Posted on 05/25/2005 2:40:55 PM PDT by lizol
Liverpool beat Milan on penalties
Jerzy Dudek saved two penalties in the shoot-out as Liverpool were crowned European champions in dramatic fashion. Paolo Maldini volleyed Milan ahead after just 50 seconds while Hernan Crespo scored twice to put the Italians 3-0 up at the break.
Steven Gerrard headed a reply, Vladimir Smicer fired the second and Xabi Alonso equalised after his penalty was saved.
Serginho fired his penalty over the bar and Dudek denied Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko to secure the trophy.
Goalflashes and major incidents as they happen: EXTRA-TIME FULL-TIME AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool AET A remarkable night will be decided by penalties after Liverpool's amazing second half comeback.
Goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso pulled them back into the game after Paolo Maldini and Hernan Crespo with two had put AC Milan 3-0 up at the break.
120 mins: Time is up but Liverpool have one final chance with a free-kick at the edge of the Milan area.
The kick is pushed across to John Arne Riise but his shot is blocked and seconds later the whistle is blown to signal full-time and the dreaded penalty shoot-out to settle the match.
117 mins: Jerzy Dudek makes an absoultely remarkable double save from a shot and header by Andriy Shevchenko, both inside the six-yard box, to deny Milan a probable match-winning fourth goal.
116 mins: Djibril Cisse is flagged offside again.
112 mins: Once again Jamie Carragher, who appears to be suffering from cramp, clears for a corner and Rui Costa's flag-kick flies just over the far post.
111 mins: As Milan bring on their final substitute Rui Costa for Gennaro Gattuso, it is learned that if the match goes to penalties they will be taken at the Milan end of the ground.
110 mins: Djibril Cisse tries his luck with a low shot from 35 yards but it causes no problems for Dida.
At the other end Jamie Carragher makes yet another crucial clearance to deny Milan a goalscoring opportunity.
108 mins: Dietmar Hamann has a shot from the edge of the area deflected for a corner which comes to nothing.
2200: Milan get the final period of the match under way.
EXTRA-TIME HALF-TIME AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool Neither side can score in the first period of additional time - leaving the match just 15 minutes away from penalties.
105 mins: Just 15 seconds into additional time at the end of the first period of extra-time Andriy Shevchenko has an angled shot saved by Jerzy Dudek. 104 mins: Milan sportingly put the ball out of play after Vladimir Smicer collapses to the floor. A stretcher is brought on for the Liverpool substitute who is taken off the field and given treatment for cramp.
103 mins: Steven Gerrard, now helping out at right-back, makes a great block on the right wing and immediately tries to set up an attack but the ball is cleared by Milan.
101 mins: Jon Dahl Tomasson cannot connect cleanly with a ball from fellow substitute Serginho just eight yards from goal with Djimi Traore's attempt to clear the ball possibly crucially putting him off.
100 mins: AC Milan substitute Jon Dahl Tomasson is flagged offside as he runs into the Liverpool box.
95 mins: A late offside flag is raised against Djibril Cisse as he chases a long ball into the Milan area.
95 mins: Andrea Pirlo puts a long-range free-kick comfortably over the Liverpool bar.
93 mins: Vladimir Smicer's ball into the Milan area is headed clear by Alessandro Nesta.
2142: Liverpool kick off the first period of extra-time - the 13th time in 50 European Cup finals the extra 30 minutes has been required.
FULL-TIME AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool Liverpool's remarkable second half comeback is rewarded as they earn extra-time - a scenario which looked extremely unlikely at half-time.
Goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso pulled them back into the game after Paolo Maldini and Hernan Crespo with two had put AC Milan 3-0 up at the break.
92 mins: Xabi Alonso makes a cool clearance after Milan threaten once again.
90 mins: The fourth official signals a minimum of two minutes of additional time.
88 mins: Jamie Carragher makes a superb saving tackle to nick the ball off the toes of Andriy Shevchenko inside the Liverpool area.
From the corner, Kaka just fails to divert Jaap Stam's header into the net.
85 mins: A raft of substitutions take place.
Liverpool bring on Djibril Cisse for Milan Baros, who could be making his final appearance in a Reds shirt.
AC Milan replace double-goalscorer Hernan Crespo with former Newcastle striker Jon Dahl Tomasson and Clarence Seedorf with Serginho.
