Pato restores Rossoneri pride

Two-goal hero Pato insisted AC Milan had proved their worth after a memorable UEFA Champions League triumph away to Real Madrid CF that put the Rossoneri right back in contention in Group C.

Thrilling encounter
Having suffered a surprising loss at home to FC Zürich on Matchday 2, Milan knew they were in real trouble when they fell behind to Raúl González's opportunistic goal in the Spanish capital, a strike which took Raúl level on 68 with Filippo Inzaghi as the highest scorer in UEFA club competitions. Second-half strikes from Andrea Pirlo and Pato, however, stunned the hosts and although Royston Drenthe brought the game level with a quarter-of-and-hour to go, Pato emerged in the final moments to volley the winner. "It was a beautiful game full of great moves and some intricate play," the 20-year-old Brazilian said afterwards. "For me to score two goals here and to see my team emerge victorious was fantastic; it was a dream of mine to play at the Santiago Bernabéu."

Fighting spirit
Leonardo's side – who came into the game on a run of just one win in five games – looked to have run out of ideas until Pirlo's 30-metre wonder-strike jolted the Serie A side into life. Just four minutes later Pato raced through to send the visiting supporters into raptures. "We showed we are a great side as we managed to turn things around in the space of a few minutes," Pato explained. "We were always calm and were fighting right until the end." With the group evenly poised ahead of the 3 November rematch between these teams, Pato believes there is plenty left to be decided. "There are many games to go and Madrid are a very good team just as we are so let's see what happens."

Strong opposition
Madrid's Royston Drenthe was feeling less jubilant despite netting his first UEFA Champions League goal. "I'm happy I scored but I wanted the team to win; I'm a Real Madrid player and if we lose I naturally feel bad," he said. "We came up against a team with good players who adapted well to the situation. We played better before we conceded and we were knocking the ball about well enough to win with ease, but it wasn't to be."