No I wasn't there. I wasn't even closeby. Rather, like the majority of the people in the world i was cozying up in my couch, far far from the action that shook even my small drawing room. I have never seen such an amazing match in a looong looong while!
Liverpool vs AC Milan. It was a no-brainer right from the word go! AC Milan the thoroughbreads in European Cup Championships. 7 time champions pitted against a side which fared as only the 5th best team in the EPL, disallowed to even compete in the next years Champions League. The 50th European Cup Championships begun at 12 a.m. local time.
Even before you'd have settled in to your seats the scoresheets sang. Maldini at the ripe age of 36 years put Milan into the lead latching onto a free-kick directing it to the goal. Dudek had little chance, his sight gaurded by his defense and the Milan forwards as the ball suddenly appeared from behind the crowd of men in the "D" to hit the net. All this in the FIRST minute of the match! The blow was sure to fall but so soon I did not imagine.
Slowly but steadily as the 1st half kept growing, it became more and more clear. Milan were surely in their element. They defended successfully and managed to attack successfully too. While Liverpool could neither attack nor defend successfully. The difference seemed HUGE. Liver pool's man-to man marking was poor and the porous defense let in Andriy Shevchenko, European Player Of The Year, too many times for their own good. By 45 minutes to the horror of the Red fans, the scoreboard read Milan-3, Liverpool-0. It was pretty much over.
And then came the resurrection. Such a comeback, a Champions League Final has never witnessed in my lifetime. Within minutes of the second half, almost as if it were gift, Steven Gerrard jumped up from amidst a crowd of Milan defenders UNCHALLENGED (!), to head a ball floating in across the Milan goal, a cross from Riise. At that range a header from Gerrard is impossible for any goal-keeper. And the ball rightly found the net. The Reds were euphoric. Suddenly the clogged arteries loosened, the blood flowed easy now, the colour was back!
As if suddenly buyoed by new spirit and life Liverpool were transformed. Riding on a high from a goal by their inspirational captain Gerrard, their attack seemed more lethal now. A loose ball found Vladmir Smicer feet, well far from the goal, Smicer unleashed a canon of his feet. The ball keeping low bore down into Milans goal through a crowd of defenders and forwards, into the right corner of Dida's fortress. The Liverpool lads were on song. The Liverpool forwards worked over time, the score was still 3-2. And in the raids that followed Gerrard suddenly found himself right in front of the goal mouth with none other than Dida to beat. But before he could seal the comeback Gattuso pulled him down. The penalty was awarded. And even here drama did not desert. Alonso fired into the bottom left corner of the goal only to have the 6 feet 6 inches keeper, Dida block the shot. The bounced back out, in that heart wrenching moment Alonso could have only breathed fire as he rushed in lashing the rebounding ball back into the goal. The comeback was complete. Within 15 minutes Liverpool had laid to rest the ghosts that would have haunted them forever.
From then on the match was pretty evenly balanced out with both a distraught Milan, and a euphoric but cautious Liverpool, taking unsuccessful atempts at each others goals. The match went into extra time and went forward without much event even after 15 minutes each a half of extra time. Penalties was all it was down to. And with the absolutely fidgety and nervy Dudek, Liverpool i believed had the minimum of chances.
Since fate decides everything, it was something no one could have prevented. In the most unorthodox show of goal-keeping i saw Dudek triumph over Dida. His spiritual dance before each of Milans penalties seemed to unnerve the penalty takers enough. Serginho shot the ball way over the goal. Pirlo and Shevchenko of all people missed to end a most memorable Champions League final in Liverpools favour.
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