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On Wednesday, the second-leg matches of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals were played, after which there was only one uncertainty in the tournament - who will become the strongest club team on the continent. "Barcelona" became the second finalist of the league, maintaining the advantage gained in the first match against "Milan" and reaching the final, where the Spanish club already awaited their opponents having won their semi-final on Tuesday against London's "Arsenal". 0 - 0 (First leg 1-0, aggregate score 1-0) Deco, who returned to the lineup after missing the first match due to disqualification, took Marko Van Bommel's place in the midfield for Barcelona, while Oleguer, who was injured in the first match, was replaced by Juliano Belleti at right-back. On the other hand, for Milan, Alessandro Costacurta replaced the injured center-back Alessandro Nesta, and Filippo Inzaghi, who had recovered from injury, replaced Alberto Gilardino upfront. The match started without any clear chances, and in the first minute, Milan's Kaka threatened the Barcelona goal, but his shot from outside the box narrowly missed. Shortly after, Samuel Eto'o had a great chance to put the hosts ahead, but the Cameroonian striker failed to beat the quickly rushing out goalkeeper Dida. After a lively start, both teams settled down and began to create positional attacks, waiting for mistakes from their opponents. In the 17th minute, Kakha Kaladze lost possession, allowing S. Eto'o to have another chance against Dida, but the Milan goalkeeper managed to deflect the shot, allowing Alessandro Costacurta to clear the ball. The Catalan club allowed their opponents to play from the sidelines and were nearly punished twice - first, Filippo Inzaghi failed to control the ball with his chest, and later after Gennaro Gattuso's pass, Andrei Shevchenko found himself free in the box, but his shot hit the net from the other side. Meanwhile, Barcelona tried to break down Milan's defense with shots from distance and attempts to catch the unprepared goalkeeper, but a quick Ronaldinho shot was slightly off, J. Belleti's shot after a pass also missed the target, and Deco's shot flew over the crossbar. At the end of the first half, after A. Costacurta fouled S. Eto'o around 25 meters from the goal, a penalty was awarded to the hosts, but Ronaldinho's attempt was unsuccessful. The first half ended goalless, so Milan needed to score at least one goal to avoid their first defeat in the semi-finals in the club's history. At the beginning of the second half, both teams exchanged dangerous attacks - after playing five minutes, A. Shevchenko could have scored with a header, but his attempt was weak, while on the other side, following a corner, Ronaldinho found Ludovic Giuly on the edge of the box, but after Giuly's pass, J. Belleti failed to direct the ball into the net. In the 63rd minute, a similar situation almost repeated at the "San Siro" stadium, when L. Giuly, after Ronaldinho's pass, shot from a sharp angle, but this time the Frenchman's attempt was too strong and the ball sailed over the goal. Shortly after a cross from the flank was missed by Cafu, but in the 69th minute, the ball finally found the net, but A. Shevchenko's header was disallowed due to the Ukrainian's foul on C. Puyol. Just five minutes later, Milan goalkeeper Dida saved his goal, deflecting a header from Henrik Larsson after a pass from S. Eto'o, a minute later Deco shot at goal, and after Italian team's pressure, F. Inzaghi missed with his head again. As the game neared its end, Milan's attack weakened, and C. Ancelotti's players struggled to find opportunities, while Barcelona's counterattacks also failed to find the target. In extra time, Serginho tried his luck from distance, but his shot missed the target, and the fans at the "Nou Camp" stadium celebrated the hosts' victory. After a twelve-year hiatus, Barcelona reached the Champions League final, where on May 17 they will face London's Arsenal at the Stade de France in Paris, who have made it to such a high-level competition for the first time.
