00:00Four years in charge of Ajax, and they've run away with the Dutch league again, and indeed, are on the verge of a record if they survive in their final league game at the weekend, they'll be the first team in Dutch history to go through an entire league season without defeat.
00:17And I think he stuck Lippmann and the player in the middle, and it was a very vital impact to knock that behind for the first corner of the game in the 15th minute.
00:29That's a lovely invite, though, for Milan to counter-attack, the space that Ajax do, in fact, leave.
00:36Only threaded ball gives them a chance if these people, if Simone and Massaro are on the move.
00:44Milan fans behind the goal.
00:47But they're attacking.
00:50Simone's corner, hoisted in high.
00:53Mucci's got up on the far post, turned back, and away by Lippmann.
00:57And then by Davies.
00:59Kostakurta drives it in.
01:02The flick on towards Lippmann, headed away by Kostakurta.
01:05The whistle has gone, the referee saw an infringement.
01:07Could well have led to the first goal of the game.
01:11That was a golden chance, wasn't it?
01:13What a chance that was.
01:15The pace he gets on these corner kicks, if you can get someone on the end of them, almost undefendable.
01:21De Boer it was.
01:27Rijkaard just quickly, he moves defenders at the near post there to open the space for Frank De Boer.
01:32Here inside the penalty area, and couldn't find one of them.
01:41Frank Rijkaard.
01:42Davies found the rock of Beresi, too stubborn to round.
01:52I think that's one of them.
01:53Massaro there too.
01:54And the header was by Panucci, that drops to Desailly, now Boban.
02:11Simone on the far post.
02:14Desailly.
02:16Simone is still out on the touchline, goes down rather theatrically.
02:19And the referee, quite rightly says, play on.
02:25The Boer's clearance, Boban.
02:27And still.
02:29And still Simone in a dangerous position.
02:32Could have ended on a note of high drama.
02:35Well, that's exactly, that's exactly what Milan wants.
02:39Counter attack.
02:41They're loaded over in numbers.
02:42Quality ball.
02:43Quality shot.
02:45And full marks to the keeper.
02:46He's entitled to save it, but he has done.
02:48But I mean, that's a great, that's a pick-me-out ball.
02:50Simone felt he couldn't have volleyed the ball any better.
02:54Unfortunately, he hit it more or less straight down the keeper's throat.
02:57And that followed a period of Ajax pressure.
03:01It just underlines how dangerous Milan are on the counter attack.
03:06Corner goes in towards Panucci, far post.
03:09Cleared.
03:09Only as far as the Milan player was brought down there.
03:14That's going to be a free kick.
03:15The two Milan players over the ball.
03:19Nisado coming to join them.
03:20It's Albertini around the corner.
03:27Set up for Albertini.
03:28The little chip to Maldini.
03:30And a good header across.
03:31What a well-worked free kick that was.
03:34And it all...
03:35Referee indicates...
03:36Corner.
03:38Not penalty.
03:40I don't think you'll find it was even a semblance of one there.
03:45You see, actually in all fairness, he's got a good touch on the ball.
03:48And that's actually the first time, I think, that he's made a positive run off the ball, George.
03:53To try and get a through ball.
03:57And the corner whipped in again to the near post.
03:59And it comes to the substitute.
04:00Who couldn't get it quickly enough under control.
04:02However, here's a chance for Littmann.
04:04He's done well here, Littmann.
04:06Guess how he just closed down the space immediately.
04:09Good defending again from the big French international.
04:12Who's been outstanding.
04:13And...
04:14And again, Milan just crowd out the man in possession.
04:22Well, he doesn't get an injury.
04:23I bet he can hardly breathe when he's got the ball over Mars.
04:25He does attract defenders to him.
04:27Very, very...
04:28This cornering.
04:29Looking for Rijkaard, perhaps, over his head.
04:31An easy catch for Rossi.
04:33One of the few uncapped.
04:34And he's done well here.
04:39And it wasn't a bad cross either.
04:40And it suddenly broke towards Overmars.
04:42Who I thought might have been body-checked in the penalty area then.
04:46To prevent him getting on the end of that cross.
04:48Certainly the Ajax fans around us did think that.
04:52Look at that.
04:52It's the first time he's had a go at them on the outside.
04:54He's crossed the half-decent ball.
04:56Deflection.
04:57You see Overmars going into a crowd soon.
