Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho returned to the San Siro to a cacophony of insults after holding three fingers up to AC Milan fans, but he left with a smile on his face and Champions League last-16 qualification after a 2-2 draw on Wednesday
Real went through to the knockout stage along with Bayern Munich and Chelsea, although Arsenal, who could also have qualified with two matches to spare, lost 2-1 at Shakhtar Donetsk and will have to wait.
Pedro Leon struck the all-important equalizer for the visitors deep into stoppage-time after fellow substitute Filippo Inzaghi had netted two trademark poacher’s goals to turn the game following Gonzalo Higuain’s effort on halftime.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“It was a goal that gave us great satisfaction, it was good for Pedro Leon, but great for the team because we still haven’t lost and we are through,” Mourinho told a news conference with little apparent sentiment for his former surroundings.
The charismatic Portuguese led Inter — who share the San Siro with AC Milan — to the European Cup and an unprecedented Italian treble last term and was determined to remind rival Milan supporters as he made the provocative fingered gesture on the bus arriving for the Group G game.
His first return to the famous stadium since leaving Inter in May started with an enormous explosion of whistles from the 75,000 Milan fans when his name was read out over the speakers.
PHOTO: REUTERS
His appearance from the tunnel sparked a volley of obscene chants, but the livid Rossoneri faithful were soon silenced as classy Real took charge and went ahead when Higuain found a vast hole in Milan’s defense to finish off Angel Di Maria’s pass.
EVERGREEN STRIKER
Milan, who meekly lost 2-0 at the Bernabeu two weeks ago, were thoroughly second best, but the introduction of 37-year-old Inzaghi completely changed the game.
The evergreen striker, little used these days, nodded in after Iker Casillas flapped at Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s cross on 68 minutes and he prodded in his second 10 minutes later, although Mourinho was adamant he was offside.
“Inzaghi is important because at 37 he always has enthusiasm and he encourages the young players,” Milan coach Massimilano Allegri said.
Real have never won at the San Siro, but it almost felt like a win to them when Pedro Leon appeared from nowhere to score.
Mourinho told Sky Sports afterwards: “Overall, I am not too happy with the result because we should have killed them, we had chances to kill the game, but at the same time when you are losing 2-1 in the last minute and you equalize you cannot say you are sad because you’ve had a little bit of luck to score the goal.”
“We have qualified, we didn’t lose and we keep going,” he said.
Mourinho had the last laugh over the Milan fans as he waved his arms about in delight after Leon’s goal and stuck his tongue out, before remembering the game was not yet over and quickly grabbing substitute Raul Albiol to tell him to go on with seconds left.
Auxerre’s win over Ajax in the other group game meant the draw was enough to seal Real’s passage into February’s first knockout round, where they have lost for the last six seasons.
Their chances of progressing beyond that stage this term look high given Mourinho’s immense skill and pedigree, and the fact he desperately wants to become the first coach to win the European Cup with three different teams — he also triumphed with Porto in 2004 — as early as possible.
Before the match, he gave a three-finger salute to the Milan fans in the stadium representing, he said, the treble he won with their archrivals Inter, explaining: “three fingers, three titles with Inter last season, the treble — a little bit of pepper before the game.”
BAYERN’S PERFECT START
Bayern, beaten by Mourinho’s Inter in last season’s Champions League final in Madrid, certainly peppered CFR Cluj in a 4-0 win in Romania to maintain their perfect start in Group E and take them into the last 16 on the back of a Mario Gomez hat-trick.
In the other Group E match, AS Roma beat Basel 3-2 to take second place in the group.
Jeremy Menez’s well-placed shot in the 16th minute and Francesco Totti’s 25th-minute penalty helped the Italian side avenge a 3-1 home loss against the Swiss team two weeks ago.
Chelsea also racked up four goals with a 4-1 win over Spartak Moscow at Stamford Bridge, with defender Branislav Ivanovic, -scoring twice.
Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba added the others as Chelsea maintained their perfect start in Group F. Chelsea were not the highest scorers in their own group though as Olympique de Marseille thrashed a weak Zilina 7-0 in Slovakia — the highest away win since the competition began in 1992-1993 and only one short of Liverpool’s overall record 8-0 victory over Besiktas three years ago this week.
Andre-Pierre Gignac led the way with a hat-trick, while Argentina playmaker Lucho Gonzalez scored twice, with Gabriel Heinze and Loic Remy adding the others.
While Real, Bayern, Chelsea and Marseille were all celebrating, Arsenal let their chance slip and will have to wait to qualify.
Arsenal took the lead at Shakhtar Donetsk with a superb goal on the run from Theo Walcott, but Donetsk struck back to win 2-1 with Dmytro Chygrynskiy’s deflected header and a second from former Arsenal player Eduardo as Arsenal dropped points for the first time.
Defeat means Arsenal stay top of the group and should still go through, but Donetsk are now level with them on nine points with Braga, who won 1-0 at eliminated Partizan Belgrade, on six.
Arsenal’s next match is at Braga on Nov. 23 and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will not want another slip-up then.
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