Sunday, 31/10/2010
THE Dutch master was bettered by his pupil Saturday when Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan strolled to a comfortable 2-0 victory in the Champions League final over a weak Bayern Munich team coached by his one-time boss Louis van Gaal.
Argentina’s Diego Milito scored twice, once in each half, as Inter Milan squeezed the life out of a hesitant Bayern team to end a 45-year wait for its third title.
The victory might also signal Mourinho’s exit from Inter and move to Real Madrid, where Saturday’s final was played before 80,000 people at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Within minutes of winning his second Champions League with two different clubs, he said it was more probable that he will go than stay.
“This makes me feel really sad,” Mourinho said. “I’ve become part of Inter’s history and I don’t want to talk about anything else. If I talk about it I’ll cry and I don’t want to do that.”
The Argentina striker Milito scored in the 35th and 70th minutes at the Bernabeu to add the title to Inter’s triumphs back in 1964 and ’65.
The merited victory - Inter dominated the game - meant that Mourinho completed the triple triumphs of the Champions League and domestic league and cup successes and became only the third coach to win the title with two different clubs.
Mourinho, who won the cup with FC Porto in 2004, out-thought van Gaal, the man he worked for while they were at Barcelona.
This time the pupil was the master as Mourinho relied on his solid defense to snuff out the threat of Bayern’s Arjen Robben and expertly won the game on the counter-attack.
Milito’s two goals were taken with style and he had great support from attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder and defensive midfielders Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, the Inter captain who collected the trophy in his 700th appearance for the club.
“This is really emotional. The team played a perfect game. It’s unbelievable for me to be able to relive the emotions I experienced so many years ago,” said Inter president Massimo Moratti, whose father Angelo ran the club when it won the titles in the 1960s.
The loss meant that Bayern missed out on the treble, having also won the domestic league and cups.
“We were not good enough to impose our game,” Van Gaal said. “Inter only reacted but they still won deservedly. The timing of the goals was decisive. The players learned today that it comes down to small details.
“I still have the feeling that we could have won. There were no great difference.
We attacked, Inter defended. but you have to be in great shape to beat Inter and we were not today. I still think Inter merited the win.”
Franz Beckenbauer, honorary president of Bayern, said Inter deserved its victory.”Bayern did not have its day. We had a few moments at the start of the second half but that was not enough,” he said. “They made fewer mistakes.”
After the final whistle, Mourinho walked onto the field and was congratulated by his players in a low key celebration by his standards. In the past he has been known to race across the pitch to celebrate some of his most famous victories, infuriating opposing supporters.
Before the medal ceremony, he left his Inter players and walked over to the Bayern camp, hugging van Gaal as he had promised at the news conference on the eve of the final.
Although Bayern had chances early in the second half, Inter’s defense was rock solid as it has been all through the competition, especially when it knocked defending champion Barcelona out in the semifinal.
The first half was a tale of the contrasting fortunes of two Dutchmen.
Bayern’s Arjen Robben, left rolling on the ground after three solid tackles by Inter defenders in the first 13 minutes, earned himself three shooting chances but couldn’t recreate the accurate strikes that eliminated Fiorentina and Manchester United.
Inter’s Wesley Sneijder, by contrast, forced Bayern ‘keeper Joerg Butt into a punching save and set up the first half strike by Milito.
From a huge kick upfield by Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Milito headed the ball on to Sneijder who returned it immediately with an accurate pass through the Bayern defense. Milito held off a defender before firing past the ‘keeper from 12 meters, sparking wild celebrations among the Inter fans at the other end of the stadium.
It should have been 2-0 just before halftime when Sneijder and Milito combined again. This time the Argentina striker put the Dutchman clear but his shot was blocked by Butt.
In a fast-moving sequence in the opning minute of the second half, Bayern opened up the Inter defense and Hamit Altintop presented Thomas Mueller with a clear shooting chance only for the 20-year-old striker to see his shot bounce off the ‘keeper’s legs.
“Not the better but the more effective team won,” said Bayern captain Marc van Bommel. “Had Mueller scored, it may have been different. These are decisive moments.
But no reproaches, Mueller has scored so many goals this season.”
When Robben’s shot from the corner of the area appeared to be curling inside the far post, Julio Cesar dived to push it away. It was a crucial save as Inter broke out to score a second which effectively killed off the game.
Samuel Eto’o's pass found Milito on the left and the striker twisted past Daniel van Buyten before firing inside the far post in front of the Inter fans.
AP/The STAR
Tags: Bayern Munich, Final, Inter Milan, UCL 2009/10, UCL Final, UEFA Champions League
