After triple and double wins on Matchday 1 and Matchday 2, the Serie A wave of success came to an halt in the UEFA Cup Group Stage.

With Udinese taking a break this round, both AC Milan and Sampdoria couldn’t do better than 2-2 and 1-1 draws vs. Portsmouth and Stuttgart on Thursday. However, while the Blucerchiati’s future in Europe still remains uncertain, Milan mathematically achieved their ticket to the next round thanks to a dramatic last-minute come-back, courtesy of the one and only Pippo Inzaghi.

Uefa.com reports.

Porstmouth vs. AC Milan

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(From Uefa.com): Filippo Inzaghi scored deep in injury time to complete a stunning late AC Milan comeback at Portsmouth and secure a draw which proved enough to qualify the Rossoneri for the Last 32 from Group E.

Second-half goals from Younes Kaboul and former Inter striker Nwankwo Kanu seemed to have earned a famous win for European debutants Portsmouth but Ronaldinho‘s superb free-kick with six minutes left turned the tide and Inzaghi pounced at the death. Wolfsburg’s last-gasp Group E win at Braga later made sure of Milan’s place in the knockout stages, while Portsmouth now need a good result at the Bundesliga club in a week’s time.

Excitement had been building for some time ahead of Milan’s visit in only Portsmouth’s second European home game. Even in the absence of captain Sol Campbell and England striker Jermain Defoe, Portsmouth began in lively fashion but were nearly behind early on when Inzaghi’s shot fooled David James but hit the inside of the post and rolled back into the grateful goalkeeper’s arms. The visitors were denied again just before the half-hour when Kaká’s pass sent Inzaghi clear to lob James only for the ball to just clear the bar.

Within 90 seconds of the restart Shevchenko had whipped two shots just off target and not long afterwards Nadir Belhadj’s cross only just eluded Peter Crouch but fell to Glen Little to smash into the side-netting. However, two minutes past the hour Portsmouth took the lead; Kanu played the ball back for Johnson to loop in from the right and neither Gianluca Zambrotta nor Philippe Senderos could prevent Younes Kaboul heading past Dida.

Fratton Park was buzzing and eleven minutes later the volume went up a further notch. Again a Johnson cross from the right was the key, his low cross hooked in from close range by Nwankwo Kanu. Milan sent on Pato and Ronaldinho in an attempt to turn the tide and the latter’s 84^th-minute free-kick gave James no chance. Still it seemed Portsmouth were heading for victory but in the second of three added minutes Zambrotta’s long pass fell perfectly for Filippo Inzaghi to score his UEFA club competition record 65^th goal, an echo of Ronaldinho’s last-gasp winner against Braga on Matchday 2. 2-2.

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	PORTSMOUTH-MILAN 2-2 [Match Highlights]
GOALSCORERS: 62’ Kaboul (P), 72’ Kanu (P), 84’ Ronaldinho (M), 92’ F.Inzaghi (M).
PORTSMOUTH (4-4-2): James – Johnson, Kaboul, Distin, Belhadj – Little (65’ Mvuemba), Bouba Diop, Hughes, D.Traoré – Kanu (81’ Davis), Crouch. (bench: Ashdown, Hreidarsson, Pamarot, Wilson). Coach: Adams.
MILAN (4-3-1-2): Dida – Zambrotta, Senderos, Favalli, Antonini – Gattuso (65’ Seedorf), Emerson, Flamini – Kaká (73’ Ronaldinho) – Shevchenko (73’ Pato), F.Inzaghi. (bench: Kalac, Kaladze, Bonera, Pirlo). Coach: Ancelotti.

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Sampdoria vs. Stuttgart

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(From Uefa.com): Stuttgart were denied a first win under new boss Markus Babbel as Paolo Sammarco cancelled out Ciprian Marica‘s opener against Sampdoria in Genoa.

Babbel took charge of the Bundesliga side following the dismissal of coach Armin Veh on Monday, and looked to be headed for victory in his first game in charge when Romanian international Marica put his side into an 8^th-minute lead. However, Sammarco struck to level the scores before the interval, to leave both sides with four Group C points and a good chance of progressing.

Jens Lehmann was in the action early as Sampdoria earned a corner in the 7^th minute. Antonio Cassano delivered to the far post, where Emiliano Bonazzoli aimed an effort at goal, but the 39-year-old goalkeeper held it. Stuttgart took the lead moments later, with Marica finishing from a loose ball after Pietro Accardi had tackled in-form striker Mario Gómez.

At the other end, Antonio Cassano tried his luck from the edge of the box but sent his shot wide, and there was little in the way of chances over the next half-hour, which perhaps accounted for a moment of uncertainty (he’s been known for those) from Lehmann 8 minutes before the break. The former Arsenal nº1 spilled a shot from Daniele Franceschini, but no Sampdoria player was on hand to take advantage. The Genoa side did level matters moments later though, with Paolo Sammarco positioned well to convert Cassano’s inswinging corner.

6 minutes after the break a speculative effort from Stuttgart’s Thomas Hitzlsperger went wide, before Mario Gómez failed to direct a close-range header goalwards. Marica tried his luck from 20 metres, Cassano and Franceschini let fly for Sampdoria, but the nearest either side came to a second-half goal was when Lehmann saved comfortably from a Reto Ziegler effort. 1-1 the full-time score.

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	SAMPDORIA-STUTTGART 1-1 [Match Highlights]
GOALSCORERS: 8’ Marica (St), 39’ Sammarco (Sa).
SAMPDORIA (3-5-2): Castellazzi – Lucchini (72’ Campagnaro), Gastaldello, Accardi – Stankevicius (85’ Ziegler), Delvecchio, Sammarco, Franceschini, Pieri – Bonazzoli (63’ Bellucci), Cassano. (bench: Mirante, Fornaroli, Bottinelli, Dessena). Coach: Mazzarri.
STUTTGART (4-3-1-2): Lehmann – Osorio, Tasci, Boulahrouz, Magnin (12′ Boka ) – Pardo, Hilbert, Hitzlsperger – Elson (46’ Lanig, 75’ Traesch) – Gomez, Marica. (bench: Stolz, Simak, Cacau, Ljuboja). Coaches: Babbel/Widmayer.

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Tags: AC Milan, Carlo Ancelotti, Ciprian Marica, Filippi Inzaghi, Nwankwo Kanu, Paolo Sammarco, Ronaldinho, Sampdoria, Stuttgart, Tony Adams, UEFA Cup, Younes Kaboul

Posted in Milan, Sampdoria, UEFA Cup |

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