Late Milan heroics break Lyon hearts

AC Milan 3 Lyon 1 (Agg 3-1)

However the Italians left it desperately late to overcome a Lyon side which seemed minutes away from qualifying for their first ever semi-finals.

Inzaghi pounced after a goalmouth scramble to slot home in the 88th minute and an injury-time effort by Andriy Shevchenko sealed the hosts' passage to the semis.

Inzaghi's 25th-minute goal had been cancelled out by Mahamadou Diarra six minutes later and the French team seemed to have done all the hard work until the 32-year-old stepped in.

Lyon had several early chances to open the scoring.

The normally reliable Milan defence cracked in the 16th minute with a dreadful mix-up which gave France striker Sylvain Wiltord a shot at goal but he failed to hit the target and the hosts hacked it clear.

Florent Malouda almost profited from an error by AC keeper Dida in the 20th minute as he failed to clear after a collision with Fred butthe midfielder's lob went just over the bar.

Dida showed himself in a better light a minute later as he got down at his near post to turn away a rasping free-kick by Juninho.

However all the pressure was reduced to nothing when Inzaghi struck his opener, his third of the competition, after Fred had lost possession deep in Lyon's half.

Clarence Seedorf supplied a perfect cross for Inzaghi, whose header found the far corner of the net having lost his marker Eric Abidal.

Lyon, though, did not panic and deservedly equalised in the 31st minute as another Juninho free-kick saw the ball fall between the heads of fellow Brazilians Fred and Cris.

As Dida charged out to collect, it rebounded to 24-year-old Diarra who out-jumped three Milan players to head home.

The French side came agonisingly close to taking the lead five minutes before half-time as Fred, more at home up front than he had been at the back earlier on, saw his header scrape the post with Dida beaten.

Dida produced one of his slacker moments in the 56th minute when an easily catchable shot by Wiltord almost crept through his arms but dropped out for a corner which was cleared.

A terrible back-header by Cris in the 62nd minute across his goal saw the ball cleared only to Seedorf, whose flashing shot edged past a relieved Coupet's goal.

Milan turned up the pressure with around 15 minutes remaining as Serginho, whose wonderful talent has not been enough to get him into the Brazil side because of Roberto Carlos, made a scintillating run down the left into the Lyon box but it was cleared for a corner.

Wiltord saved his side's blushes from the resulting corner, the former Arsenal striker heading off the line though Inzaghi protested in vain that the ball had crossed.

However having seemingly repelled all of Milan's attacks, Inzaghi broke Lyon's hearts, pouncing to tap the ball home after Andriy Shevchenko's shot came off both posts after a brilliant save by Coupet.

AC MILAN: Dida, Stam (Costacurta 24), Nesta, Kaladze, Serginho, Pirlo (Ambrosini 71), Gattuso (Maldini 78), Seedorf, Kaka, Inzaghi, Shevchenko.

LYON: Coupet, Clerc, Cris, Cacapa, Abidal, Juninho, Diarra, Malouda, Wiltord, Fred (Carew 71), Govou (Reveillere 83).

Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway).