"This goal came just at the right time, for the game, for the team, for him, for everyone," said a delighted Barca coach Frank Rijkaard.

Ronaldinho had been struggling to find his best form in recent weeks due to recurring ankle niggles but he warned Milan before the game that he was slowly starting to feel better, and so it proved.

Football fans will rarely see a more entertaining match in the Champions League this season with both sides living up to their stellar billing, and the perpetually smiling Brazilian World Cup winner was a constant threat to Milan during the second half.

"Things haven't been quite right with Ronaldinho for the past few matches but he's still been playing well. I think that shows what type of player he really is. This goal will not only help him but help us as well, as I'm sure it'll boost his confidence," added Rijkaard.

Ronaldinho got the plaudits from his team mates as well as his boss.

"What can you say about Ronaldinho? He's phenomenal. There isn't another player like him in the world," said Samuel Eto'o, the scorer of Barca's first goal.

Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti was sporting in defeat and also paid tribute to the man that handed them their first loss in this season's Champions League.

"Ronaldinho won this game for them with that fantastic goal but Barca deserved the victory, they played very well, especially when they took possession of the ball," said the man who guided Milan to the 2003 Champions League title.

"We started well but as the game went on we became a little less incisive and a little more imprecise in the way we played," analysed Ancelotti.

The result means that both teams have nine points but Milan stay on top of Champions League group F on the basis of their head-to-head results.

Milan's Andriy Shevchenko broke the deadlock after just 17 minutes.

The Ukrainian, who became a father for the first time on Friday and came to the Nou Camp with the express intention of celebrating the birth of his son, opened the scoring when he broke clear of his marker and latched onto Andrea Perlo's neat through-ball.

Shevchenko had the time to pick his spot and put low shot to the left of Barca's oncoming goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

However, Barca were not to be denied in front of their home fans.

Eto'o equalised for Barca 20 minutes later when the African Player of the Year sent a first time right-foot shot straight past Milan keeper Dida, following a precision pass from Xavi Hernandez wide on the right wing.

The second half was another display of end-to-end football with Barca's Xavi and Belletti both having good efforts before Ronaldinho turned on the style to get the late winner.

The Brazilian World Cup winner enhanced his claims to be the FIFA World Player of the Year by going past two Milan defenders and then unleashing a left-foot shot from the edge of the area, which his compatriot Dida had little chance of stopping.

"What I was really happy about, regardless of the result, is the way the team responded when we were 1-0 down to Milan. They never gave up, and remained fully focussed," added Rijkaard.

"This game was a victory for attacking football but our defence played its part as well and was up to the task," added the Dutch coach, whose concerns now turn towards domestic matters as the Spanish first division leaders try to retain their unbeaten record at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.