I is for...
Monday, May 2, 2005
Article summary
uefa.com's A to Z countdown to the UEFA Champions League final continues.
Article body
As uefa.com Action's A to Z countdown to the UEFA Champions League final on 25 May continues, it is time for some great Is.
Synonymous with Italian football for many years the Inzaghi brothers Fillipo and Simone have also lit up the European stage. The two brothers also played alongside each other for Italy in a friendly against England in 1999.
Fillipo, the older of the two, still plies his trade with AC Milan and collected a Champions League winners' medal in 2002/03 in the win over Italian rivals Juventus FC. He has struggled with injury this season and has made just two appearances in the competition, scoring in the 3-1 win against Celtic FC.
Simone is currently on loan at UC Sampdoria from S.S. Lazio where he has had a tough time over the last couple of years. He is best remembered for scoring four times in a Champions League game against Olympique de Marseille in March 2000. Last season he managed three for Lazio in the group stage of the competition.
The most memorable injury-time winners were the two goals scored by Manchester United FC in the 1998/99 final. Trailing 1-0 to FC Bayern München, United turned things around in stoppage time as first Teddy Sheringham levelled and then seconds later Ole Gunner Solskjær scored the winner.
However, last-gasp winners have been no rarity in recent years. FC Barcelona's Gerard López earned a 3-2 win against Olympique Lyonnais with a goal five minuted into added time, while this season, Lyon's Nilmar scored in the 94th and 96th minutes of their 4-2 group stage win against Fenerbahçe SK.
Occasionally irrational and hot-tempered, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is an enigmatic striker who possesses skill in abundance. His fine technique and ability to retain possession make him a useful foil, although scoring remains his primary focus.
His first season ion the Champions League in 2002/03 saw him score four goals for AFC Ajax, but his touch in front of goal seemed to desert him the following season as he managed just a solitary strike against RC Celta de Vigo. He moved to Juventus last summer but failed to score in this season's competition.
Instead he turned provider, passing to Pavel Nedved to score the only goal of the game against Bayern at the Stadio Della Alpi. He also took advantage of his height to provide a neat knockdown for David Trezeguet to fire in the goal that set Juventus on their way to beating Real Madrid CF in the last 16.