As Andriy Shevchenko took to the touchline at San Siro before Milan kicked-off proceedings against Genoa in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, he experienced an emotional moment glancing at the Curva Sud.
Milan ultras prepared a banner to honor the former Rossoneri icon, who spearheaded the club’s forward line for eight seasons – scoring 175 goals in 322 appearances – and ended up as the second highest goalscorer, only behind Swedish legend Gunnar Nordahl.
His name was thunderously chanted before kick-off, as he waved at the fans with great affection.
The banner read: ‘A long love story, the gaze in Manchester sculpted in our hearts, Sheva legend forever.’
The gaze in Manchester refers to Shevchenko’s glimpse of German referee Markus Merk moments before he took the stride to strike the title-winning penalty at Old Trafford in the last kick of the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League.
Sheva’s penalty handed Milan their sixth European Cup title.
The moment is still fondly remembered by the Milan faithful, who expressed their gratitude to the Ukraine legend with a heartfelt message.
In what began as a heartwarming moment early on in the game with chants dedicated to Shevchenko’s exploits in the Red & Black shirt, quickly turned sour after second half as the Rossoneri registered a remarkable comeback despite Genoa’s spirited display until the end.
Il Grifone’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Rossoneri could very well dictate the end of Andriy Shevchenko’s short but unimpressive Genoa stint, wherein he has managed just one victory in 11 matches so far with a win percentage of 9%.