The Miracle of Istanbul

A nightmare first half

AC Milan were one of the best teams in Europe, with Paolo Maldini, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko. Liverpool, managed by Rafael Benitez in his first season, were the underdogs. Maldini scored after less than a minute, and Hernan Crespo added two more before half-time. Liverpool trailed 3-0.

In the stands, around 40,000 Liverpool fans began singing anyway, a sound the players later said they could hear clearly in the dressing room.

Liverpool had reached the final through dramatic knockout wins over Juventus and Chelsea, the semi-final settled by a disputed early goal from Luis Garcia.

Six minutes

Benitez changed his tactics at half-time, bringing on Dietmar Hamann to steady the midfield. In the 54th minute captain Steven Gerrard headed in a cross from John Arne Riise. Two minutes later Vladimir Smicer scored from long range. In the 60th minute Gerrard was fouled in the box, Xabi Alonso's penalty was saved by Dida, and Alonso smashed in the rebound. It was 3-3.

Three goals in six minutes had erased the deficit in a Champions League final, something no one had ever seen at that level.

Dudek's double save

Milan dominated the rest of the match and extra time. With minutes left, Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek made an incredible double save from Shevchenko at point blank range. The final went to a penalty shootout.

Dudek bounced and wobbled on his line, a trick borrowed from Liverpool keeper Bruce Grobbelaar in the 1984 final. Serginho missed, Dudek saved from Pirlo, and when he saved Shevchenko's kick, Liverpool had won 3-2 on penalties.

Defender Jamie Carragher, suffering from cramp, kept throwing himself into blocks throughout extra time. Two years later the same clubs met again in the 2007 final in Athens, and this time Milan won 2-1.

Keeping the trophy

It was Liverpool's fifth European Cup, and under the rules of the time that meant they were allowed to keep the trophy itself. Gerrard, a local boy who had grown up supporting the club, lifted it in front of fans who had travelled thousands of kilometres. When the team returned home, hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Liverpool for the open-top bus parade, one of the biggest celebrations in the city's history. Fans still call the night simply Istanbul. For any team trailing at half-time, it is proof that 45 minutes is plenty of time to write a new story.

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