Lost Teams story

Liverpool in Istanbul, 2005: Three Nil at Half Time

Liverpool, Istanbul 2005.

The half-time score. It is the identity of the match, and no side had ever recovered from it in a European Cup final.

The first half

Paolo Maldini scored inside the first minute from a Pirlo free kick, the fastest goal in a European Cup final at the time. Hernan Crespo added two before the break, the second from a Kaka pass that took the Liverpool defence out entirely.

The Milan team included Maldini, Nesta, Stam, Cafu, Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka, Shevchenko and Crespo.

The interval

The Liverpool support in the Ataturk Stadium sang You'll Never Walk Alone through the entire half-time break.

Multiple Milan players, and Liverpool's own goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, have described hearing it from inside. It is the detail that everybody who was there mentions first, and it is the reason this print carries it as the title.

Six minutes

54th minute: Riise crosses, Gerrard heads in.

56th minute: Smicer strikes from outside the area.

60th minute: Gerrard is fouled by Gattuso, Alonso's penalty is saved by Dida, Alonso converts the rebound.

3-3.

Extra time

Liverpool were largely holding on. In the 117th minute Shevchenko headed from close range and Dudek saved; the rebound came back to Shevchenko a yard out and Dudek blocked that too, with an arm, off balance.

Carlo Ancelotti later said he could not explain it.

The penalties

Dudek used the distracting movement on the line associated with Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1984 final, at the suggestion of Liverpool staff.

Serginho missed. Dudek saved from Pirlo. Shevchenko, then the best centre forward in Europe, had to score and Dudek saved.

The trophy

It was Liverpool's fifth European Cup. UEFA regulations at the time granted permanent possession at five wins. Liverpool kept the trophy and a replacement was commissioned.

Two years later

The same two clubs met in the 2007 final in Athens. Milan won 2-1, with Inzaghi scoring twice.

Why it goes on a wall

Because the turning point was not tactical. Rafael Benitez made a substitution and a shape change, and both mattered, but every account from inside both dressing rooms points at the same thing first.

They sang at half time.