Kaka fails to hide cracks in Milan's facade

MILAN, Mar 8 (Reuters) AC Milan had Kaka to thank after reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League though the Italians' stilted all-round display against Celtic raised questions about how much further they can go.

The 24-year-old Brazilian scored in extra time to give the six-times European champions a 1-0 win over the Scottish side yesterday.

Celtic had threatened to nick an unexpected victory after keeping the tie balanced at 0-0 after 180 minutes of play.

''I'm very happy to have helped Milan in a match that was so difficult,'' Kaka was quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport today.

''At the end we were all very tired but we did well to do what we needed to go through to the next round.'' Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said he believed his side could use the win as a springboard to a good run in the competition.

They are the only one of last season's quarter-finalists to reach the last eight this time round.

Kaka's superb individual performance yesterday, however, failed to hide Milan's shortcomings, the most obvious being the lack of a reliable goalscorer.

Filippo Inzaghi, Alberto Gilardino and Ricardo Oliveira have scored only 24 goals between them all season and four in the Champions League.

Milan's passing game lacked its usual snap against Celtic and the team were often slow in getting forward, giving the Scottish side time to organise their defence.

Seven of Milan's starting lineup against Celtic contested the 2003 Champions League, a sign of continuity but also of an ageing squad that has lost a little of its former pace and has become alarmingly injury-prone this season.

Ancelotti, though, believed their past form -- two finals, two semi-finals and a quarter-final in the last five years -- would see them through.

''In the last few years, Milan have always reached the quarter-finals. In Europe we are always a threat,'' he said.

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