Skip to main content
CNN.com International
The Web    CNN.com      Powered by
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ON TV
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Football

Ancelotti expects tough second leg


story.ancelotti.afp.jpg
Ancelotti agreed that PSV did not deserve to lose 2-0

MILAN, Italy -- AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged his team had "suffered" in their 2-0 Champions League semi-final, first-leg win over PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday.

"I think at the highest level, like this, you have to expect to suffer like we did. PSV are a good team and it is a good result but we shouldn't be too self confident, the second leg won't be easy," said Ancelotti.

"We performed well in the first half but not in the second."

Ancelotti added: " After the break we were far too focused on defending and counter attacks. Luckily we managed to get a really great result out of the game."

After Andriy Shevchenko had put Milan ahead, a last minute strike from Dane Jon Dahl Tomasson gave the Italian champions some breathing space for next week's return after PSV had gone close to an equalizer on several occasions.

"Playing against PSV is above all a question of rhythm. They don't have many dynamic players but when they brought the pace of the game down then they had us in some trouble," said Ancelotti.

"On the level of quality there is no doubt that Milan is a superior side but in these games experience counts a lot -- as does courage and personality. Their performance didn't merit a 2-0 defeat but we'll take it," said the Milan coach.

Ancelotti was much more positive about the way his team put PSV under pressure in the first half, eventually taking the lead in the 42nd minute through Ukraine striker Shevchenko.

"In the first half we performed some of our best football of the season but at this point of the campaign we can't start celebrating yet," he said.

"We are under intense pressure and we have to think about Fiorentina on Saturday in Serie A," added Ancelotti, whose side are joint leaders in Italy along with his old club Juventus.

"We've baked the cake now we need to put the icing on it. We have to prepare well for the return leg and we need to weigh up how they caused us those problems in the second half."

Milan's Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf, who battled with PSV captain Mark van Bommel all night, admitted his side rode their luck at times.

"Without luck you don't get anywhere in this game," he said. "We created a lot of chances in the first half but they did well and then even better after the break. They showed they can play."

Substitute Tomasson's 90th minute goal could be vital but the Denmark forward, whose last gasp strike against Ajax in the quarter-finals two years ago helped Milan to a sixth Champions League triumph, was generous in his assessment of the game.

"PSV played an excellent game, both teams had a lot of opportunities, we didn't play as well as we could today but in general Italian teams have a problem against Dutch teams.

"You saw that against Ajax two years ago -- we beat them but we struggled," said Tomasson.

Excellent chances

Eindhoven coach Guus Hiddink vowed his team would not go out of the Champions League without a fight.

"We created six or seven excellent chances against one of the best organized defenses in the world," said the former Real Madrid and Dutch national team coach, who led South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Asia where they beat Italy in the second round.

"We controlled the second half but we didn't punish them and they were more clinical in front of goal - that was the difference between the two sides.

"A 1-0 defeat would have left us with a good chance next week, but 2-0 makes it very difficult.

"However, we are not surrendering that easily - we owe it to our loyal supporters and to Dutch football."


Story Tools
Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! cover
Top Stories
Trapattoni new VfB Stuttgart coach
Top Stories
EU 'crisis' after summit failure
 
 
 
 

CNN US
On CNN TV E-mail Services CNN Mobile CNN AvantGo CNNtext Ad info Preferences
SEARCH
   The Web    CNN.com     
Powered by
© 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us.
external link
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
 Premium content icon Denotes premium content.