AC Milan Champions of European Club Football - 2003-05-29

In the final match of the UEFA Champions League, AC Milan defeated Juventus 3-2 after a draw in regular time, winning the title for the sixth time and becoming champions of European club football. This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that two teams from Italy faced each other in the final. The game had very few scoring opportunities and may have been the worst final since Red Star Belgrade's victory over Olympique Marseille in a goalless match with more penalties in 1991. After a 1-1 tie in the penalty shootout, four shots were missed until Alessandro Nesta brought Milan to a 2-1 lead. Alessandro Del Piero, who had not performed well during the match, equalized the game to 2-2 with his penalty shot. However, Andriy Shevchenko, maintaining his composure, scored the final penalty to secure victory for AC Milan. Shevchenko stated, 'At that moment, all I tried to do was keep my nerves in check.' He added, 'For me, this is the greatest prize I could have won.' He also mentioned that his injury at the beginning of the season could have been disastrous, but in the end, as you saw, I was able to bring pride.'