Madrid and Milan's classic contests

When Real Madrid play AC Milan on Wednesday in the first of two UEFA Champions League Group C encounters in a fortnight, it will be their 12th competitive match-up with both clubs having won five apiece. Between them they have picked up the European Champion Clubs' Cup 16 times with Madrid having beaten the Rossoneri in the 1958 final. Here uefa.com looks back at five of their most famous meetings.

Madrid 3-1 Milan, second group stage, 12 March 2003
With the likes of Zinédine Zidane, Luís Figo, Ronaldo and Raúl González in their side, the European champions were seeking to become the first side to successfully defend the UEFA Champions League trophy as they welcomed a Milan side who had already qualified for the quarter-finals. Madrid put on a shimmering display with two goals from Raúl and one by Guti earning the club's 50th victory in the UEFA Champions League. It was Milan, though, who would go on to lift the trophy for the sixth time two months later as Madrid foundered in their quest in the semi-finals.To read uefa.com's report on this match click here.

Milan 5-0 Madrid, semi-final second leg, 19 April 1989
Arrigo Sacchi was still relatively unknown when Milan president Silvio Berlusconi lured him from Parma FC in 1987. The Fusignano-born coach was on a mission to change the mentality of Italian football by setting an example with his attack-minded Milan, who arguably hit their breathtaking peak in the demolition of Madrid. After drawing 1-1 at Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid were brushed aside at the San Siro where Carlo Ancelotti, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten and Roberto Donadoni all scored without reply. The Rossoneri would go on to lift the trophy for the first time in 30 years, then repeat the feat the following season. No side has successfully defended the trophy since.

Madrid 1-0 Milan, second round second leg, 1 November 1989
Sacchi's Milan were not only an attacking force. The Rossoneri coach had also built one of the strongest back lines in the game as witnessed against Madrid when the two sides met again in the last 16 the following season. Milan won 2-0 at home with goals by Rijkaard and Van Basten, but Madrid hit back in the return with Emilio Butragueño reducing the arrears on the stroke of half-time. The second goal, however, would never came as Sacchi's zonal marking system worked to perfection. Mauro Tassotti, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini squeezed Madrid's Hugo Sánchez-led attack of space, the home side falling victim to Milan's offside trap 24 times.

Madrid 3-2 Milan (aet) final, 28 May 1958
Hungry for revenge following their semi-final loss two years earlier, Milan were determined to end Madrid's unbroken spell of dominance in Europe. In an intense encounter in Brussels, the Rossoneri drew first blood through Juan Alberto Schiaffino's 59th minute goal but Alfredo di Stéfano pulled Madrid level. Milan again took the lead with 13 minutes remaining only for Luis Carniglia's side to reply once more to send the game into extra time. With both sides tiring, Paco Gento finally put the seal on a dramatic affair and earned Madrid the third of their five straight European titles.

Madrid 4-2 Milan, semi-final first leg, 19 April 1956
The first had come in the inaugural edition of the European Cup and the clubs met in the last four. Around 125,000 spectators flocked to the Santiago Bernabéu fpr a high-octane first leg. While the goals in the final two years down the line all came after the break, this game burst into life from the off with Milan equalising twice in the first half before Roque Olsen put the hosts in front again just prior to the interval. In the 62nd minute, Di Stéfano stretched the advantage, a goal which would prove critical in the outcome of the tie following Milan's 2-1 win in the decider.