83 mins: Liverpool's fans start a chorus of "Ole" as their team knock the ball around.
81 mins: Milan Baros picks up the second booking of the night for a foul on Alessandro Nesta.
80 mins: Luis Garcia almost gets through but cannot quite control Steven Gerrard's pass.
The ball then goes straight up the other end and Andriy Shevchenko and Hernan Crespo set the ball up for Kaka but Jamie Carragher saves the situation with a brave tackle.
76 mins: Jamie Carragher is shown the game's first yellow card for a foul.
73 mins: Luis Garcia shrugs off the challenge of Clarence Seedorf inside the penalty area but is penalised for a foul.
71 mins: At the other end Steven Gerrard runs on to a loose ball and hammers a fierce shot which flies not too far over the bar.
70 mins: Djimi Traore saves Liverpool by clearing off the line from Andriy Shevchenko after a fumble by Jerzy Dudek sets up the chance. It is the second time the Ukrainian has been denied by a goalline clearance during the match.
63 mins: Vladimir Smicer is determined to make his farewell appearance a memorable one as he hits a shot from 20 yards which Dida manages to save.
62 mins: Milan suddenly wake up and Clarence Seedorf volleys wide of the near post from just outside the area.
59 mins: GOAL AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool Dramatic scenes as Liverpool are awarded a penalty after Gennaro Gattuso floors Steven Gerrard.
After a short delay Xabi Alonso has his kick saved by Dida but is on hand to slam the rebound into the roof of the net to complete a remarkable recovery.
55 mins: GOAL AC Milan 3-2 Liverpool Is an amazing comeback really on the cards? Two goals in three minutes suddenly revive Liverpool as substitute Vladimir Smicer, in his farewell appearance, drills home a low shot from half-time substitute Dietmar Hamann's pass.
53 mins: GOAL AC Milan 3-1 Liverpool Hope for Liverpool as captain Steven Gerrard finds space to direct a header into the far corner from John Arne Riise's left-wing cross.
52 mins: Jerzy Dudek makes a superb low save from a fiercely-hit shot from Andriy Shevchenko at a free-kick.
50 mins: Xabi Alonso has Liverpool's best effort of the match so far as he tries his luck from distance and sees his shot whistle just past the post.
48 mins: More problems for Liverpool as a low right-wing centre bounces out of Jerzy Dudek's hands but Hernan Crespo cannot make the most of the opportunity.
2049: Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez tries to rescue the situation by bringing on Dietmar Hamann for right-back Steve Finnan, who has a slight thigh injury.
Liverpool appear to be playing three at the back for the second half as AC Milan get play under way again.
HALF-TIME AC Milan 3-0 Liverpool A disastrous first 45 minutes for Liverpool as one goal from Paolo Maldini and a Hernan Crespo double look to have wrapped up the game already.
To add to Liverpool's problems, surprise selection Harry Kewell was forced off with an injury after just 23 minutes.
44 mins: GOAL AC Milan 3-0 Liverpool It appears all over for Liverpool already as Kaka picks out Hernan Crespo with a superb pass and the on-loan Chelsea striker coolly flicks the ball over Jerzy Dudek.
39 mins: GOAL AC Milan 2-0 Liverpool Controversy as Hernan Crespo tucks the ball home from six yards after a flowing move involving Kaka and Andriy Shevchenko just 30 seconds after Liverpool have a strong penalty claim for handball turned down.
As Luis Garcia tried to round grounded defender Alessandro Nesta, the ball hit him on the elbow but the referee waved play on and Milan broke away and scored.
36 mins: Luis Garcia comes close again after a neat move but this time he miskicks after Milan Baros heads the ball back to him 18 yards out and his shot drifts harmlessly wide.
33 mins: Luis Garcia tries to rally Liverpool but he fires the ball over after it falls to him just outside the Milan penalty area.
32 mins: The ball is in the Liverpool area once again but Djimi Traore does enough to allow Jerzy Dudek to gather the ball ahead of Andriy Shevchenko.
29 mins: Andriy Shevchenko's celebrations are cut short as his slick finish from 12 yards, following Kaka's pinpoint pass, is disallowed for offside, although the decision appears close.
23 mins: Vladimir Smicer, in his last Liverpool appearance, replaces Harry Kewell, who is booed by some fans as he leaves the pitch.
