On Sunday, December 14, 2003, Boca Juniors defeated the powerful AC Milan of Italy in the Intercontinental Cup in Japan, securing their third world club championship. The match ended 1-1 in regulation time, and the title was decided by a penalty shootout, which the Argentine team won 3-1. Boca managed to nullify Milan's talented midfield, forcing the game into extra time. Despite fatigue and opportunities created by both sides (especially after Carlos Tevez entered for Boca), the score remained unchanged, leading to a penalty shootout. The first penalty was taken by Andrea Pirlo, who shot low to the right, but Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri saved it. Rolando Bianchi struck a powerful, low, cross shot past Dida, who went the other way. A few hours before the initial whistle (Sunday, 7:15 Argentina time), anxiety was palpable, and tactical doubts kept both fanbases on edge. At the scheduled time, Milan, featuring stars like Shevchenko, Kaká, and Seedorf, took the lead in the 23rd minute when Tomasson capitalized on a defensive error by Boca to open the score, confirming the European team's initial dominance. Boca pushed forward and equalized in the 28th minute when Matías Donnet, in a great team play that started with Clemente Rodríguez on the left, passed to Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who then saw and played a ball to the Brazilian Iarley, who managed to deflect the ball and dislodge goalkeeper Dida, and Donnet, entering from the right, pounced on the rebound and scored. Then, Portugueseman Rui Costa shot low to the right and scored. It was Sebastián Battaglia's turn, who also hit hard but Dida saved it. Dutchman Clarence Seedorf came up and shot over the crossbar. Donnet secured his penalty with a powerful, high shot to make it 2-1. Next, Alessandro Costacurta walked to the penalty spot, shot weakly along the ground, and 'Pato' Abbondanzieri threw himself forward and cleared the ball with his feet. The glory was left to the feet of Raúl Cascini, who approached, took a breath, and struck the ball with all his heart. The match ended 1-1 in regulation time, and Boca Juniors prevailed 3-1 in the penalty shootout, thanks to the outstanding performance of goalkeeper Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri. The match, covered by Agencia Noticias Argentinas, was held at the Yokohama International Stadium in front of 66,757 spectators and was characterized by a strong defensive performance and the tactics of coach Carlos Bianchi, who successfully neutralized the favored European team. The team coached by Carlo Ancelotti took the lead in the 23rd minute with a goal from Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, but five minutes later, Santa Fe native Matías Donnet equalized, sparking the joy of some 25,000 Boca fans who had traveled not only from Argentina but from several European countries. Boca even chartered a plane painted blue and gold, on which fans, including Dalma and Gianinna Maradona, traveled on a flight via New Zealand. An Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 747 (LV-OOZ) carried the players, but it had a forced stop in Los Angeles due to technical problems, forcing a plane change, which delayed their arrival in Tokyo and affected their adaptation, but none of that could undermine the hope of winning a new title. The port city of Yokohama had become the epicenter of world football, ready to host the clash of titans that would determine the world champion: Boca Juniors, champion of the Americas, against AC Milan, the European monarch. 'If Dida or Iarley hadn't touched the ball, the play might have ended differently,' Donnet said. 'Pancaro ended up falling, which gave me an advantage, I had passed him a bit but I was closer to the ball. I wanted to play a diagonal, but Iarley touched the ball, Dida palmed it away, and despite being further away, I was able to quickly join the play. It was the most important goal of my life,' he would confess years later on the official Xeneize website. After the equalizer, the match turned into a high-tension duel.