On the evening of April 2nd, Milan had experienced a bright sunny day.
The brightly lit San Siro stadium was undergoing warm-up training.
But Barcelona's players had already sensed something was wrong.
The pitch had been fine during the afternoon inspection, but by the time of the pre-match warm-up, the whole field looked like it had been drenched by a heavy downpour.
The field was slippery and waterlogged, making the ball difficult to roll.
In response, Guardiola protested to the referees.
"Is this pitch up to standard? Milan hasn't had any rain lately. This is deliberate!"
Guardiola was visibly angry.
Playing on such a field would severely weaken Barcelona's passing and possession style.
The referees replied, "Milan reported this in advance. Since the pitch is rented out for commercial activities during non-match days, it had to be watered temporarily to maintain turf quality."
The referees even showed Milan's report.
Guardiola hadn't expected Milan to notify UEFA beforehand.
He examined the report carefully but found no fault.
It stated the pitch hadn't been watered for a long time, and to prepare for this important Champions League match, they had to water it temporarily to ensure turf quality.
"But this is way too much water, isn't it?"
Guardiola complained.
The referees didn't respond.
Who cares how much water they put?
It was Milan's home ground!
This was home advantage!
And it was all within the rules—no one could stop Milan from watering the pitch, as long as it wasn't against regulations.
The protest was invalid.
Guardiola returned to the bench, still fuming.
He glanced over and saw Ancelotti looking at him.
"That fat bastard!"
Guardiola cursed quietly, eyes nearly shooting flames.
Ancelotti quietly turned away, a slight smirk on his lips.
Experience, after all!
On the waterlogged pitch, Barcelona struggled through a difficult warm-up and returned to the locker room dripping wet to change.
Luckily, they brought long-studded boots, or it would have been disastrous.
"Today's pitch condition is disadvantageous for us. Stay steady in the first half. These old Milan guys won't last long!"
Guardiola issued orders with clear frustration.
An unexpected problem before the match made him very uneasy.
Meanwhile, in AC Milan's locker room, Ancelotti was giving instructions.
"Attack in the first half! Our counterattacks must be decisive. The pitch conditions will make Barcelona cautious and require some adaptation, but we don't have that worry. Start pressing and counter-pressing right from the kick-off to try and score early. Got it?"
Everyone shouted in unison, "Got it!"
Ancelotti shouted, "Go! Boys!"
The Milan players quickly left the locker room.
Barcelona players appeared from the corner; eyes met, full of tension and hostility.
Starting lineups:
AC Milan (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Dida
Defenders: Oddo, Nesta, Simunic, Jankulovski
Midfielders: Pato, Gattuso, Kaká, Pirlo, Seedorf
Forward: Suker
Barcelona (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Valdés
Defenders: Abidal, Thuram, Puyol, Zambrotta
Midfielders: Iniesta, Yaya Touré, Xavi
Forwards: Henry, Eto'o, Messi
Seeing Milan's formation, Guardiola felt uneasy.
Kaká was playing as a central midfielder.
Pato and Seedorf took the wings.
Suker's role was uncertain: a striker or a pivot?
Given Suker's versatility, Milan's formation had many variations.
For Barcelona, as long as they held possession steadily, there shouldn't be major problems.
Suker and Pato stood near the center circle.
"After kick-off, Barcelona will press forward to regain possession. I'll help you stretch the defense; Kaká will also pass to you!"
"Like in our pre-match drills—use your speed to break forward if there's a chance!"
Pato looked excited, "Got it! Leave it to me!"
Suker glanced around.
The looks from Barcelona players were full of caution.
Obviously, they saw him as the biggest threat and planned to focus their attention on him.
Suker, Kaká, and Pato had rehearsed this.
They planned to exploit the conditions to create space for Pato, whose explosive speed was very strong.
Meanwhile, on the other half of the pitch, Messi looked serious.
He remembered losing to Milan two years ago in the Champions League.
Back then, Messi was a substitute but still felt a strong sense of frustration.
This match was a revenge match—for the two-year delayed revenge!
Barcelona was strong now.
Strong enough to dethrone any opponent.
Even the reigning Milan dynasty.
Beep!
A sharp whistle sounded.
Suker immediately kicked off.
The match began!
"This is the 2007/2008 Champions League quarter-final first leg, AC Milan hosting Barcelona!"
"Can defending champions AC Milan defeat the strong Spanish side?"
"Will fierce Barcelona be able to pull Milan from their throne?"
Aldo Cerella's voice was full of excitement.
The whole football world awaited this match.
One was an emerging super team.
The other, a gradually fading Milan dynasty.
What sparks would fly?
On the field, Milan began patiently passing after kickoff.
Barcelona pressed, but not too aggressively.
This allowed Milan to keep possession.
Suker occasionally dropped back to support.
Each time he did, Barcelona's defensive line moved restlessly.
"Not following?"
Suker glanced at Thuram, who hesitated.
Suker hesitated, then nudged Thuram's chest with his elbow and quickly retreated.
Sure enough, Thuram followed.
Puyol shifted centrally, creating space between center-back and full-back.
"Opportunity!"
Suker looked to Kaká.
Kaká nodded at Suker's signal.
At 19 seconds into the game, Pirlo passed the ball to Kaká.
Barcelona's defensive and midfield lines were very flat.
Suker decisively dropped back.
"Kaká!"
Thuram approached Suker.
Puyol remained central, increasing the gap between defenders.
Kaká noticed this.
He lightly flicked the ball diagonally forward and shouted:
"Pato!"
Swish!!
Pato suddenly burst forward and fiercely drove the ball.
The strike was powerful—on a normal pitch, the ball would have gone out of control.
But with the waterlogged field, the ball stopped near the edge of the penalty area after crossing the defense.
Pato's legs moved like spinning wheels, racing forward with explosive speed.
"Oh! My God! Pato's through!"
Aldo Cerella jumped up.
This sudden change shocked him greatly.
While everyone's attention was on Suker and Kaká, Pato had become Milan's sharpest weapon!
Pato sprinted into the penalty area.
Barcelona defenders were caught off guard.
Suker shouted excitedly, "Go! Shoot!"
Pato entered the box and lightly nudged the ball.
It passed the goalkeeper and dropped into the net.
Just 24 seconds into the match!
AC Milan struck lightning-fast and unexpectedly took the lead!
18-year-old rising star Pato opened the scoring for AC Milan!
Goal!!!!!!
Aldo Cerella shouted with excitement.
"Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal!—"
"Alexander Pato! The 18-year-old Brazilian talent! He broke through Barcelona's goal in just 24 seconds!"
"AC Milan leads Barcelona 1-0!—"