May 25, 2005. Istanbul, Turkey. Ataturk Olympic Stadium and 69.000 people in the stands. People who, at 21.45 when the match started, couldn’t even imagine that they would be the luckiest crowd on the planet, being able to watch live arguably the greatest Champions League final and one of the biggest comebacks in the history of football – the duel of AC Milan and Liverpool.The teams were stacked with stars. Dida, Cafu, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, and Co. on one side; Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso, and Steven Gerrard – among others – on the other. The two “cunning” foxes on the benches – Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez.On This Day in 2005 🗓️Liverpool came back from 3-0 down at half-time to beat an incredible AC Milan team on penalties in the Champions League Final in Istanbul.What a game!pic.twitter.com/hLbTR1Ooqb— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) May 25, 2021 Match details are familiar to most football fans. Even engraved on some’s memories. The Rossoneri were 3-0 up at the break thanks to Maldini and Hernan Crespo’s (a brace) goals. The Reds came from behind to salvage a draw in only seven minutes – from 54th to 61st – after Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer, and Alonso netted. Liverpool’s keeper Jerzy Dudek made an unbelievable save in the extra time, stopping Andriy Shevchenko from scoring the winner, and then saved Pirlo’s and the Ukrainian’s spot kicks to secure the trophy for his team.At least, Nyayo and Kasarani will survive: Milan and Inter want to destroy their iconic San SiroThe Rossoneri got their revenge two years later in Athens when slightly different squads faced off again, led by the same head coaches, battling for glory. The Italian side triumphed 2-1 behind Filippo Inzaghi’s brace, while Dirk Kuyt only mitigated Liverpool’s defeat in the dying minutes.NESTE DIA: Em 2007, o Milan vencia o Liverpool por 2-1 em Atenas na final da Champions League.Dois gols de Pippo Inzaghi.Nostálgico! pic.twitter.com/5dpoHqlk4N— Futebol Nostálgico! (@futnostalgico) May 23, 2024 The two teams met in the 2021/2022 UCL group stage, but the tables have already been significantly turned. Jurgen Klopp’s Reds were one of the best crews in the world, whereas the Rossoneri had just returned to the greatest European club competition after eight years of absence. As expected, Liverpool took no hostages, beating Milan both times – 3-2 at Anfield and 2-1 at San Siro.”I am still Virgil van Dijk, the big leader!” – Liverpool captain hints his futureTonight’s duel will be their fifth and arguably the biggest derby of the UCL first round alongside the Man City-Inter match. Milan opened the season terribly under the new manager, Paulo Fonseca, breaking the three-game winless streak with a convincing 4-0 triumph over Venezia three days ago. Conversely, the Reds were impeccable until three days ago and a shocking 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Hence, everything is possible tonight, but we’ll enjoy it – that’s for sure.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 1Tuesday19:45: (1.85) Juventus (3.50) PSV (4.40)19:45: (5.20) Young Boys (4.10) Aston Villa (1.70)22:00: (3.80) AC Milan (3.60) Liverpool (2.05)22:00: (1.15) Bayern (8.00) Dinamo Zagreb (16.0)22:00: (1.33) Real Madrid (5.90) Stuttgart (9.50)22:00: (1.75) Sporting (3.60) Lille (4.90)Wednesday19:45: (1.95) Bologna (3.60) Shakhtar (4.30)19:45: (2.45) Sparta Praha (3.40) Salzburg (2.85)22:00: (1.37) Celtic (5.20) Slovan B. (10.0)22:00: (3.80) Club Brugge (3.50) Dortmund (2.10)22:00: (1.55) Man.City (4.10) Inter (6.00)22:00: (1.42) PSG (4.60) Girona (7.50)Thursday19:45: (4.20) Crvena Zvezda (3.60) Benfica (1.95)19:45: (4.40) Feyenoord (3.70) Leverkusen (1.80)22:00: (4.10) Atalanta (3.50) Arsenal (1.90)22:00: (1.80) Atl.Madrid (3.60) RB Leipzig (4.60)22:00: (1.90) Brest (3.60) Sturm (4.50)22:00: (4.60) Monaco (3.60) Barcelona (1.80)***odds are subject to change***
