Torrential rain, thunder, lightning. Benvenuto a Milano! AC Milan even laid out a new green carpet for the visit of Manchester United to the San Siro, but it was all a load of amigo falso.

It was always going to be difficult for United to protect their one-goal advantage in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final second leg, at one of the most famously hostile stadiums in Europe. And so it proved.

We were always fearful that the Italians would be far too sharp for a United defence ravaged by injury, and despite the return of Nemanja Vidic to one of the two central defensive positions, United were infested by indecision, carelessness and rank bad defending.

'United were infested by indecision, carelessness and rank bad defending'


And the man who caused them all the trouble in the first leg did it again inside 10 minutes. The brilliant Kaka volleyed Milan level when Gennaro Gattuso somehow managed to find him with a backward header. Edwin Van Der Sar was left sprawling on the sodden turf.

United were all at sea as Kaka, Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf bossed the game. They were overrun in midfield, unsteady at the back and lacking direction and understanding up front. Too much shrugging of the shoulders from too many white shirts as frustration began to seep in.

Then, just when it seemed that they had weathered the early storm, United decided to embark on a suicide mission and present Milan with a second goal. Gabriel Heinze played the ball towards Vidic near the penalty spot when it should have been booted upfield, the big man slipped in trying to clear, and Seedorf took advantage of the catalogue of errors to put Milan 4-3 ahead on aggregate.

If United were deflated by the first goal, they were shattered by the second. Now they had to score twice to reach the Final - and it never looked like happening. This was but a shadow of the side that has established a five-point lead at the top of the Premiership and battled their way through to the FA Cup Final. But they have rarely looked so disjointed and devoid of ideas, and just when they needed a show from their young guns, the gunpowder was damp.

Alberto Gilardino’s second-half goal only served to emphasise Milan’s superiority in terms of talent and determination. So the treble slips away, the mouth-watering prospect of an all-England final in Athens has been dismissed, and United may have to settle for the domestic League and Cup double. That  may be of some consolation, but the glaringly obvious deficiencies away from home in Europe will need to be addressed if Sir Alex Ferguson is ever going to achieve a personal second Champions League triumph.

It was a bitterly disappointing night for United, but Milan thoroughly deserved to book another date with Liverpool in the final in three weeks’ time. Whether they can reverse the defeat they suffered in Instanbul two years ago remains to be seen.

What is patently obvious is that while United may rule the roost at home, they still haven’t mastered the art of defending a slender lead away from home in Europe. Until they do, their hopes of real glory will remain just that – hopes.

Will United go on to complete the Premiership and FA Cup double - or will Chelsea put an end to that dream at the new Wembley? Let Sportingo have your views.