April 4, 2006 — Milan, Italy.
The Champions League fever was in full swing.
As April arrived, the global wave of football fervor began to intensify.
Champions League viewership was skyrocketing during this period.
With the upcoming World Cup in the background, the Champions League served as the perfect prelude.
And as one of the most closely followed teams — AC Milan — they naturally became the center of the spotlight.
In the first leg of the quarter-finals, Milan had drawn 2–2 with Lyon.
That result made this second leg all the more crucial.
This was the key match that would determine who advanced to the semi-finals.
Could Milan win at home?
For Milan fans, there was a hint of unease.
The day before, their "friendly neighbors," Inter Milan, had played a dismal match in the Champions League.
They lost at this very stadium and were knocked out by Villarreal.
That added to Milan fans' anxiety.
Although they firmly believed AC Milan wouldn't follow in their neighbors' footsteps, the nagging worry and unease remained.
That's the nature of the Champions League.
Clubs from different leagues clashing directly.
They didn't know each other well.
They were unfamiliar with each other's tactics.
Such factors made the matches unpredictable — add player form, strategic choices, and more, and it all became a roll of the dice.
For this match, Lyon stuck to their previous lineup and tactics.
Milan, however, made some adjustments, fielding what they believed was their best eleven.
At this stage, there was no room for holding back.
You put everything on the table. Climbing higher was the only path.
Starting Lineups:
AC Milan (4-3-2-1):Goalkeeper: DidaDefenders: Cafu, Nesta, Kaladze, MaldiniMidfielders: Gattuso, Pirlo, SeedorfForwards: Kaká, Shevchenko, Suker
Lyon (4-3-3):Goalkeeper: CoupetDefenders: Clerc, Cris, Caçapa, AbidalMidfielders: Juninho Pernambucano, Vukojević, MaloudaForwards: Wiltord, Fred, Govou
"The players have lined up on either side of the pitch. As usual, Milan will kick off first."
"Back at home, can Milan clinch a victory and move on to the next round of the Champions League?"
"Can Juninho lead Lyon to an upset against the mighty Milan?"
"All will be revealed in the next 90 minutes."
After a brief intro, the stadium DJ took a deep breath and roared:
"Win or lose, home or away — we are always together! We are the 12th man of San Siro, we are…"
Eighty thousand Milan fans erupted in unison.
"AC MILAN!!!"
Meanwhile, fans in the southern stand held up color cards, forming a giant banner that read:"VINCI PER NOI" (Win for us!)
Accompanied by a stirring soundtrack, the entire stadium, both fans and players in red and black, entered battle mode.
On the pitch, Suker exhaled slowly.
The roar was noticeably louder than usual — almost to the point of ear-piercing.
That wave of synchronized chants and impassioned cries carried with them a burning desire from deep within:
Victory.Championship.
These were the eternal goals of competitive sport.
The players chased trophies.
The fans chased glory too.
Tonight, San Siro was on fire.
As the roars continued, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.
Right at the whistle, Suker and Shevchenko initiated the kickoff.
Suker surged forward.
It was clear that Lyon weren't implementing a tight man-marking strategy this early.
Having drawn the first leg, the visiting Lyon side was being cautious.
Milan had possession. Gattuso looked up.
Clearly ready to hoof the ball forward and launch the first attack.
But before he could pass, Suk dropped back to the center circle.
"Don't rush!" Suker calmed Gattuso, glancing around.
"Pass it!"
Gattuso obeyed.
Suker turned again before receiving the ball — as expected, two defenders were closing in.
He didn't linger. He quickly passed it back to Pirlo, while pushing upfield himself.
Vukojević and Malouda didn't press.
Suker waved to Pirlo: "Push forward — if they don't press, don't pass!"
When the team was on the attack, Suker was the main commander.
Pirlo respected that, dribbling upfield as instructed.
As Pirlo advanced past the halfway line, Lyon finally acted — Fred and Govou began pressing.
Pirlo immediately passed to Seedorf.
Seedorf pushed the ball forward lightly.
Maldini overlapped from the back, scooped up the ball, and dribbled along the left wing.
Suker didn't sprint up, instead drifting into an open spot behind Maldini.
"Pass it, boss!"
Maldini obliged.
Suker looked around once more before receiving.
A defender was charging in — just as he expected.
Suker braced himself and leaned back into Vukojević.
Vukojević bumped into his back and paused.
Suker pretended to turn — Vukojević tried to retreat.
But Suker didn't fall for it. He spun sideways and burst past.
"Same trick doesn't work twice!"
Suker dribbled laterally and passed to Kaká before making a sharp angled run forward.
Kaká slid the ball through.
Suker reached the top of the penalty area, looked up.
Shevchenko had dragged the defenders deep.
Suker was unmarked — Vukojević was still trailing behind.
He made a slight adjustment and unleashed a shot with his right foot.
Boom!!
The ball skimmed the ground like a bullet.
It came out of nowhere — but Lyon keeper Coupet was alert, diving immediately to tip it wide for a corner.
"Suker with a low shot — dangerous effort early on! Suker is clearly in great form tonight!"
Suker jogged to the edge of the box.
Milan had a corner.
Pirlo went to take it.
Suker, Shevchenko, and the others got into position.
Suker looked at the defensive setup.
The box was packed. Lyon were focused on aerial defense.
Boom!!
Pirlo delivered the corner.
Shevchenko jumped to challenge.
Suker didn't join in — he saw no chance.
Even so, Shevchenko caused chaos.
Boom!The ball bounced off Shevchenko and Cris' shoulders, dropping into the box.
Chaos erupted — legs flailing everywhere.
Shevchenko fell on his backside, spinning like a top trying to poke it in.
But amid the scramble, the ball squirted out — right to Suker!
Suker charged in.
"SUKER AGAIN!!! Right at the perfect spot!"
Vukojević was right on him.
"Let go of me, dammit!"
Suker pushed against him, face twisted with effort.
Vukojević yanked on his jersey desperately.
They reached the ball together.
Suker was about to go down — but still managed a slide shot.
He wasn't a natural at sliding shots — so he just slammed it.
But being off-balance, the shot flew high.
CLANG!It smacked the crossbar and bounced down…
…right onto Shevchenko's head as he lay on the ground.
Instinctively, Shevchenko tensed his core, jerked his neck, and made a slight nodding motion.
Even now, he tried to direct it…
SWISH!!!
The ball bounced again — into the net!
"AHHH!!! GOAL!!!!!"
"Only FOUR minutes in — AC Milan scores!"
"Relentless pressure from Milan broke Lyon's defense — Suker's slide shot hit the bar, bounced off Shevchenko's head, and went in!"
"What a lucky goal!"
Shevchenko ran to the corner, hearing the commentator's words and shouted:
"What do you mean 'lucky'? I nodded it in!"
It wasn't just luck — if not for that subtle header, the ball might've landed straight in the keeper's arms.
But Shevchenko didn't mind — he spread his arms, basking in the roaring love of 80,000 fans.
Only 4 minutes in, and Milan had scored.
A dream start at San Siro!