Fiorentina 1 Milan 2

Beckham stayed on the bench for the duration of this three goal thriller which didn't really come to life until the final 15 minutes.
Fiorentina went ahead in the first half after just 14 minutes, and the score stayed the same for more than an hour. On 75 minutes, Leornardo brought Huntelaar on, and it took him only 5 minutes to get the ball in the back of the net courtesy of a neat interchange with Ronaldinho. For the final few minutes Fiorentina were on the back-foot and it was Pato who finished them off in the final minute of added time. Ronaldinho again the provider, losing the ball on the left side of the box, then picking it up again and lofting it cleverly into the danger area. One Milan player took a swipe at it as it went over his head, but it finally fell at Pato's feet with enough time and sight of the goal to smash it through the keeper for 2-1 to an elated Milan side and their very happy visiting support.

AS Bari 0 AC Milan 2

Another game with Beckham resigned to the bench as Leonardo juggles his players to find the best combination. The first half was fairly uneventful, neither side really stamping their authority on the match. Milan were lucky to survive a penalty shout on 26 mins, and Borriello had an effort cleared from the goal line on 40 minutes. However only two minutes later Ronaldinho found Borriello with a searching cross into the box, he met it with his left foot for a mid-air volley that found the target and gave Milan the first goal of the game.
The second half saw Milan start to show their class, but without much return, and they were on the verge of allowing Bari back into the game. On 68 minutes Ronaldinho was free in the box and had his close-range shot saved only for the clearing header to fall to Pato's feet. Pato took the chance to slot the ball into the back of the net to make the score 2-0 to Milan. On 80 minutes Beckham finally joined the fray replacing Gattuso and got plenty of the ball - none of his long cross-field passes were forthcoming though as Milan intended to keep the ball. In the final few minutes, Pato gave away a penalty, but Abbiati in the Milan goal was up to the task and dived low to his right to save it one-handed. Milan walk away with all the points and all the goals...

Milan 2 Man United 3

Beckham starts in this poignant clash between the reds of Manchester and the reds of Milan, and shows class from the start. After just three minutes it was a Beckham free-kick that fell to Ronaldinho after Evra cleared wildly. The Brazilian flashed it past Van De Saar for the first goal of the match. Chances continued to come thick and fast for Milan and Man United looked like they were in for a torrid time.
But Manchester United are not a team to give up easily and it was 10 minutes from half time when Fletcher crossed into the box for Scholes to swing at with his right foot - he mis-kicked and the ball span off his left shin beyond Dida and into the Milan goal. The tempo was set and both teams fought for dominance, a fight in which Milan were marginally ahead - yet the score remained 1-1 up to half time.
The game continued with entertaining football form both teams, Rooney leading the attack for Man United, Ronaldinho full of tricks for Milan. It was Rooney who made the impact on 65 mins, rising in the box to place his looping header over a stranded Dida to go 2-1 up in the tie. Five minutes later Beckham left the field to be replaced by Clarence Seedorf. Just four minutes later Rooney again stole behind the static Milan defence to head a simple chip from Fletcher over a rooted Dida, 3-1 to Man United. Seedorf justified his presence by scoring in the last five minutes with a back-heel finish in the box to give a thrilling finale to the game. Inzaghi who had also only been on the pitch a short while almost made it a draw just seconds later, but shot over the bar. Milan continue to push for the equaliser making a real game of it as the seconds tick away. Michael Carrick was sent off in added time for a second bookable offence, although he committed no foul. The final whistle went, embraces were exchanged and we look forward with keen anticipation to the return leg at Old Trafford.

