Football, the most beloved sport around the world, owes its popularity to several reasons, including its unpredictability and its ability to surprise its spectators. Today, we will continue the series recounting historic comebacks, aiming to demonstrate inherently that no game is lost or won definitively; after all, this is not mathematics but rather the interplay of various factors and individuals that make football something unique.
Today, we will discuss the final of the 2004/2005 Champions League season, where two European football giants, Liverpool and Milan, starred in one of the greatest and most thrilling finals in the history of the competition.
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Index
Predictions for Milan and Liverpool Before the Final
Milan
The Rossoneri’s season began with high expectations, as they had comfortably clinched the Serie A title the previous season, showcasing a very consistent and effective style of football. This was further confirmed in the first decisive match of the year, the Italian Supercup, where Milan easily defeated the promising Lazio team 3-0, with all three goals scored by the Ukrainian star Shevchenko.
In addition to their prolific goal scorer, Milan boasted a star-studded lineup from the goalkeeper to the forward, with players like Dida, Nesta, Serginho, Cafu, Maldini, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka, Rui Costa, Crespo… It was quite a squad, led by an excellent coach, Carlo Ancelotti. Therefore, the pressure for another successful season was only natural.
In the Italian league, the Diavolo fought for the title neck and neck with Juventus from the very first matchday. However, the title eventually went to the Old Lady, especially after Juventus won the direct encounter on matchday 35 with a goal from Trezeguet.
In the Champions League, Milan demonstrated their full capability and stature on the field, finishing first in a group containing Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Celtic, with 4 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, totaling 13 points. Their only defeat came against Barcelona at Camp Nou, where they lost 2-1.
In the round of 16, Milan faced the powerful Manchester United but dispatched the English side with relative ease, winning 1-0 at Old Trafford and 1-0 at San Siro.
Advancing to the quarter-finals, Milan encountered their biggest rival, Inter Milan, and the Derby della Madonnina was practically all that was talked about in Italy during those two weeks, especially in the north. The atmosphere was charged with the desire for revenge from the Nerazzurri, as they had been defeated by Milan in the semi-finals of the 2002/2003 edition, in which Milan later became champions against Juventus.
Milan emerged victorious in both legs against Inter, winning the first leg 2-0 with goals from Jaap Stam and Shevchenko, and the second leg 1-0 with another goal from the Ballon d’Or winner Shevchenko, a powerful strike from a cross.
A curious incident from the second leg of the Milan vs. Inter quarter-finals in the 2004/2005 Champions League was the chaos that ensued in the stadium after Inter’s equalizing goal by Cambiasso was disallowed. The Nerazzurri fans, furious at the referee’s decision, began throwing flares onto the pitch, leading to the suspension of the game and one of the most iconic photos in football history, depicting Materazzi and Rui Costa embracing while watching the field covered in smoke.
Therefore, Milan advanced to the semi-finals where they faced PSV Eindhoven. At home, the Rossoneri secured a comfortable 2-0 victory. However, the match in the Netherlands was a nail-biter, ending in a 3-1 win for the home team, who had chances to score more goals. Thanks to Ambrosini’s goal in injury time, Milan secured their spot in the final and were the clear favorites for the upcoming showdown.
Liverpool
Liverpool had not had a good 2003/2004 season, suffering embarrassing eliminations, such as against the modest Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup and the League Cup respectively. However, with a lot of effort and dedication, they managed to finish 4th in the Premier League, securing their return to the Champions League.
Due to the poor previous season, the 2004/2005 season began with several changes. After six years in charge of Liverpool, manager Gérard Houllier was sacked, and Rafael Benitez took over. Additionally, Liverpool spared no effort in making excellent signings, such as Xabi Alonso, who arrived from Real Sociedad for around £10 million, as well as Cissé and Luis García.
The season started, but the Reds struggled to achieve good results. They lost many games in the Premier League, were eliminated by Burnley in the FA Cup, and lost to Chelsea in the League Cup final. Consequently, they finished the Premier League in 5th place, and the Champions League was the only possibility to salvage the year or rather to turn a bad season into a magnificent and historic one if they were to win.
