AC Milan again in Tirana, for UNICEF

TIRANA, May 12 – AC Milan beat the Albanian national team on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in which Gennaro Gattuso made his comeback.
The Rossoneri travelled to Tirana for the Taci Oil Albania Reads tournament, with the proceeds going to help literacy in the country, a UNICEF-supported programme.
Luca Antonini had a goal flagged offside before Alexandre Pato threaded through for Ronaldinho’s strike from the edge of the box, but the second period was action-packed in the Qemal Stafa stadium.
Andriy Shevchenko seemed to seal the deal for Milan when he combined with Kaka, but Albania then scored three goals in 12 minutes with Vila’s lob, Muzaka’s half-volley and a Salihi header.
Pippo Inzaghi confirmed his excellent form by snatching the equalizer at 3-3 in the final minutes, although Kaka deserved much of the credit for riding two tackles and rolling across for the unmarked hitman.
The tie went to penalties, where Milan won 8-7 thanks to Elvin Beqiri’s miss.
The match was an eventful, goal-filled match, that was eventually won by the Rossoneri on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw.
Perhaps the best news from this match for Rossoneri fans was the return of Gennaro Gattuso. The fiery midfielder missed the last five months of the season. However, he played the entire first half of this match.
Before boarding Milan’s jet at Tirana airport, Gattuso said: “Well, tonight I was a little excited because to play after almost five months away, there is always the fear of being injured again. “But after a few minutes I have taken confidence and it went well.”
Gattuso added: “At this moment I can only give a small contribution to the team and if I happen to get onto the field I will give my maximum..”