AC Milan 3 Udinese 2

In a match brought forward to allow Milan more time to prepare for Manchester united in the coming week, Beckham was on the bench again as Alex Ferguson watched the game as part of his teams preparation. Mancini once again started on the right in a slightly more forward role than we would normally expect to see Beckham playing.
It took less than seven minutes for Ronaldinho to pop up on the right hand side from a corner, and put a cross in for Huntelaar to head into the back of the net from point blank range. As the goal went in, Mancini was having his thigh strapped up by the coaching staff which left you wondering how long he would last, and it was only about 4 minutes later that Pato came on to replace him. Pato failed to make an initial impression despite having the ball in the back of the net (offside) on 23 minutes. Just 15 minutes later, Ronaldinho released Pato who took it past the keeper at speed for the second goal of the match whilst Thiago Silva was off the pitch having thigh problems. 2-0 to Milan who were starting to take control of the game. Despite this dominance, Milan conceded in the very last breath of the first half from a powerful header that slammed into the chest of goalkeeper Dida but still ended up in the back of the net. Milan 2 Udinese 1 at half time.
Udinese started the second half with a bit more conviction after their timely goal at the very end of the first half. Despite the resurgence of the Udinese team given confidence by the goal, it was Milan who scored once more to open up a two-goal gap through Huntelaar once again who found himself turning to face goal with the ball at his feet from a Ronaldinho free-kick. 3-1 to Milan who have soaked up a lot of Udinese pressure and still have come out on top. Milan do not really take the chance to close out the game and continue allow Udinese clear chances to attack the Milan goal. In the 71st minute, Huntelaar came close to getting his hat-trick from another free-kick, as Beckham still waited on the sidelines. On 74 minutes, Gattuso spurned a chance to score in front of goal and Ronaldinho had a strong header saved, seconds before being replaced by David Beckham.
On 85 minutes, Beckham sent a long searching ball that picked out Pato perfectly behind the Udinese defence, Pato failed to convert despite shooting from an angle, the ball hitting the keeper and spinning agonisingly on the goal line... Just seconds later Udinese broke away and fired past Dida for a second goal, pinning the margin back to one goal at Milan 3 Udinese 2 with just 4 minutes left on the clock. The ref adds two minutes to the game, which Milan successfully run down, Beckham getting away with a late challenge which could have earned him a booking. Milan win a scrappy game which frankly could have gone either way, are they really prepared for Manchester United and Wayne Rooney? Time will tell...

Getting the gear you want

Whether it's boys toys, gadgets, laptop accessories or essential upgrades for your PC you are after, savings are to be made by shopping from trusted sellers on the internet. The days of high street shopping for cutting-edge technology are all but over, the world-wide-web is better equipped to respond to changes in technology, trends and pricing.
Technological advancements happen so quickly that many items become almost obsolete whilst sitting on a stock shelf.
A few months a go, I needed a laptop bag, but the stock available in the shops (major retailers) were either very expensive or just not big enough. In the end, I managed to find a bargain tucked away, but I know I could have got a better deal on the 'net if I had been prepared to wait a few days for delivery.
Over time, you build up a base of trustworthy websites that give great value for money along with prompt (and reasonably priced) delivery, the latest discovery for me has been gearzap.com. Gearzap has a combination of strong quality brands on offer and prices that beat the high street hands down. Not only that, but this is a UK-based site, no need to work out the current exchange rate, the prices are listed in £UK. I have one more requirement that separates the sites I just look at from the sites I buy from... when I see Paypal is offered as a method of payment, that usually clinches the deal for me.
Gearzap offers accessories specifically matched to some of the laptop market-leaders Dell, Acer, HP, Fujitsu etc. etc., they have laptop hard and soft bags, macbook case supplies, skins, batteries, chargers as well as memory upgrades and card readers, speakers etc. There is still a place in my heart for auction sites if you like your technology to be 'previously enjoyed', but if you like your gadgets 'BNIB', unopened and with a valid warranty, navigate away from auction sites and towards GearZap...

Bologna 0 AC Milan 0

Beckham is displaced by new boy on-loan Mancini for the starting line up for this match. The first half started well for Milan as they began to take charge of the match. Bologna were reduced to hitting Milan on the break despite being the home side. Despite good chances at both ends, neither team managed to get the ball in the net. Mancini played well enough on his debut, but seemed to fade by half time - possibly leaving an opening for Beckham to come off the bench for the second half.

The second half started with the team intact but Beckham was running the lines as if there was a distinct possibility of his imminent arrival. On 60 mins however, it was Huntelaar who came on for Seedorf. Milan asserted themselves as the controlling force in the game throughout the second half, as chances for Bologna to hit them on the break become few and far between. The Bologna keeper Colombo made some fine saves and put his bdoy on the line a number of times to keep Bologna in the game.

It was with just over 10 minutes to go that Ronaldinho finally gave way to Beckham, and Mancini switched to the left-hand side. Playing in a new change kit of white with bright red shorts, Beckham had an immediate and lively impact. He chased the ball, and put in crosses and in the closing minutes, had a strike from open play but sliced over the goal. Four minutes were added, during which time Milan continued to put pressure on the home team. The game finished honours even at 0-0, a result which will be a disappointment for Milan, Bologna on the other hand seemed delighted with the draw.