Kaka scores in Milan win Thursday, September 14, 2006
First half goals from Filippo Inzaghi and French midfielder Yoann Gourcuff and a 77th minute Kaka penalty gave AC Milan a comfortable 3-0 victory over AEK Athens in Champions League Group H on Wednesday.
Milan were in charge of the game throughout and, although the Greek side tested Milan keeper Dida on occasions, they never managed to truly compete with the Italians in midfield.
Both sides had early chances with Gennaro Gattuso bringing AEK Athens' Italian keeper Stefano Sorrentino into action with a 12th minute shot and then at the other end Dida did well to save Andrija Delibasic's close-range header.
Brazilian Ricardo Oliveira, making his first start for Milan, flashed a header wide in the 16th minute before the six-times European champions grabbed the lead.
Captain Paolo Maldini made a short burst down the left flank and whipped over a cross which Inzaghi met with an expertly angled header.
Milan, who left out Italian World Cup winners Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pirlo, who had both looked tired in the opening day win over Lazio, had a comfortable grip on the midfield exchanges.
Carlo Ancelotti's side doubled their lead four minute before the break when Kaka ran down the right flank and put over a cross to the back post which close-season French signing Gourcuff met with a firm header to make it 2-0.
AEK did not give up the fight with Brazilian Julio Cesar testing his compatriot Dida with a fierce strike on the stroke of halftime.
Nikos Liberopoulos tried his luck with a low, testing long-range effort four minutes after the restart which had Dida scrambling but Milan went close to a third in the 57th minute through a Brazilian combination.
Cafu crossed from the right and Kaka rose superbly to produce an acrobatic flying volley which Sorrentino did well to tip to safety.
The game was securely in Milan's hands in the 77th minute when Inzaghi was ruled to have been pulled down by AEK defender Evangelos Moras and Kaka converted the spot kick.
