It’s half-time and you find yourself 3-0 down against an AC Milan team full of world class talent. Whether you were in the tunnel staring into abyss, sat on the front row covering your eyes with your scarf or at home on your knees in disbelief.
You hear it. You hear it loud and clear. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” rings around the stadium from the travelling Liverpool fans. The hairs stand on the back of your neck and you feel shivers run down your spine. THIS is what it means to be Liverpool.
AC Milan learned the hard way that night what it’s like to really come up against Liverpool. No matter how down and out we are, the 12th man will always push us further than we could ever imagine.
Tonight’s game brings to European giants together for the first time (competitively) since their two final meetings in 2005 and 2007.
The first being one of, if not thee most dramatic Champions League finals ever. In 2005, Liverpool and AC Milan met in Istanbul where Liverpool came from a 3-0 deficit at half-time to somehow win on penalties.
The game was full of mixed emotions. From despair during the break to disbelief when Xabi Alonso put in his rebound. From a heart in the mouth moment when Dudek saves a Shevchenko shot from point blank to absolute jubilation when Dudek stops him again in the penalty shootout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3rl7zGhT6k
AC Milan fans were in total shock at the end of the night as they see Steven Gerrard lifts up Liverpool’s 5th Champions League.
Two years later, Carlo Ancelotti and AC Milan were able to get their revenge. Both teams met again in Athens in yet another Champions League final.
This time, Liverpool’s luck ran out. Although Milan’s team was pretty similar, Liverpool’s had many changes. Liverpool were underdogs yet again. Inspired by their captain, Steven Gerrard, Liverpool got through a tough Barcelona and Chelsea team on the way to the final.
This time, the underdogs didn’t win. Despite a late consolation for the reds, a Inzaghi inspired Milan were able to hang on and claim their 7th trophy in the competition.
14 years later and these two powerhouses of club football meet again. Liverpool, however, come into this game not the underdogs. A lot has changed in 14 years. AC Milan no longer have the world class team they once had. Liverpool, on the other hand, do.
This will be the first time they have met in the group stage of the competition. Although it is not a final, the fans will certainly make it feel like one. With Champions League football returning for a packed ground, Anfield is the perfect place for this special fixture to take place.
The two finals are still in memory, but let’s hope Liverpool make tonight a good night to remember.