Tomasson thrilled by winner
21.2 || Seamus

Jon Dahl Tomasson was delighted after scoring the goal that brought AC Milan victory over FC Lokomotiv Moskva, their third successive win in UEFA Champions League Group C. "I am really happy that I scored because there are so many good players at the club so it is important to score when you play," he said.

'Easy goal'
Tomasson pounced on a rebound from Sergey Ovchinnikov on 62 minutes after the Lokomotiv goalkeeper had blocked Filippo Inzaghi's initial effort. "It was an easy goal for me to score but the important thing for a striker is to be in the right place at the right time," added the Danish international.

Lively Tomasson
Coach Carlo Ancelotti was also pleased with his striker as Milan had looked like running out of options against a stubborn Lokomotiv side by the time the Dane scored. Ancelotti said: "He was very lively and he scored a goal - and that is the main job for an attacker. They live to score goals and he did just that tonight."

Looking good
Ancelotti added that he was pleased with his side's overall performance, which might not have been as fluent as the fans have come to expect from Milan this season, but was still enough to give them their third consecutive 1-0 win in the competition. Ancelotti said: "I have to be pleased. We have won a game in the Champions League and our position in the group looks good.

'Difficult game'
"It was a difficult game for us. We played a tough match against [S.S.] Lazio on Sunday night and we could feel the effects of that in the second half. We tried to play with rhythm and managed to do that, especially in the second half."

Tough task
Lokomotiv had not played a competitive game for two months prior to this match and their task was made harder by the fact that, save for the injured Andriy Shevchenko, Ancelotti fielded more or less every attacking player available: Rivaldo, Inzaghi, Tomasson and Rui Costa all played from the start.

Three-man defence
Lokomotiv coach Yuri Semin, meanwhile, opted for a three-man defence consisting of Gennady Nizhegodorov, Oleg Pashinin and Dmitri Sennikov and the trio, with the aid of five hard-working midfield players, coped with everything Milan threw at them for the first hour.

'High intensity'
It was not until Tomasson's goal in the 62nd minute that Milan found a way of breaching the stubborn Lokomotiv defence. Semin, while disappointed, refused to reproach his players and said: "We found it difficult to get going after not playing a proper game for two months and this was a game with high intensity. But all my players had the right will and they tried their hardest."

Attacking desire
Semin tried to change the pattern of play in the second period by throwing on two attacking players in the shape of Marat Izmailov and the Costa Rican Winston Parks - but to no avail. "We wanted to attack more in the second half and made attacking substitutions but it wasn't to be," Semin added.

'World-class Milan'
Lokomotiv now have one point after three games in Group C and Semin admits that it will be difficult to add to that tally when the two teams meet again next week. He concluded: "Every game against a team like Milan is difficult, whether it is at home or away, because they have so many world-class players - and they showed that tonight."

By Marcus Christenson

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