21 mins: Vladimir Smicer is warming up and preparing to replace Harry Kewell, who was a surprise selection for the match. Kewell, who has been plagued by injury this season, apparently told the Liverpool bench that something had snapped.
19 mins: Harry Kewell looks in trouble and is limping around the pitch after pulling up a few minutes ago.
17 mins: Milan come forward again and Cafu's right-wing centre is headed well past the post by Brazilian compatriot Kaka.
14 mins: Luis Garcia saves Liverpool by clearing off the line at the near post from Hernan Crespo's header at Clarence Seedorf's right-wing corner.
13 mins: Andriy Shevchenko is penalised as he tries to get through ahead of Jamie Carragher inside the Liverpool area although it is not clear if he is penalised for handball or offside.
8 mins: A Steven Gerrard free-kick just outside the area comes to nothing.
6 mins: Sami Hyypia is in action at the other end with a superbly-timed tackle to take the ball off Andriy Shevchenko's foot inside the Liverpool area.
From the corner the ball bounces around the six-yard box before John Arne Riise's sliced attempted clearance is gratefully caught by Jerzy Dudek.
4 mins: Liverpool respond straight away and John Arne Riise has a fierce shot from the edge of the area blocked before Sami Hyypia is denied by Dida.
1 min: GOAL AC Milan 1-0 Liverpool A disastrous start for Liverpool as Paolo Maldini dramatically volleys Milan ahead from 12 yards 50 seconds into the match, from a right-wing free-kick by Andrea Pirlo.
1947: Liverpool kick-off after gathering for their pre-match huddle.
1943: The teams walk out on to the pitch to a rapturous reception.
1942: The opening ceremony overruns - delaying the players' entrance on to the pitch.
1940: The players line up in the tunnel - Liverpool in their traditional red kit and AC Milan in all-white. Managers Rafael Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti exchange a friendly word and pat on the back.
1936: As the players prepare to come on to the pitch, Milan fans behind one goal wave red, white and black flags as spectacular pre-match entertainment, featuring dancers performing a series of well-choreographed moves, takes place on the pitch.
1914: Lots of fans are still queuing to get into the ground with the minutes beginning to tick quickly by before kick-off. There is no indication that the start of the match will be delayed as a result.
1900: The excitement is building up inside the Ataturk Stadium. Liverpool fans are there in numbers, creating a party atmosphere, and the expectation is mounting with kick-off less than an hour away.
Liverpool supporters fill one end of the ground and are also dotted around other parts of the ground.
A rousing rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" filled the air as kick-off neared.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Team line-ups: Liverpool: Dudek, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore, Luis Garcia, Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Riise, Kewell, Baros. Subs: Carson, Cisse, Smicer, Hamann, Josemi, Nunez, Biscan.
AC Milan: Dida, Cafu, Stam, Nesta, Maldini, Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka, Gattuso, Crespo, Shevchenko. Subs: Abbiati, Kaladze, Costacurta, Rui Costa, Tomasson, Dhorasoo, Serginho.
Referee: Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain)
I don't understand. Just a few days ago, I read that Arsenal beat Manchester United for the English league championship and now Liverpool wins the European title. What happened to Arsenal? I can't understand how European soccer works.
And that was won also on penalties - Ah well - it's the only time a soccer match ends in a high score!
This penalty-kick nonsense is one of the biggest flaws in the sport.
The penalty kick business is a joke. It's like playing a baseball game for 12 innings and then stopping and deciding the game on a home run hitting contest off batting practice type lobs.
Yes, it sucks. Even worse to participate in a shoot out.
Soccer sucks.
The USA doesn't care, we'll spend time watching real sports, like Football.
The previous year's top teams in each country form a 'league' the following year and play for the Champion's Cup. Arsenal will be there for next year's festivities (plus 2 or 3 other top teams).
Got news for you: in the rest of the world outside the US, 'football' is the name of the sport you call 'soccer'.
Games like this are extremely rare in soccer, especially at the very highest European professional levels. I can just see Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy's primary sporting newspaper and an institution in that country) ripping the entire AC Milan team to pieces for doing probably one of the biggest chokes in soccer history.
And neither do Australia nor New Zealand. (Not me - I'm a soccer fan myself)
Nooooo reallly?
duh
Cheers.
Yeah, and British tabloids wanted to devour him alive even on the day before yesterday.
Amazing saves by Dudek in extra time. One of the greatest matches I've ever seen!
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