Tomasson gives AC cosy cushion

AC Milan 2 PSV Eindhoven 0

PSV had battled back into the game after conceding to Andrei Shevchenko in the first half, but despite the Dutch side's dominance in the second period, Jon Dahl Tomasson showed a predator's touch to smash home a second that could prove crucial.

Tomasson now believes his side should claim their place in the final.

He said: "It's a great result for the next game - we are 2-0 up going to Holland and normally we should be in the final.

"PSV played an excellent game - they were better than us. Both teams had a lot of opportunities and tactically we were not playing very well at all.

"Italian teams have difficulties against Dutch teams."

There was an inevitability to Shevchenko's opener as PSV dropped their guard for a matter of seconds towards the end of the first half.

The Ukrainian had given early indication of his sharpness in a breathless opening, latching onto a clever Maladini pass but not quite getting the elevation on his attempt to volley the ball back over Heurelho Gomez.

Gomez then denied Crespo with a smart tip over form a rising volley, but nearly undid his good work when he flapped at the ensuing corner - looking back gratefully as Hernan Crespo's follow up was cleared off the line by Park Ji-Sung.

But Milan did not have it all their own way, and Jefferson Farfa warmed Dida's hands with an early chance from range.

The Peruvian marksman should have done much better soon after when Mark van Bommell played the perfect ball for the forward to run onto, deftly cut inside the defence but then fluff his shot into the hands of Dida.

Kaka had been kept relatively quiet to this point, shackled by experienced Philip Cocu, but he began to find space and had a shot well saved before creating Shevchenko's goal.

You can look at the space afforded the Ukrainian by a clearly labouring Wilfred Bouma - but in truth the deft ball from Kaka would have unlocked most defences.

Sheva is deadly on home soil and the crowd were already rising as he fired home with aplomb to open the scoring and send coach Carlo Ancelotti in at the break a happy man.

The second half started with enough pace to suggest this match was far from over. Dida making an early error when he parried a Lee Young-Pyo shot but recovering in time to collect.

At the other end Crespo put the ball into the net but the ball had already gone out of play, and then was dreadfully languorous when Kaka drifted inside and picked him out ten yards from goal, messing up his first touch and mis-kicking for the second Van Bommel, Farfan and Park combined to carve out a great opportunity for the Dutch champions, but again nerves were present in a tepid shot that was gathered gratefully by Dida.

Farfan blazed over after good work from Park - and Milan looked second-best for the first time in the match as they tried to settle.

A wonderful passage of play saw Shevchenko draw a breathtaking save from Gomez. The striker's chest control and instant shot looking destined to loop over the goalkeeper, until he acrobatically arched his back and got a strong hand to tip over.

Van Bommel had been at the heart of PSV's fightback and he capitalised on that rarest thing in European football, a poor touch from Paolo Maldini, racing in but firing over, when anything on target would have caused problems for Dida.

PSV were throwing everything forward, Park, lively but error-prone, escaped down the right but could not find the right ball back across goal and van Bommel smashed a volley straight at Dida.

Just when it looked PSV would go into the second goal needing just a goal to level they conceded a heartbreaking second.

Kaka opted to shoot after bursting through but the ball was blocked bouncing into the area in seeming slow motion.

Substitute Tomasson reacted first, and he managed to flick the ball home past Gomez to tip the tie firmly in the Serie A giants' favour.

AC MILAN: Dida, Cafu, Maldini, Kaladze, Shevchenko, Gattuso, Crespo (Tomasson 64), Seedorf (Serginho 81), Pirlo (Ambrosini 72), Kaka, Stam.

PSV: Gomes, Ooijer, Lee, Alex, Bouma (Lucius 46), Van Bommel, Park, Cocu, Beasley (Vennegoor of Hesselink 61), Vogel, Farfan.

Att: 75,000

Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece).