Filippo Inzaghi scored two goals Wednesday to help AC Milan win the European Cup title for the seventh time after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final.
"This joy has to be shared with all those close to the club, all those who have sustained us, and all the fans," said Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti. "It was a very difficult game, much like our season.
We started slowly but grew in confidence as the game went on.
"(The game) wasn't spectacular, but Liverpool is a team that can stop you playing."
Andrea Pirlo's 45th-minute free kick went through the wall and hit Inzaghi in the side before bouncing past Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
Milan won the free kick when Kaka was taken down by Xabi Alonso just outside the area.
"We lost against a good team with top-class players," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. "The first half we played really well but conceded a goal, a deflection, through bad luck.
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Inzaghi then added the insurance goal in the 82nd, taking a pass from Kaka in the centre and rolling the ball past the outstretched Reina.
The goals bring Inzaghi's total to 38 in 66 Champions League games and 58 in all European matches, moving him past Benfica great Eusebio and into a tie for third place with Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez on the all-time UEFA list.
"These are the evenings that remain with you for all your life," Inzaghi said.
"I've scored quite a few times in Europe but scoring in the Champions League final is something special.
"The first goal opened up the game but the second was certainly more beautiful."
Inzaghi was replaced by Alberto Gilardino in the 88th.
Dirk Kuyt got one back for Liverpool, heading in the consolation goal in the 89th.
Steven Gerrard had a chance to tie it for Liverpool in the 63rd, but after beating defender Alessandro Nesta, his shot was saved by Milan goalkeeper Dida.
In the 72nd, the Liverpool captain had another chance after picking up a loose ball, but his shot from well outside the area went wide to the right.
"I thought we started well," Gerrard said. "We were in control just how we like to be but when you do that you've got to score. They got the first goal, with a bit of luck, but it was a big lift for them.
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AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini set another personal milestone in Wednesday's match, appearing in his eighth European Cup final to match the record of Francisco Gento — Real Madrid's legendary winger of the 1950s and 60s.
Ten days ago, the 38-year-old Maldini played in his 601st Serie A match — a stretch that includes seven Italian league titles.
The win was Maldini's fifth in Europe's top club competition, putting him one behind Gento, and level with Real Madrid's Alfredo Di Stefano and Jose Maria Zarraga.
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The Toronto Blue Jays will try to continue their recent mastery of the Orioles as the teams resume their three-game set Wednesday night in Baltimore. Filippo Inzaghi scored two goals Wednesday to help AC Milan win the European Cup title for the seventh time after a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final in Athens. The Edmonton Oilers will have an extra first-round draft choice at their disposal next year thanks to a condition inserted in last summer's trade that sent Chris Pronger to the Anaheim Ducks.
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