Milan's fine win over Manchester United has given Paolo Maldini a shot at playing one last Champions League Final - his eighth. After a long and incredble career, many would feel that the club's veteran skipper deserves at least another title. And Athens is a familiar stadium for him, holding sweet memories after the Rossoneri beat Barcelona 4-0 there in 1994.

Even without Maldini, Milan played with heart and experience against United, which made all the Milanisti proud. Now, assuming he recovers fitness in time after his injury at Old Trafford, he should be heading for Final No.8, having four wins and three defeats to his name.

Milan secured their place in the Final with a fantastic display at the San Siro. Strikes from Kaka, the reborn Clarence Seedorf, and Alberto Gilardino, crowned a fine display of football that paved the way to an Athens showdown with Liverpool.

Gennaro Gattuso, who was taken off in the first leg game last week at Old Trafford, started the game after suffering a foot injury and put in a man-of-the-match performance. Gattuso played with great leadership and heart, and his performance is even more tasty for the Milanisti as he and Massimo Oddo managed to keep Cristiano Ronaldo quiet the whole game, improving Kaka's chances of winning the Pallon D'oro.

The fans also played a huge role in Milan's triumph, and with Kaka and Gattuso orchestrating things on the pitch, the reponse of the crowd was terrific. They were effectively a 12th man on the pitch for Milan, and helped every player to give that little bit extra.

The Rossoneri can hold their heads up high after a struggling start to the season. But In Italy, we all hope that it will end in a success for Carlo Ancelotti and his men. The players will be more determined than ever to get revenge on Liverpool, especially after losing out to the same team in the final two years ago.