Pippo Inzaghi looks back over the most famous goal he never scored for Milan, the last-gasp winner to beat Ajax 3-2 on this day 17 years ago.
The Champions League quarter-final second leg was 2-2 at San Siro going into stoppages on April 23, 2003, having drawn the first leg 0-0 in Amsterdam, so Ajax were poised to go through on away goals.
“It’s incredible that was 17 years ago, it still moves me thinking about it to this day,” Inzaghi told Milan commentator Carlo Pellegatti on Instagram Live.
Pippo Inzaghi looks back over the most famous goal he never scored for Milan, the last-gasp winner to beat Ajax 3-2 on this day 17 years ago.
The Champions League quarter-final second leg was 2-2 at San Siro going into stoppages on April 23, 2003, having drawn the first leg 0-0 in Amsterdam, so Ajax were poised to go through on away goals.
“It’s incredible that was 17 years ago, it still moves me thinking about it to this day,” Inzaghi told Milan commentator Carlo Pellegatti on Instagram Live.
“It feels like yesterday. Some nights remain in your heart forever. The funniest thing is that if you ask any Milan which of my goals was their favourite, aside from the Final in Athens, and they will say the stoppage-time one with Ajax, but that wasn’t even assigned to me!”
Paolo Maldini’s cross was nodded on by Massimo Ambrosini and Inzaghi pounced to poke the ball over the on-rushing Bogdan Lobont.
It looked for all the world as if it was going in anyway, but Jon Dahl Tomasson wanted to be sure and got the final touch with centimetres to spare.
“Looking back at it now, if the linesman wasn’t really on the ball, he could’ve made a mistake and called that offside. Milan went on to win the Champions League that season. Sometimes, football really is incredible.”
Inzaghi reveals some details that led to the iconic goal and made it even more special.
“I called Ambrosini to a more advanced role so he could help me out in attack. We’d lost Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo during the game.
“What really allowed me to score, though, was the fact Cristian Chivu slipped. I was maniacal about getting the right studs and I was very careful, because I knew it was slippery at San Siro sometimes.
“That game teaches everyone that in football it’s not over until the final whistle.”