Although much of the build-up featured AC Milan’s players denying that they were out for revenge after the events of Istanbul in 2005, La Gazzetta Dello Sport was one of several Italian news outlets to dispense with such politically correct temperance in the heady aftermath of victory.

“Splendid revenge, Milan are champions” read the headline on the front page of the newspaper’s website, adding below a giant picture of the European Cup being lifted that the result “avenged the burning defeat of two years ago”.

“Joy explodes in Piazza Duomo; after Istanbul, justice is done,” La Repubblica’s website said. The accompanying article detailed the celebrations in the square in front of Milan’s cathedral, where many fans gathered to watch the match on a big screen.

The article said: “Two years after that night in Istanbul, with the ‘spaghetti legs’ of [Jerzy] Dudek, when Milan sank into a deep silence, the thousands of fans in the symbolic centre of the city put all their enthusiasm into the 2-1 victory over the Reds and it preceded a night of partying to remember for ever.”

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This was a pale imitation of the 2005 European Cup Final

Joe Lovejoy

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BACKGROUND

• Luck runs out for Liverpool

• Dreams lie in ruins for Liverpool

• No way back for Liverpool

• How the teams rated

• Flood of forged tickets deepens fans' trauma

Multimedia

• European Cup Final 2007

• AC Milan v Liverpool clockwatch

Related Links

• Show clearly not for the benefit of Mr Kuyt

• Not even Gerrard can produce final miracle

• Benitez turns attention to forward thinking

Gennaro Gattuso, the Milan midfield player, was quoted elsewhere as saying: “Today, they [Liverpool] are crying, like we were two years ago.” He also referred to the Serie A corruption scandal that disrupted Italy’s preparations for the World Cup finals a year ago and led to punishments for some of the country’s leading clubs, including Milan. “They were saying that Italian football was in crisis: now we have won the World Cup and are champions of Europe,” Gattuso said.

The sometimes derided striker whose place had been in doubt was lauded after his two goals. “[Filippo] Inzaghi takes Milan to the roof of Europe,” the website of Corriere della Sera said. “Triumph in Athens, double from Super Pippo.”

Silvio Berlusconi, the Milan president, said: “Inzaghi promised me that he would score two goals and he kept his promise.”