AC Milan vs Inter Milan: what happened in the last Champions League meeting - was the game abandoned?

Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan have been paired together in a blockbuster battle in Europe’s elite competition and the two rivals are both fighting for a place in the final of the Champions League.

The two neighbours, who both share the historic San Siro stadium regularly meet on the domestic stage but the upcoming semi-final fixture is the first European meeting between the two sides in 17 years.

The last Champions League clash between the two teams featured a number of star-studded names including AC Milan legends Paulo Maldini, Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko and Inter Milan icons Esteban Cambiasso, Marco Materazzi and Javier Zanetti.

The game produced one of the most iconic images in football history but the historic quarter-final clash in 2005 is largely overshadowed by events which took place off the pitch.

But what happened in the last Champions League fixture between AC Milan and Inter Milan? Here is everything you need to know.

What happened in the last European meeting between AC Milan and Inter Milan?

AC Milan and Inter Milan went head to head in the quarter-final of the Champions League in 2005. Carlo Ancelotti’s AC Milan were favourites to progress to the semi-final and they were the reigning Serie A champions.

Many of the AC Milan players in the lineup had also lifted the Champions League just two years earlier in 2003 and they beat Inter Milan in the semi-finals on the route to that triumph. As expected Carlo Ancelotti’s side took charge in the first leg and they secured a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Jaap Stam and Andriy Shevchenko.

Second Leg

AC Milan were in the driving seat heading into the second leg on 12 April 2005. Meanwhile Inter Milan knew that they had a mountain to climb if they were going to get back into the contest.

Ukrainian talisman Shevchenko scored a first half goal for AC Milan to give them a 3-0 lead on aggregate and the already tense atmosphere in the stadium soon started to turn toxic.

Inter Milan were denied a goal by Esteban Cambiasso, which was ruled out for offside and all hell began to break loose as Inter fans began hurling flares and objects onto the field in protest at the decision. One flare even struck AC Milan goalkeeper Dida in the ear.

The referee Markus Merk was left with little choice but to suspend the game. He attempted to restart the match 10 minutes later but fans continued to hurl objects onto the pitch and the game was eventually cancelled with AC Milan automatically being awarded a 3-0 win.

In the aftermath Inter were fined heavily and their fans were subsequently banned from attending any home fixtures for the next eight games. The most memorable moment of the encounter came after the game when a cameraman caught a legendary image of opponents Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa gazing at a sea of fire and smoke after the contest.