parry for Benzema's opener. Meanwhile Iker Casillas managed two fewer errors than in the last game between the sides.

One gets the impression that Karim Benzema will wear the tag of 'greedy ball-hog' all his life, and with a certain pride. Few players could get away with attempting to squeeze a finish home at the near post when he has two team-mates waiting for the cutback. The Frenchman can.
Clarence Seedorf may well be a genius when the ball leaves his feet, or when he first receives it, but let's not forget that he gave it away for that Benzema goal.
Marcelo's critics can take the evening off.
Kaka's can't. His assist aside, this was not the kind of performance the San Siro crowd are accustomed to seeing from him. The midfielders who stayed at Milanello this summer, meanwhile, largely had better performances, as did Madrid's old(er) guard. Better the devil you know...
Oh, one more thing: the referee. If Felix Brych wants to take positives from his performance, there are two: the second half wasn't a total disaster, and that wasn't the worst refereeing display between AC Milan and Real Madrid this year. (That would be courtesy of Frank de Bleeckere last time.)
As for his decisions? The penalty call was brave, in the sense that running headlong into a wall is brave: sure, you've put yourself in the firing line, but for very little good reason. (Manuel Pellegrini, by the way, told the press after the game that it was an invalid decision. Will he be pulled up for this?) Disallowing Pato's goal, though? Put it this way: the UEFA match report makes no mention of the incident. Draw your own conclusions.

Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com