04:59I don't think he was, to be fair to you.
05:00Panucci, the defender, anyway, who stood his ground, shall we say.
05:04Now then, a break by Milan.
05:08Clearance been well in his position.
05:09But just showed it to Donadoni.
05:11And that was enough for the interception.
05:12And Maldini steps over it.
05:15Only one he's had in the game.
05:18And he almost scored.
05:20He, for me, has been one of the great players of the year in Italian football.
05:24And, as you see, they've kept possession well.
05:28Gavits.
05:30Gavits is still forward.
05:34Gavits and Carnu together in the box.
05:36And it came almost to George.
05:37But Donadoni did well in a tight situation.
05:41That's good skill by Donadoni.
05:42And he's got it.
05:44Just played it in behind him.
05:45But he's still got it.
05:47Albertini to his left.
05:49Now Massaro again.
05:51And once more.
05:52The ball was just behind the onrushing player.
05:56Nightwell, of course, the goalkeeper out.
05:57Carnu didn't seem to have any room to hit it.
06:00And there was no back lift, but...
06:02With six minutes to go.
06:14The shot by Kluivert.
06:17Deflected into the back of the net.
06:18What a precious, priceless goal worth millions of pounds that could be for Ajax.
06:26Clivert, the second-half substitute.
06:44Strong enough to hold off the challenge and just prop the ball beyond Rossi's reach.
06:50And Milan, the champions of Europe, have only five minutes to try and hold on to that crowd.
06:59And fitting the part that Frank Rijkaard played in that.
07:01Just outside the box.
07:03Tries to play a little one-two with Kluivert.
07:05Kluivert's got a rather fortunate knockback here.
07:08The ball just drops back.
07:11A bobe or nothing.
07:12And just pushes it into his run.
07:13But he's wide awake enough just to get the stab on it.
07:16He just nicks it past Rossi.
07:22All around us, the red and white flags of Ajax.
07:26As Albertini turns the corner back in.
07:32And they'll cheer every single tackle, interception and header clear from Ajax players now.
07:37Is Louis van Gaal's side about to win the European Cup for the fourth time in Ajax's history?
07:44Can Milan snatch it?
07:49As Simone goes in with the goalkeeper.
07:51A desperate clearance by Frank De Boer.
07:55And suddenly, they break clear again here with Karnu.
08:00What a great tackle that was by Costa-Kurta.
08:04And that a body...
08:05He's taken the full brunt of the keeper and everything.
08:07And whips it in.
08:19And the header clear by Rijkaard.
08:21And Ajax have survived.
08:23For the moment anyway.
08:25And now over miles leads the counter-attack.
08:27George will just want to keep hold of possession here.
08:36And they won't mind that he's gone for a throw-in.
08:37The referee has just gone in, Donadoni.
08:39And throws it in to the middle towards Kessaïd.
08:43It almost reached him as well.
08:46And a long, long clearance.
08:48Karnu with Costa-Kurta.
08:52Karnu's done well here.
08:53It's certainly what his coach would have wanted at that stage.
08:56He's done brilliantly.
08:57Karnu.
08:58Overmiles in a good position in the middle.
09:00And he pulls it back.
09:01Oh, that's a great save by Rossi.
09:03That could have clinched it for Ajax.
09:05Danny Blint almost got the clincher.
09:09That's actually their best chance of the game, wasn't it?
09:12Brilliant move and a magnificent save by Rossi.
09:14But great football here.
09:17Space to run into.
09:18And there you get the last defender being the foremost attacker, Danny Blint.
09:23At this stage you'd expect to be at the other end of the field.
09:25By the way, the whistle.
09:29Ajax are champions of Europe.
09:36The great era of Cruyff and Nayskens and Rapp and Kroll
09:41hasn't exactly passed into their history books.
09:44But there are new names and new heroes in Amsterdam tonight.
09:49And in particular, the name of Patrick Clybert,
09:53the teenage striker who scored the goal
09:56that has given the European Cup to Ajax.
10:00We'll be back after the break.
10:02The new kids on the block.
10:05Ajax are the new champions of Europe.
10:10Danny Blint, their captain, holds aloft
10:13the most prestigious prize in club football anywhere in the world.
10:18And I wonder if we're seeing here the start of a new era.
10:25Milan dominated European football for almost a decade.
10:29Perhaps it's the turn of Ajax to take their title.
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