Milan are flattered

AC Milan ... 3 Olympique Lyon ... 1 AC Milan win 3-1 on aggregate.Two goals in the final five minutes from Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko took AC Milan into the semi-finals at the expense of Olympique Lyon, who had looked set to progress to the last four for the first time on away goals.

Inzaghi nodded last season's runners-up in front midway through the first half, but the French side hit back almost immediately through Mahamadou Diarra and held firm in the face of mounting pressure in an increasingly tense second half. With two minutes remaining, however, Inzaghi was quickest to react after a goalmouth scramble, and Shevchenko rubbed salt into Lyon wounds deep into added time as the French side bowed out in the last eight for the third successive season.

Inzaghi set his sights after just 10 minutes, dragging Kakha Kaladze's long ball wide, and he came close again five minutes later when he flicked Serginho's centre just past the near post.

Lyon, whose coach Gérard Houllier brought in Fred and Sydney Govou to a three-pronged attack, were creating very few chances, but then the home side proceeded to make three defensive errors in as many minutes but Lyon failed to take advantage.

After 25 minutes, however, just as Lyon were growing in confidence, Milan struck as Fred lost possession which allowed Shevchenko to feed Seedorf down the left and the Dutchman's cross was glanced magnificently into the far corner by Inzaghi.

Lyon quickly regrouped, and were level six minutes later. Juninho took another free-kick but this time caught the Rossoneri defence off guard by crossing to Fred, whose header was blocked accidentally by Cris. Diarra was first to react, heading in to silence the home crowd.

Milan tried to react, Seedorf and Inzaghi both threatening, but the visitors came closest to scoring again before the break after Juninho first forced Dida to tip his cross-shot over the bar and then found Fred unmarked from the corner, only for the striker's header to graze the post.

The game became increasingly stretched and Lyon, aware that another goal would leave the Italian team needing to score twice, went for it themselves.

Roared on by an increasingly noisy but frustrated home crowd, Milan pressed forward, Serginho dancing through a wave of players only for his cross to evade all his team-mates before Wiltord brilliantly nodded Kaladze's goalbound header off the line.

Just as it looked like Milan's luck was out, however, Inzaghi scrambled in after Coupet had touched Shevchenko's shot on to both posts to finally end Lyon's resistance. The Ukrainian then rounded the Lyon goalkeeper to add a flattering third and set up a semi-final with either Barcelona or Benfica.

AC MILAN: Dida, Stam, Nesta, Kaladze, Serginho, Pirlo, Gattuso, Seedorf, Kaka, Inzaghi, Shevchenko. Subs: Kalac, Maldini, Costacurta, Rui Costa, Gilardino, Vogel, Ambrosini.

LYON: Coupet, Clerc, Cris, Cacapa, Abidal, Juninho, Diarra, Malouda, Wiltord, Fred, Govou. Subs: Vercoutre, Muller, Clement, Carew, Reveillere, Benzema, Pedretti.

Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway).