26/10/1999  AC Milan 1 Chelsea 1

Dennis Wise, so often the Chelsea villain, was the hero of 
the hour as his 77th-minute equaliser put the Londoners within 
touching distance of the Champions League second phase.

The Chelsea skipper pounced to score his second goal in the 
competition less than three minutes after Oliver Bierhoff had 
headed the Italians champions into the lead.

Wise drove the ball low under the body of Christian 
Abbiati, who had looked all night like being the man to 
single-handedly wreck Gianluca Vialli's European mission.

It was substitute Roberto Di Matteo, who has missed most of 
the season through injury and had only been on the pitch since 
Bierhoff's opener, who carved out the chance for his captain 
.

Di Matteo split the Milan defence with a diagonal pass and 
Wise, a bundle of energy in the Chelsea midfield all night, 
kept his nerve to silence most of the San Siro crowd.

The Blues are now favourites to qualify from Group H ahead 
of the Italian champions. 

A draw against Hertha Berlin at Stamford Bridge next week 
will see them through. 

It was no more than Chelsea deserved especially for their 
first-half display in Italy when they carved out chances at 
will only to be denied by heroics from Abbiati.

Even in the second half, moments before Bierhoff's goal, 
the Milan keeper had stuck out a hand to block a Gustavo Poyet 
header which looked destined for the back of the net.

Before the break, Abbiati had saved from Tore Andre Flo in 
the third minute, when the big Norwegian might have done 
better, and blocked a Dan Petrescu drive with his boot four 
minutes later.

An incisive right-wing move involving Gianfranco Zola, 
Petrescu and Wise ended with Flo failing to find the target at 
the back post from his skipper's cross.

Chelsea enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges but 
Milan composed themselves as the game went on.

Andrei Shevchenko whipped a free kick within inches of Ed 
De Goey's post and then flashed a header wide from a Serginho 
freekick when the San Siro had held its breath in anticipation 
of the next bulging.

The Premiership team still broke with purpose. 

Albert Ferrer found time to race forward and forced a 
flying save from Abbiati with a rare right-foot blockbuster 
and Flo was foiled again by Milan's big keeper before the 
break.

De Goey, meanwhile, saw a Leonardo shot go close and then 
saved from Bierhoff after a slip from Frank Leboeuf 10 minutes 
before half time.

Milan simply had to win the game to keep their European 
destiny in their own hands and they came out for the re-start 
in positive mood, kicking towards their noisiest section of 
support.

Massimo Ambrosini unleashed a vicious 25-yard volley which 
was turned away by De Goey and Bierhoff missed the sort of 
chance he thrives upon.

The big German took off in front of goal to head a badly 
misdirected shot from Guly but he couldn't get the control he 
needed to turn the ball on target.

Chelsea dug in. They broke less frequently and without the 
adventure they had shown in the first half but could still 
have taken the lead when Wise crossed for Poyet in front of 
goal.

Abbiati saved the Uruguayan's header and Bierhoff seemed to 
have given Milan the three points when he got ahead of Leboeuf 
to tuck away a near-post header from Serginho's cross in the 
74th minute.

But Vialli threw di Matteo into the fray and the response 
was quick with Wise netting possibly the most important goal 
of his long and colourful Chelsea career.