Mourinho's Madrid strike late to qualify for next round

SOCCER UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: GROUP G: AC Milan 2 Real Madrid 2:ALEX FERGUSON once claimed that Filippo Inzaghi was born offside. He was still there last night but Howard Webb did not see it.

And so it was that Inzaghi seemed to have inflicted Jose Mourinho’s first defeat as Real Madrid manager, coming from the bench to score twice. But with Milan’s fans celebrating the victory, another substitute Pedro Leon thumped a shot that somehow found its way through Christian Abiatti’s legs to make it 2-2.

For Milan, who thought they had turned the result around and put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the next round, it was a huge blow. For Madrid, it was a kind of justice – and one that clinched qualification with two games to spare.

For Inzaghi, a pity. His second here left him with 70 European goals in his career, taking him above Gerd Muller and Raul as the continent’s top scorer. Inzaghi struck in the 77th minute. Lurking behind the Madrid back four, and offside, he raced through to slot past Iker Casillas. He had only been on the pitch for 20 minutes. It was his second goal. The 37-year-old changed the game entirely.

At the break Madrid had seemed to be cruising. A historic first win in 16 visits to San Siro instead verged on a 14 defeat until the very last seconds. When Real Madrid took the lead just before half-time, the greatest surprise was that it had taken so long. In the 45th minute, and not for the first time, Ronaldinho lost out to Ramos. The full-back set Madrid on another quick, direct raid. Angel Di Maria weaved inside from the right, drew the Milan defence and slotted a clever angled ball into the path of Gonzalo Higuain, who finished low past Abiatti.

Mourinho had insisted before the first game between these two sides that, for all that Milan boasted an embarrassment of riches -with Robinho, Pato, Ronaldinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it was Inzaghi that most worried him. It sounded like a bluff and the Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri ignored him. At least he did until the 60th minute when the Italian replaced Ronaldinho.

Eight minutes later, he had got the equaliser from a familiar position two yards out in front of an open goal. Ibrahimovic broke down the left, delivered a cross that Casillas misjudged horribly and succeeded only in palming towards his own goalline. Inzaghi headed home.

Inzaghi was causing problems for Madrid that his more glamorous team-mates had been unable to do. Soon, he put them to the sword. Or so it seemed: as the final seconds ticked away, Pedro Leon made it 2-2 from Karim Benzema’s clever pass.

• Guardian Service

AC MILAN:Abbiati, Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Zambrotta, Boateng, Pirlo, Gattuso (Seedorf 85), Alexandre Pato (Ambrosini 72), Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho (Inzaghi 59). Subs not used:Amelia, Robinho, Yepes, Antonini. Booked:Boateng, Abate, Ibrahimovic, Gattuso.

REAL MADRID:Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pepe (Pedro Leon 80), Carvalho, Marcelo, Alonso, Khedira, Ronaldo, Ozil (Albiol 90), Di Maria, Higuain (Benzema 73). Subs not used:Dudek, Mahamadou Diarra, Granero, Arbeloa. Booked:Sergio Ramos, Carvalho.

Referee:Howard Webb (England).