Chapter 42: The stage of Giants
[UEFA Champions League – Matchday 6:]
[AC Milan vs Barcelona]
[Venue: San Siro]
The D-day was here.
Nights like this? Unforgettable.
The world stopped for nights like this.
Champions League football had always been a theatre of immortals, but this fixture, AC Milan vs FC Barcelona carried the gravitas of history. Seven-time European champions hosting a side chasing modern dominance. The echoes of Maldini and Ronaldinho reverberated in the air.
AC Milan was one of the only few clubs in the world that could dare look down at Barcelona from a pedestal in the UEFA Champions League.
Afterall, alongside Liverpool, they were seven-time Champions of Europe, while Barcelona trailed behind at six.
From the days of Paolo Maldini, Nesta, to the days of Ibrahimovic, the AC Milan DNA ran ancient through the veins of the Milanista.
For FC Barcelona, it came all the way from the Ronald Koeman days, the man who lifted Barcelona to lifting their first Champions league trophy, to the Pep Guardiola years, building a dynasty in Spain.
Iniesta, Xavi, Busquests, Dani Alves, Carles Puyol, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, and more... all these players have left their mark in Barcelona’s history in the champions league.
And now, it was time to write another Chapter in the script against the Italian giant, AC Milan in away ground.
Leaving history and coming to the present...
For Barcelona, perfection hung like a crown of fire. They hadn’t lost a single game this season, steamrolling La Liga and Europe alike with brutal efficiency and dominance, leading on both tables.
And yet, whispers filled the media... could Milan be the first to stop them?
Like they say, the one thing that people loved more than seeing a hero was seeing a hero fall. Now, the bets were on Barcelona to fall.
The media fanned the flames of war and a major upset incoming.
*Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy): ["Milan have history, San Siro has ghosts. No unbeaten record survives this ground."]
*Marca (Spain): ["Flick’s men are flawless, but beware the Italian trap. History warns: Barcelona stumble when the lights are brightest."]
Everywhere, the same questions pulsed. Could Sam Moses and his army handle the black and red wall of Milan? Could Hansi Flick’s high line survive the thunderous counterattacks that San Siro was famous for?
Inside the Barca camp though, the boys were calm and collected. Hansi Flick already built this atmosphere of calm in the team in the buildup to big games.
At the pre-match press conference, Hansi Flick was as blunt as ever.
"We are here to win. Respect to Milan, but we play our game, we do not bend to anyone."
Sam, seated beside him, fielded questions with calm assurance.
"Pressure is normal. Great players live for nights like these. If Milan want to test us, let them. We’ll be ready."
The press scribbled furiously. Sam’s aura was becoming Messi-like, that confidence that bordered on prophecy... almost like the inevitability of a God.
And then, the spotlights moved to the electric Italian stadium.
Matchday arrived, and San Siro bellowed like a cathedral.
Tens of thousands of Milanisti painted the stands red and black, unfurling massive banners that read...
["EUROPA È CASA NOSTRA" — Europe is our home.]
The players emerged out of the tunnel to a roar that shook the steel beams. Barca’s superstars, Sam, Yamal, Raphinha, Pedri, Gavi and the others looked around at the cauldron, but none flinched. This was what they lived for.
AC Milan started in a 3-4-2-1 formation with the reliable Mike Maignan in goal, while ahead of him was the defensive trio of Pavlovic, Gabbia, and Fikayo Tomori. Ahead of them in midfield was the quadruple of Theo Hernandez, Ruben Loftus Cheek, Musah, and Youssof Fofana.
Further ahead in attack was the duo of Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.
For FC Barcelona, Hansi Flick maintained formation, the only change being that he brought Christensen on to start ahead of Pau Cubarsi after the youngster picked up a knock in training.
The first half was a perfect example of Milan fury.
FWEEE!
The game started and right from kickoff, Milan attacked like men possessed.
Leão, gliding down the left, tested Araújo with his pace. Fofana and Loftus Cheek pressed furiously, forcing errors in Barca’s midfield. The San Siro fed on every tackle, every interception, every flicker of weakness.
They were hounds on the hunt, searching for weakness.
In the 14th minute, Leão skipped past Araújo and fired. Jose Garcia stretched, palming it wide, forced to make his first save. The crowd erupted like it was a goal. Barca were rattled.
Flick gestured furiously from the touchline:
"Calm! Play our game!"
But Milan didn’t let them breathe.
In the 22nd minute, Pulisic swung in a cross, and Fofana rose above Christensen. The header thundered onto the bar. Gasps erupted, quickly followed by a deafening applause.
Sam, isolated up front, tried to drop deep and link with Pedri, but every time he turned, Tomori was there, breathing down his neck.
Then came the moment. 30th minute.
Theo Hernández surged from deep, combining with Leão on the flanks. A one-two shredded Barca’s line, and Theo smashed a shot past Jose Garcia with incredible velocity behind it.
1–0 Milan.
BOOM!
The San Siro trembled.
Barca’s response did not take long.
For a few minutes, Barca wobbled after that go-ahead goal. Milan pressed for the second, the stadium baying for blood.
But then, class emerged.
Sam dropped deeper, almost into midfield. And then in the 38th minute, he held off Tomori, flicked a pass wide to Yamal, and darted into the box.
Yamal skipped inside with deft footwork and curled a cross to the far post. Raphinha arrived, crashing a header into the net.
1–1.
The San Siro was silenced, but not for long.
The away section erupted, drowned quickly by whistles as Barca’s players huddled together. They had survived the storm.
Still, for the closing minutes of the first half, Milan refused to back down. In the 44th minute, Loftus-Cheek drove into space and unleashed a low strike. Ter Jose Garcia, sprawling, pushed it wide to keep Barca in the game.
They countered instantly.
Sam collected, slipped Raphinha through. Raphinha was direct like a blade as he cut across Tomori and fired, but Maignan saved with a strong hand.
Both goalkeepers were on top of their game.
FWEEE!
The referee blew for halftime, and it almost felt like extending a lifeline. San Siro exhaled. The scoreboard read:
[AC Milan 1 – 1 FC Barcelona]
It was a war.
As the players jogged toward the tunnel, the cameras found Sam. Sweat dripping, eyes sharp, he looked straight at the Milan fans chanting against him.
He smirked. Just a fraction. It was almost like a promise to Catalan fans... the second half will be different.