Fifteen years to this day, the most unexpected comeback was achieved on The Grandest Stage of all. The mighty REDs from Merseyside had achieved the impossible. Relive Liverpool Champions League victory in Istanbul.
The stage was set for the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. The two finalists were the four-time Champions League winners Liverpool set to face six-time champions AC Milan. The players at Liverpool were fairly young, having Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Jamie Carragher, Arne Riise, and were managed by a new boss in Rafael Benitez, while AC Milan was managed by the legendary Carlo Ancelotti. The Milan team was filled with superstars with Kaka, Pirlo, Shevchenko, Crespo, and Paolo Maldini.
Liverpool Champions League Final starting 11 vs AC Milan
AC Milan Quick of the blocks
Even before the commentator could say that the match was underway Milan scored. It was barely time on the clock when Milan scored of a free-kick inside 3 minutes. Carlo Ancelotti had predicted that his team would score within the first two minutes and they did exactly that. A totally un-marked Paolo Maldini scored with a 12-yard volley through a sea of players. Liverpool were stunned. The crowd went crazy on one half of the stadium and total silence on the other. This was not the start Rafa had hoped for.
Liverpool were known for their attacking play and kept pressing Milan on all fronts. They kept the attack up for a long time until Shevchenko, the European player of the year broke free from the halfway line and sprinted towards goal but unselfishly rolled it to Crespo whose job was an easy one to put it in the net.
AC Milan had scored from the break from the end where Liverpool team is shouting for a penalty after the ball hit Nesta’s hand thus preventing Luis Garcia from shooting. If there was only VAR!! But the goal stood and Liverpool were two down. Every Liverpool players’ head dropped and all of them thought it was over since scoring one against Milan itself was a daunting task and now they had to score three.
Just as the Liverpool team were dying to go into the half-time break, Crespo latched onto a long ball from midfield which took out the entire Liverpool defence and went on to lift the ball over the horribly exposed Jerzy Dedek. It was now all but over. Liverpool are blown out of the game; Milan have performed an absolute rout of Liverpool even before half-time. It was getting into a sorry state for Liverpool. They were beaten all over the pitch and were humiliated until now. They went into the half time break with a lost cause at the back of their heads.
Liverpool Half Time Team Talk:
As we recall from the captain Steven Gerrard on what happened at half time at Istanbul was something to cherish. He recalled saying that the team requested Rafael Benitez and his entire coaching staff to leave and have a half time talk themselves. What happened after that was something that was written into the history books. Something that still remains as the best ever comeback in a final of a football tournament.
Miraculous Second Half for Liverpool
As Steven Gerrard walked out of the dressing room to resume the second half, the Liverpool faithful was roaring, pushing the team on to go and achieve the unprecedented. Steven Gerrard recalls” The stadium was so loud with the fans screaming on top of their voices urging the team to go and fight it out”.
Just as the Liverpool fans were losing hope on a comeback, Steven Gerrard rose up to a beautiful cross from Riise on the left flank to guide it in beautifully into the net beyond the goalkeeper. The fans went absolutely wild. Just as AC Milan was beginning to settle down, Vladimir Smicer scores. Unbelievable! Vladimir Smicer picks up the ball just outside the Milan box and shoots. The ball bounced just in front of Dida and crept in at the right-hand post.
There was a sense of belief now. A sense of hope that pulling this off was a certain possibility. Three minutes later Gerrard gets pushed in the back by Gattuso thus earning a penalty. This was the chance of drawing level. Xabi Alonso stepped up to take it, with his initial shot saved but he ultimately scored off the rebound to send the fans into a state of frenzy. Liverpool had achieved the impossible scoring thrice in 6 minutes to come back and level the game.
But the game wasn’t done, since a solid half an hour was left. All these heroics would have gone to nothing if that half an hour wasn’t protected. Liverpool managed to hold on sending the tie into extra time.
Extra time nerves
The only major incident came in the 117th minute when Dudek miraculously kept out Shevchenko’s shot out of the net. The whole stadium was in shock when Dudek saved that sending the tie into penalties in which Dudek again saved two penalties thus winning the tie for Liverpool.
Liverpool Champions League winners🏆
This game was nothing short of spectacular. Steven Gerrard lifting that elusive title to be crowned champions of Europe again was the best feeling of most Liverpool fans to date.
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Thanks for reading and reliving the Liverpool Champions League final victory over AC Milan. Do drop your comments below on, Where and how did you experience the ‘Six-minute frenzy comeback’? And What was your feeling? Also, drop us a follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on regular Premier League and FPL updates.
Gowtham
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