AC Milan 1 Man United 0 (Agg 2-0): A night of throbbing disappointment for Manchester United concluded with Alex Ferguson's team being eliminated from the European Cup and facing a lengthy inquest into their shortcomings at the highest level.
Just as in the first leg, Hernan Crespo's second-half goal was decisive but the crucial factor here was Milan's expertise in subduing an attack that Ferguson likes to believe, wrongly it seems, is the most potent in Europe.
United may have scored in 40 of their previous 45 Champions League fixtures but they could not manage it in 180 minutes against the accomplished and ultimately impenetrable Milan defence. Ruud van Nistelrooy will flinch when he plays back the video but none of United's attackers covered themselves in glory and Ferguson will be consigned to the role of distant spectator again when the draw takes place on Friday.
The financial implications of defeat are enormous. For starters, Uefa will swell the bank balances of the eight quarter-finalists with another £1.3 million in prize money, with the possibility of more to come. But what price the prestige? The European Cup is the trophy that Ferguson craves above all else and, even if he has enough medals to fill a removal van, he does not conceal his sense of anguish at having laid his hands on that 17lb hunk of silverware on only one occasion.
It is a depressing statistic considering the bags of gold at Ferguson's disposal but he will be even more distressed by the allegation, disputed by his players here, that he has inadvertently allowed his team to deteriorate in the six years since his solitary triumph.
Even discounting the ghastly error from Roy Carroll that led to the winning goal in the first leg, United had been made to look dishevelled at Old Trafford. Milan are not ashamed of their superiority complex and, from the vertiginous stands in the Curva Nord, some of the 9,000 travelling fans might also have wondered whether the Serie A leaders inhabit the true Theatre of Dreams.
Milan quickly reminded their guests of the Italian tradition that giving away possession is a sin. Ferguson's side, however, created the most inviting opportunity of the first half. Van Nistelrooy was a peripheral figure for much of this period but the ball he slipped inside Cafu just before the half-hour was exquisitely weighted for Ryan Giggs to run clear on goal. Giggs took one touch, composed himself and then angled a diagonal shot beyond Dida, only for the ball to flick off the outside of the post.
It was an encouraging sign, none the less, although Milan also flashed a shot against the woodwork before the interval. Mikael Silvestre, who could not match Rio Ferdinand's assuredness in the centre of defence, was culpable of giving the ball away in a dangerous position and, unchallenged, Kaka had a shot that skimmed off the top of the crossbar.
United's desire to score meant they were vulnerable to incisive counter-attacking thrusts. Ferguson will certainly have winced to see his defence outnumbered three to two as early as the eighth minute but Tim Howard, the only denizen of Old Trafford to have benefited from Carroll's erratic goalkeeping, saved Crespo's shot.
Much emphasis before the game had been placed on how van Nistelrooy would fare against his Dutch international colleague Jaap Stam. Early on, the duel was certainly won by Stam.
Paul Scholes flickered sporadically but van Nistelrooy snatched at his only chance. This was not a good time for Cristiano Ronaldo to lose his finesse on the ball. The Portuguese winger clearly missed the reassuring presence of Gary Neville behind him, and there were long spells too when Wayne Rooney and Giggs, who departed early with a bloodied nose, struggled against Milan's sleek, athletic defenders.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect for Ferguson, however, was his side's failure to threaten Dida's goal in the 17 minutes between the game restarting and Crespo rising, quite majestically, to head Cafu's cross past Howard. It was not just Crespo's agility that impressed but the manner in which he angled his header across the goalkeeper and in off the post. Even so, Howard's dive was disappointing. The contest was effectively over yet Milan's defence never allowed complacency to creep in.
AC MILAN: Dida, Cafu, Nesta, Stam, Maldini, Gattuso (Costacurta 89), Pirlo, Seedorf, Rui Costa (Dhorasoo 85), Kaka, Crespo (Ambrosini 78). Subs Not Used: Abbiati, Inzaghi, Tomasson, Serginho. Goals: Crespo 61.
MAN UTD: Howard, Brown (Smith 85), Ferdinand, Silvestre, Heinze, Ronaldo, Keane, Scholes, Giggs (Fortune 57), Rooney, van Nistelrooy. Subs Not Used: Carroll, Phil Neville, Bellion, Miller, O'Shea. Booked: Fortune. Attendance: 78,957
Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany).
