Italy's quest for a Milan cross-town rivalry in the UEFA Cup football final has suffered a major blow, with both AC Milan and Inter Milan suffering defeats in their first-leg, semifinal matches.
In Germany Thursday, Brazilian striker Marcio Amoroso scored a hat-trick (three goals) in the first half to lead Borussia Dortmund to a crushing 4-0 victory over AC Milan. Amoroso opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a tally on a penalty kick. He added his second goal in the 34th minute and notched the third just five minutes later. Midfielder Joerg Heinrich rounded out the scoring with a goal in the 62nd.
Dortmund is now on the verge of reaching its first European final since capturing the Champions League in 1997. The return leg will be played in Milan next Thursday.
In Milan, Colombian international Ivan Cordoba of Inter scored an own-goal in the 50th minute to give Feyenoord Rotterdam of the Netherlands a 1-0 victory at San Siro stadium. As the Dutch team tries for its first UEFA Cup triumph since 1974, it has the added incentive of knowing this year's final will be played at their home stadium in Rotterdam on May 8.