AC Milan opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Coming down the left side, just before the penalty area, star forward Ronaldinho centered the ball to Seedorf, who immediately crossed to Pato who was left alone on the right side, and finished past Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan.
Less than 5 minutes later, the Impact striked back to tie the match. Midfielder David Testo received a pass from Leonardo Di Lorenzo and was able to beat keeper Roberto Colombo with a shot to his left.
Milan regained the lead 2-1 in the 25th minute. Ronaldinho made a no look pass to Seedorf, who passed to Filippo Inzaghi just before the goal line. The Italian striker took advantage of Jordan that had left his line to score into an open net.
Midfielder Clarence Seedorf doubled AC Milan’s lead in the 58th minute. Following a give and go with Pato deep in Impact territory, Seedorf beat Jordan with a strike from the top of the penalty area.
Ronaldinho scored the insurance goal in the 81st minute, against goalkeeper Srdjan Dkekanovic, who came in the game at the 72nd minute.
"Tonight's game was an excellent experience for the club, the players and the city of Montreal," said Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos. "AC Milan is a very skilled team and the game was played with respect and fairplay. Matches and experiences like this make it possible for us to grow."
"This was a very special game for us tonight," said Impact captain Nevio Pizzolitto. "AC Milan is a very prestigious club and it was an honor to play against players of their quality. We concentrated on what we had to do on the field. The game was an excellent show for our fans."
"Montreal gave us a warm welcome. This is a beautiful soccer city and it was obvious tonight with the stadiums atmosphere during the match," said AC Milan head coach Mauro Tossatti. "The players played with a lot of intensity, the teams had respect for each other and it was an excellent way to finish our season."
Jordan, who faced 12 shots, notably stopped a blast from the foot of Pato in the 51st minute.
AC Milan, founded in 1899, is the club with the most international trophies. They also have 17 National championships to their credit.
AC Milan’s star players, Italian defenders Luca Antonini and Alessandro Nesta, Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf, as well as strikers Ronaldinho, Pato and Filippo Inzaghi all started the match.
With an attendance of 47,861 spectators, this is the second largest crowd in Impact history after the 55,571 people who attended the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match against Mexican club Santos Laguna on February 25, 2009.
Earlier during this north American tour, AC Milan was defeated 3-2 by DC United (MLS), on May 26, in front of 30,367 spectators at RFK Stadium in Washington. AC Milan then shutout the Chicago Fire (MLS) 1-0, last Sunday, in front of 20,356 spectators, at Toyota Park.
Take note that the natural grass surface installed for this match will be used as the new surface at the Impact training facility on the site of Saputo Stadium.
The Impact next regular season game in the USSF Second Division will take place this Sunday against Miami FC, at Saputo Stadium. (2 pm, Radio-Canada, radio-canada.ca/sports, CKAC Sports, The Team 990).
THE NEXT 3 MATCHES
• Sunday, June 6 – Miami @ IMPACT – Saputo Stadium – 2 pm (Radio-Canada, radio-canada.ca/sports, CKAC Sports, THE TEAM 990)
• Wednesday, June 9 – IMPACT @ Minnesota – National Sports Center – 8 pm (nscminnesota.org)
• Saturday, June 12 – IMPACT @ Tampa Bay - G. Steinbrenner Stadium – 7 pm (fctampabay.com)
GAME SUMMARY
PHOTOS PÉPÉ AT OLYMPIC STADIUM
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Source : Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info : 514-328-3668 (Ext. 227)