In the Champions League, Liverpool was drawn into a group with Monaco, Olympiacos, and Deportivo La Coruña, and their journey was not easy. After three wins, one draw, and two losses, the English team qualified in 2nd place with 10 points, the same as Olympiacos, but they were edged out only by goal difference.
In the round of 16, they faced the strong Bayer Leverkusen side, and from there, things seemed to start clicking for the English team. They showcased exemplary performances with 3-1 wins both at home and away, with Luis García scoring three times.
In the quarter-finals, they encountered the mighty Juventus, but if there was one thing this Liverpool team learned this season, it was how to endure. They won 2-1 at Anfield and managed to hold Juventus to a goalless draw in Turin, thus qualifying for the semi-finals.
In the semi-final, they faced the English classic against Chelsea, who were displaying excellent football and were on the brink of winning the Premier League. Away from home, the Reds secured a 0-0 draw, and at Anfield, they clinched a narrow 1-0 victory with a goal from Luis García in the 4th minute of the first half, heroically securing their spot in the much-anticipated final.
Milan vs Liverpool – The Miracle of Istanbul
The big day arrived on May 25, 2005. Milan and Liverpool faced off at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul to determine who would be crowned the champions of Europe.
Milan, led by Ancelotti, lined up with: Dida; Cafu, Nesta, Stam, and Maldini; Gattuso (Rui Costa), Seedorf (Serginho), Pirlo, and Kaká; Crespo (Tomasson) and Shevchenko.
On the other hand, Benitez’s Reds came onto the pitch with: Dudek; Finnan (Hamman), Hyppiä, Carragher, and Traoré; Xabi Alonso, Gerrard, and Riise; Kewell (Smicer), Luis García, and Baros (Cissé).
Referee Mejuto González blew the whistle, and Liverpool kicked off. Milan, seemingly unfazed by their opponents, quickly regained possession and launched an attack. Seedorf found the young Kaká on the right, who took on Traoré, executing a nutmeg on the full-back but was stopped by a foul. Pirlo positioned the ball and raised three fingers before taking the free-kick.
The Italian maestro perfectly crossed the ball into the space where Maldini attacked, volleying it beautifully with his right foot. The ball bounced off the ground and into the corner, leaving Dudek with no chance. Milan took a 1-0 lead with the fastest goal in Champions League final history, just 50 seconds into the game.
Liverpool felt the blow of the goal heavily, and Milan continued with relentless pressure, launching attack after attack, while the Reds struggled to find their footing. To make matters worse, at the 23rd minute, Kewell suffered an injury and was replaced by Smicer, who would later play a crucial role in the final. In one of Milan’s numerous attacks in the first half, at the 38th minute, Kaká sprinted through the middle and delivered a beautiful pass to Shevchenko, who expertly crossed the ball for Crespo, unmarked at the far post, to tap it in. Milan extended their lead to 2-0.
It was evident that the Reds wanted the first half to end quickly as they struggled to string together any meaningful plays. Milan, on the other hand, capitalized on the situation. At the 43rd minute, Kaká spun away from his marker in midfield and delivered a magnificent through ball behind the defense to Crespo. The Argentine striker controlled the ball, entered the box, and delicately chipped it over Dudek. What a goal! Milan led 3-0 at halftime.
From the looks of it, the second half seemed to be more of the same dominance from Milan, until halftime when the Liverpool fans began an incredible display in the stands of the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. They passionately sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the depths of their souls, a sight or rather sound that even Anfield had never witnessed before, such was the motivation and dedication of their fanatic supporters.
Returning from the locker room, the players seemed to have heard the prayers and motivation of their fervent fans and started the second half with an impressive vigor, catching Milan by surprise.
Liverpool tried, but Milan thwarted their attempts, nearly adding to their lead with a well-executed free-kick routine, which was denied by Dudek’s excellent save. Then, at the 53rd minute, the famous 6 perfect minutes that would change the course of the game began.
Alonso carried the ball into the middle and found Riise on the left flank. The full-back received the ball, looked up, and crossed it, but it hit Cafu and returned to him. He adjusted and crossed again, this time into Milan’s box, finding the head of captain Gerrard, who nodded it past Dida. Milan 3, Liverpool 1.
