Night of the Champions
It was simply incredible as it was astonishing.
Whoever had watched the UEFA Championship Finals last night was regaled with football at its purest. The 2005 UEFA Champions League finals can be considered as one of the most dramatic and finest moments in European Football history.
The match started with AC Milan leading by 3 goals after the first half with Liverpool FC nil. Every footballer, fan or player, knows that to catch up and equalize to a lead by 3 goals in the remaining forty five minutes is a feat that is almost impossible to achieve. But in a sudden twist at the second half, Liverpool FC in a remarkable turnaround scored succesive goals equalizing the game by 3-3. Everyone who witnessed the game and perhaps including the players themselves were gripped by a mixture of fascination and disbelief. The final whistle was blown with a socre tied to 3-3 by full time. The excitement increased as an added extra time ensued with both teams coming out with a clean sheet.
The moment of truth came as the tie was to be broken and the winner to be decided through a penalty shoot-out. The first kickers from each team has once again levelled the score to a tie . The decisive kick was to be made by AC Milan’s Andrey Shevchenko, Europe’s Player of the Year. But an inspired Jerzy Dudek, Liverpool’s goal keeper, saved the ball and denied AC Milan and it’s legion of fans the taste of victory. Liverpool FC team song “You’ll Never Walk Alone” resonated in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium as Steven Gerrard, captain of Liverpool FC lifted the 2005 UEFA Champions League Cup. This fairytale match made Liverpool FC back to the top rank of European football after twenty years.
Every football match is decided by whoever scores most goals. My team, AC Milan lost not because they played poorly but simply because they missed to deliver the last decisive goal. And admittedly I admire Liverpool FC for having played a football deserving the Champion’s Cup.