San Siro in Milan, 31 May 2003
31th May 2003
Stadio Olimpico in Rome, 20 May 2003
20 maggio 2003
The Berlusconi management had never won the Coppa Italia before, and funnily enough it finally came during a season in which AC Milan didn’t seem to focus on the competition too much. League leaders at Christmas and a good run in the Champions League seemed to mean there was little time to focus on the Coppa Italia. However, the Rossoneri won it by having fun and playing some carefree football, sprinkled with a bit of luck of course. The first round saw AC Milan putting five past Ancona, before re-enacting that feat in the quarter-final against Chievo at the Bentegodi.
The luck came in being drawn against an opponent like Perugia, with all due respect, in the semi-finals. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Stadio Curi, the Rossoneri managed to win the second leg 2-1 at San Siro. Thus, AC Milan progressed to the final, which was to be a two-legged affair: not the best news for a team that had been playing constantly since the Champions League qualifiers in mid-August. In fact, after an hour of play in Rome, AC Milan were 1-0 down against the Giallorossi. However, Serginho’s penalty levelled the scores and kick-started the Rossoneri’s comeback as they easily won the game 4-1. The second leg at San Siro ended in a 2-2 draw, which meant AC Milan possessed two trophies, the Champions League and Coppa Italia, both celebrated on that unforgettable night.
