Tottenham-Milan, the precedents with the English teams: a story by Bovolenta

Milan’s father is the English Herbert Kilpin, born in Nottingham in the back room of the family butcher’s shop. Nine brothers. Herbert is the youngest, he is an apprentice in a lace and lace factory, but he studies as a textile expert and leaves for Italy. Turin, then Milan. He has a football hobby, builds a team called Giuseppe Garibaldi. Players wear red shirts. Then, together with a colorful Anglo-Italian group, Kilpin founded the Milan Foot-Ball and Cricket Club. Milan in England, in the land of the man who invented the Devil, won only once.

In Manchester, against United in the Champions League, 1-0, goal by Hernan Crespo, 23 February 2005. He also played against Ipswich Town, Everton, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester City and Portsmouth, in the Champions Cup, Uefa and Champions League: only losses and draws. Not well. But the real taboo is London. Different cups, different stadiums, different English teams, no wins. Smoke and smog, controversy and discouragement. Let’s see what happened.

Event reserved, the word itself says, to the cities of international fairs. Then Milan, London, Barcelona, ​​Basel, Frankfurt, Copenhagen. Round of 16: Nils Liedholm’s Milan beat Chelsea 2-1 at the San Siro. In the second leg, on 16 February 1966, a rematch at Stamford Bridge. In goal of the Blues, “with his showy yellow sweater the eccentric Bonetti” (Nicolò Carosio). The Baron lined up in attack: Sormani, Lodetti, Angelillo, Rivera, Amarildo. Play well, but that’s not enough. But he collects compliments from James Bond. The charming Sean Connery goes to the locker room: “Well done, you deserve the title”. Instead there will be a playoff at San Siro (1-1) and a “malignant” coin. Ouch. Milan out.

The UEFA Cup replaces the trade fairs. 5 April 1972 at White Hart Lane against Tottenham, semi-final. Coach Nereo Rocco. First half 1-1, Benetti and Perryman. Rocco strokes his powerful chin. “Come on, let’s go well“. Then a nonsense from Riccardo Sogliano leaves Milan in ten men. Ricky, tough and very useful, disputes the distance of a free-kick. The referee draws the white card (waiting to turn yellow). New protest: red. Perryman scores again At San Siro in the second leg, 1-1. It was not enough, away. And the disappointment was strong, because on the same evening Inter conquered the Champions Cup final with Ajax.

European Super Cup, 1 February 1995, at Highbury with Arsenal. Milan didn’t want to play it, a few days earlier in Marassi a Milan supporter had killed Vincenzo Spagnolo, a Genoa fan. Rossoneri with mourning on their arm, lackluster game, contrasts between Savicevic and Capello. Zero to zero. In the second leg, Milan wore the yellow jersey for the first time, 2-0 with Boban and Massaro. Super cup in the trophy room. Also from the 90s, this time the first in the Champions League in London. At Stamford Bridge with Chelsea. Group stage, 15 September 1999. Rossoneri led by Zaccheroni, the “tailor” that Berlusconi doesn’t like. Bad Bierhoff and Shevchenko, goalkeeper Abbiati was the man of the match, who stopped Zola assisted by Deschamps and saved the result: 0-0.

Almost all Champions in the new century. Carlo Ancelotti begins at the Emirates against Arsenal. Round of 16 (first leg), 20 February 2008. Kakà, Pirlo, Seedorf and Pato in the evening no. Milan resisted, Wenger’s talents pushed but did not surprise the Australian goalkeeper (of Croatian origin) Zeljko Kalac. The 0-0 goal rubbed hands, but in the second leg the English froze San Siro: it ended 2-0 for Arsenal. Bye bye, see you next time. Which arrives three years later with Massimiliano Allegri, again in the round of 16, this time White Hart Lane with Tottenham, on 9 March 2011. Difficult undertaking, because in the first leg at San Siro Spurs, with Modric and Bale, had won 1-0 . Milan play the game, dominate at times and don’t deserve to go out. Ibrahimovic, the worst, yes. Well Seedorf, Boateng, Robinho and Pato, but zero to zero is useless. Bye bye. The following year, 2012, Emirates again, Arsenal again, Allegri again. In the first leg at San Siro, Milan are beautiful and spank Wenger’s kids. Four to zero, goalkeeper Szczesny is stunned. At this point Milan would qualify even if they lost 3-0. And 3-0 loses. Vera squeeze, cuddly evening. Ibrahimovic, monstrous in the first leg, is outside the European parameters. Luckily there is Abbiati. The shift is over, but guys…

A step back, Europa League, in 2018. Guide, not very well, Rino Gattuso. Arsenal is back, Wenger is back. Lots of people, at San Siro and at the Emirates. It looks like Champions League stuff, but a minor tone with a Little Devil in the first leg (0-2). Instead, I return with a lot of anger and a great built-in robbery, 3-1. A non-existent penalty, Milan is there but you can’t see it much. Shy signs of awakening, but one also leaves a Europa League, or UEFA Cup, which has never entered the bright trophy room.

And we are on our last visit to London. Current season, Group E, Matchday Three, 5 October 2022, Stamford Bridge. Chelsea-Milan 3-0, Tatarusanu in goal. What to say? Pioli says it all, from the microphones of his first London radio station: “We weren’t a team”. It happens often. Rafael Leao will also be there tomorrow night, round of 16 at the New White Hart Lane, one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. Once, sixty years ago, eleven Rossoneri lions made history in these parts. It was May 22, 1963, the Champions Cup final. Wembley Stadium, football temple, Milan – Benfica 2-1: triumph. It was the first and only victory in London for Milan, the first Italian champion of Europe. Remember, Pioli and company.