A 90th minute killer from Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United an insecure 3-2 first leg win over AC Milan in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo put the home side ahead with a 6th minute header, but the Rossoneri responded roughly with a double from Kaka, before Rooney came to United's rescue with a second-half brace. The Red Devils broke the deadlock in the opening ten minutes for the fifth game in a row. Ronaldo claimed the goal after Dida blocked his header only to find the ball looping toward his goal, and the Brazilian's desperate touch was too late. In the 22nd minute, Kaka received Clarence Seedorf's pass as he darted superbly into the United area, out sprinting Gabriel Heinze before firing a low shot past Edwin Van Der Sar for the equalizer. United almost recovered from Kaka's shocker 12 minutes later, when Ronaldo fired a ferocious 25-yard shot which Dida worked hard to parry it.
Kaka produced an impressive display However, the lively Kaka punished United when he produced a moment of magic two minutes later. The Brazilian sensation junked past Darren Fletcher before taking on Patrice Evra and Heinze who both collided bizarrely as a result, before steering the ball home in no nerves for the second. Milan seemed to have controlled the game as United's reserve backline struggled to overcome Kaka's pace, but Carlo Ancelotti's men suffered a double blow when they were forced to make a double substitution. Paolo Maldini was replaced by Daniele Bonera at half-time, before key midfielder Gennaro Gattuso was stretched off seven minutes late to be replaced by Christian Brocchi. The change had its costly impact on the Rossoneri, as Rooney was superbly set up by Paul Scholes' delicate through pass before chesting the ball and placing a close-range finish into the back of the net for a 59th minute equalizer. One minute into stoppage time, Ryan Giggs released Rooney after catching Brocchi in possession, and the England forward unleashed an unstoppable first-time shot past the hapless Dida.
