Champions: one Italian team left, AC Milan

Juventus and Inter are eliminated, but Barcelona, Arsenal and Villarreal are in

Only one of the four Champion League finalists hails from Italy: it's Milan AC, which beat Olympique Lyon and will face Barcelona in the semifinals.
Arsenal qualified for the Champions League semifinals for the first time Wednesday after drawing 0-0 with Juventus to advance 2-0 on aggregate.
Arsenal beat Juventus on goals from Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry in the first leg at Highbury last week, and the Italian champions never looked like overturning that deficit at the Stadio delle Alpi.
It will be Arsenal versus Villarreal and AC Milan versus FC Barcelona in the semifinals on April 18 and 26.
Goals from Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o earned Barcelona a nervy 2-0 win at home to Benfica on Wednesday that set up a mouth-watering Champions League semi-final showdown against AC Milan.
World Player of the Year Ronaldinho atoned for an earlier missed penalty when he steered home midway through the first half and Eto'o secured the victory when he smashed into the roof of the net two minutes before the final whistle.
AC Milan are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League after a 3-1 win over Lyon at the San Siro. The Italian giants were going out on away goals with the match tied at 1-1 but late strikes from Pippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko broke Lyon's hearts. Gerard Houllier's side were in control until Inzaghi bundled home his second goal, and Shevchenko added a third to become the tournament's record scorer. Milan suffered a blow in the 23rd minute when Jaap Stam limped off with an ankle injury to be replaced by Alessandro Costacurta. But Milan's spirits were lifted a minute later when they took the lead against the run of play. Fred carelessly conceded possession to Shevchenko, who found Clarence Seedorf. The Dutch midfield man produced a perfect cross for Inzaghi to head past Gregory Coupet. Lyon were deservedly level six minutes later as they once again exposed the vulerability in Milan's defence. Juninho's whipped free-kick found Dida confronted by three unmarked Lyon players, and when the loose ball bounced into the air Diarra reacted first to head home. With just three minutes remaining, Milan delivered a cruel blow that left Lyon heartbroken. Shevchenko's shot bounced off both posts, but fell invitingly for Inzaghi to bundle home from virtually on the line. And Shevchenko completed a stunning finale by rounding Lyon keeper Gregory Coupet to add the third after he intercepted Francois Clerc's back-pass.
In the second semifinal of the night, Villarreal edged into the Champions League semi-fnals on the away goals rule thanks to Rodolfo Arruabarrena's flicked header on 58 minutes. Juan Roman Riquelme's deft lob from a free-kick found the unmarked defender who rose to head home. The home side dominated throughout and could have finished the tie earlier with the exquisite Riquelme and the dangerous Diego Forlan going close. A disjointed Inter pressed late on but failed to trouble Villarreal's defence.
With Villarreal lying 8th in La Liga, the Spaniards kept alive their only realistic chance of qualifying for next year's competition. But Inter, who won the first leg 2-1, crashed out at the quarter-final stage for the second year running.
Inter Milan's loss to tournament newcomer Villarreal in the Champions League quarterfinals exposed the two-time European champion's shortcomings at the elite level, officials and players said.
Inter, which last week rallied from a goal down to win the first match 2-1, lost 1-0 in Spain to exit on the away goals rule. Inter last won Europe's top soccer title in 1965.
"It is incomprehensible how we only managed to give a semblance of a reaction in the last five minutes of the match,"' Inter President Giacinto Facchetti told the club's official Web site. "There must be a different attitude if we want to achieve important results."
An Inter team featuring former world player of the year Luis Figo and Brazil striker Adriano managed just one shot on target after defender Rodolfo Arruabarrena gave Villarreal a 58th-minute lead at the El Madrigal stadium.
Arruabarrena, who scored the decisive goal in the previous round against Scotland's Rangers, timed a run into the Inter penalty area and rose unmarked to flick Juan Riquelme's lobbed free-kick into the net with his head.
"After conceding the goal we should have reacted but it didn't come," said Inter captain Javier Zanetti. "We didn't manage to play."
It was Inter's second straight loss in the quarterfinals following last year's defeat to city rival A.C. Milan, which advanced to the semifinals by beating Lyon 3-1.

Publication Date: 2006-04-09
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=6143