The Reds’ fans went wild, changing the atmosphere of the stadium once again. Milan, on the other hand, felt the momentum shift and sat back. Just 2 minutes after the first goal, the second came. After a series of passes in midfield, the ball found Smicer, who had replaced the injured Kewell. The Czech midfielder adjusted his body and unleashed a ferocious shot, which almost hit Baros, who jumped backward, sucking in his belly with all his might to avoid contact. The ball violently found the back of the net, making it 3-2, and the English comeback was getting closer.
At the 58th minute, Jamie Carragher found Milan Baros inside the box. The striker pivoted and played a first-time pass to Gerrard, who was charging forward. When the Englishman went to finish the play, he was fouled by Gattuso, a penalty for Liverpool, and the chance to level the score in just 15 minutes of the second half and 6 after the first goal.
Xabi Alonso carefully placed the ball, took a few steps back, ran up to it, and aimed for the bottom right corner of Dida’s goal. Dida reached it, making a magnificent save, but Alonso was alert, seizing the rebound and firing a powerful left-footed shot that hit the top of the net to equalize the score. The happiness, relief, and euphoria of the Liverpool players were palpable, and in the celebration of the goal, Baros got carried away, grabbing Xabi Alonso by the neck and throwing him to the ground before lifting him up by his shirt.
The game continued, and the teams seemed to balance out after the equalizer. Milan still had an excellent chance to extend their lead at the 24th minute when Kaká crossed the ball into the box, and Dudek couldn’t hold onto it. Shevchenko received it and turned to shoot, but Traoré cleared it off the line.
In extra time, the game slowed down a bit, as both teams seemed reluctant to risk losing the final. However, Milan still had two chances to seal the game. The first came with Tomasson after a beautiful cross from the Brazilian to the far post, but the Dane couldn’t connect properly and barely missed the target.
The second chance was incredibly clear, and it was truly a red miracle that the ball didn’t go in. In the dying moments, Serginho delivered another excellent cross, this time to the head of the top scorer Shevchenko, who headed it powerfully for a magnificent save by Dudek. However, the ball fell to the Ukrainian’s feet, and he unleashed a powerful shot, but Dudek miraculously got in front of it to make another save.
The match ended, and the penalty shootout began.
Serginho, who had come on strongly during the game, approached the ball. Dudek kept moving along his line. The Brazilian struck the ball with power, but it went wide, the first penalty missed by Milan. The first for the Reds was taken by Hamann, who approached the ball slowly and struck it firmly into the top right corner, beyond Dida’s reach. 1-0 to Liverpool in the shootout.
The great Italian maestro Andrea Pirlo ran up to the ball, took a few small hops, and struck it with little power into the bottom right corner, but Dudek was there with a great save. Cissé prepared the ball for Liverpool and struck it firmly down the middle to the right, while Dida dived the other way. 2-0 to the Reds in the shootout.
Next up for the Rossoneri was the forward Tomasson, who sprinted towards the ball and unleashed a low shot into the bottom left corner, scoring Milan’s first in the shootout. Riise stepped up for the third penalty for the English team, aiming for the bottom left corner, but Dida leaped magnificently to prevent the ball from going in, adding more excitement to the shootout.
The fourth penalty for the Rossoneri was taken by the young prodigy Kaká, who confidently ran up to the ball and sent his signature shot, high and down the middle, beyond Dudek’s reach. Smicer, who had scored the second goal for the Reds, stepped up for the ball and easily beat Dida, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. 4-2 to Liverpool.
The Milanese star, current Ballon d’Or winner and the top scorer for Milan, stepped up to the ball, somewhat lacking in determination. He struck it towards the middle, but with little force and height. Dudek dove to his right, but managed to stretch his left hand up to prevent the Ukrainian’s goal. Liverpool were champions, the stadium erupted, and the Reds’ players went straight to the stands to celebrate with their fans. What a celebration!
This is undoubtedly one of the best Champions League finals and a comeback that will remain pulsating in football history, especially for those 6 magical minutes and its name, the Miracle of Istanbul.
Written by João Felipe Miller
