Top UEFA Champions League finals: Liverpool, A.C Milan and more (Part 2)
After having elaborated upon the 2007-2008 UEFA Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea, it is now time to pay due attention to what is regarded by many as the greatest European Cup final of all time, the 2004-2005
UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and A.C Milan. Thus, let’s take a look at how the history actually remembers the Reds taken on the Rossoneri...
Liverpool versus A.C Milan
Bidding to win their 5th European Cup Liverpool reached the final of the 2005 UEFA Champions League final in fine style after beating Chelsea in the semi-finals through a Luis Garcia goal which the Blues’ fans still
regard as a ghost goal as the ball had not crossed the goal line according to them. In the past decade, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 have played out some fantastic semi-finals and this was one of the battles that defined both the teams as European entertainers of
the highest order.
Nonetheless, it was Liverpool who came through but their story of the progression towards UEFA Champions League final is a unique on in its own right. Liverpool were on the verge of being knocked out of the 2005 UEFA Champions
League during the group stages when http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Steven-Gerrard-c34196 popped up with a historic performance to give the Reds’ a round of sixteen berth. Liverpool’s opponents, the mighty A.C Milan were gunning for their seventh European cup triumph and they were led by Carlo
Ancelotti.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rafael-c30339 Benitez’s Liverpool had become famous in Europe for their conservative approach and the Spanish manager put out a defensive minded Reds’ side against a rampant A.C Milan line up. The plan completely back fired in the final
which took place in Istanbul, Turkey as Milan scored in the very first minute of the match thanks to their legendary defender, Paolo Maldini. Maldini’s goal provided a sound footing for the Italian giants to build upon and this was obvious when Hernan Crespo
added two more to Milan’s lead before the half time whistle in the 39th and the 44th minutes respectively.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ricardo-c30950 Kaka was superb for A.C Milan in the first half as the young Brazilian midfielder bossed the midfield region with his incisive passing and superb through balls towards the likes of Crespo. At the half time break, Liverpool
decided to man mark Kaka and thus a turnaround was expected in the second half. However for Liverpool’s fans the night turned into a state of dream when http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vladimir-c36322 Smicer and Steven Gerrard netted a goal each before Xabi Alonso’s penalty kick. With the score
line tied at nil all the match went to extra time. In the extra time, Jerzey Dudek produced two miraculous saves to keep Liverpool within touching distance of their fifth European cup trophy.
After the both the extra time periods failed to produce a goal, the match went into extra time where Dudek thwarted Andrei Shevchenko’s, Andrea Pirlo’s and Serginho’s penalty kicks to gift Liverpool a historic UEFA Champions League
final win. Steven Gerrard lifted the trophy in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Turkey-c3026 for the Reds as Milan were defeated due to a fine Liverpool comeback.
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