TIME MACHINE: SERGINHO IN AC MILAN v BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Borussia Dortmund will arrive at San Siro for the penultimate game in Group F of the UEFA Champions League, an important match for the Rossoneri. The goalless draw in the away leg was the 7th meeting of the two sides, who have always put on a show in their European fixtures. For example, the two clashes in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup that saw Borussia Dortmund progress to the final but gave us a stunning return leg with a star of the show: Sérgio Cláudio dos Santos, or for the Rossoneri, Serginho. Let's relive it with our Time Machine.  

With a deadly left foot and supersonic speed, Serginho racked up a great number of miles and assists from the Rossoneri left wing, so much so that he earned himself the nickname "Concorde". Born in 1971, he arrived at AC Milan from San Paolo in the 1999/00 season. Thanks to his unique set of skills, he soon became a stable for the Rossoneri. He experienced many victories with the Club, winning the Champions League and the European Super Cup twice, as well as one Scudetto, one Italian Cup, one Italian Super Cup, and one Club World Cup. He said goodbye to us in 2008 after 281 appearances, 24 goals, and over 50 assists. On 11 April 2002, he aided the Rossoneri in a historic comeback in the UEFA Cup semi-finals after the 0-4 defeat in Dortmund in the first leg.

Coach Ancelotti played Sérgio in the midfield, alongside Gattuso and Contra, with Pirlo as an attacking midfielder behind Inzaghi and Shevchenko. The Rossoneri were full of hope after the first 10 minutes, thanks to a header from SuperPippo, assisted by the Brazilian, that took them ahead. In the 18th minute, Contra doubled the lead with a shot from the edge of the box. 2-0 after 18 minutes, AC Milan still feel the 2-goal gap from the last game, but the game isn't over until it's over. In the 90th minute, Serginho blasts a shot to beat Lehmann from the spot, giving the Rossoneri one last hope to go level on aggregate in injury time. On the counterattack, however, Ricken scored in the 94th minute to close out the game for Borussia. AC Milan, however, left a San Siro full of applause for the thrilling almost comeback.

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