Barcelona stand-in coach Jordi Roura suffered another agonizing display on his competitive return to the stadium that effectively ended his playing career.
24 years on from
suffering a cruciate ligament injury while playing for Barcelona in the
San Siro, that same old sinking feeling returned for a man holding the
reins as regular coach Tito Vilanova undergoes medical treatment for a
tumor in New York.
Fielding a strong side
against a Milan team that failed to beat the Spaniards in last season's
four European Champions League meetings, Barcelona lost the first leg of
the Last 16 clash 2-0.
After a tight first half,
Kevin-Prince Boateng broke the deadlock after 56 minutes when drilling
home from the edge of the box after a Riccardo Montolivo drive was
deflected into his path.
Nine minutes from time,
fellow Ghanaian Sulley Muntari sealed Milan's first win over Barca in 13
years after he stylishly finished off a sweeping move involving Stephan
El Shaarawy and new signing M'Baye Niang.
The victory was
especially satisfying for the Milan hierarchy and club president Silvio
Berlusconi, who may hope the unexpected victory represents a good omen
as the 76-year-old tries to return to office in this weekend's Italian
elections.
Milan coach Massimiliano
Allegri had spoken of the need before the game to find a way of
blunting Barcelona's attacking threat and his plan worked to perfection
thanks to the on-field discipline of his players.
"We played as a team and we listened to our coach," said Muntari, whose goal was his first ever in the Champions League.
"He did a fantastic job
by setting us up us very well on the pitch -- and we were very
disciplined and managed to close every angle."
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