AC Milan are a shadow of the club they once were and it's a sad reflection on European football

On a night that was already a pinch-me moment for the home fans, excitement turned to disbelief as their side went 2-0 up against the seven-time European champions - only for the Italian giants to burst the bubble with two late goals in a 2-2 draw. Because that Milan team that faced Portsmouth 18 years ago was very different to the one that lost 3-0 to Bournemouth in the Europa League last week.

In fact, those two trips to the south coast serve as a barometer of the decline of the Rossoneri. Dida, Gennaro Gattuso, Kaka, Filippo Inzaghi and Andriy Shevchenko all started the game, with Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato coming off the bench.

Ronaldinho scored a brilliant free-kick to halve the deficit, before Inzaghi snaffled an equaliser in stoppage time. Oh, and Carlo Ancelotti was their manager.

Milan had reached three of the previous six Champions League finals, and eight across the previous two decades. When it came to European royalty, they were on a par with anyone.

While the visit of the Serie A giants would have created a similar buzz in Bournemouth as it did in Portsmouth 18 years earlier, the side that played at the Vitality Stadium was a pale imitation of the one that lined up at Fratton Park.