2005 Champions League final: Liverpool's miracle of Istanbul

The 2005 Champions League final is simply known as the Miracle of Istanbul. On 25 May 2005 at the Atatürk Stadium, Liverpool trailed AC Milan 3-0 at half-time, then scored three times in six second-half minutes to force a 3-3 draw and won 3-2 on penalties.

The collapse and the fightback

Milan, led by Paolo Maldini (1’) and Hernán Crespo (39’, 44’), looked untouchable. But Steven Gerrard (54’), Vladimír Šmicer (56’) and Xabi Alonso (60’, a penalty rebound) turned the game on its head.

The shootout

Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek produced two crucial saves, and Liverpool held their nerve to win the shootout, capping one of sport’s great comebacks.

Why it’s iconic

No team had ever recovered from 3-0 down in a European Cup final. Liverpool’s six-minute flurry is the standard by which all fightbacks are measured.

Sources

• Wikipedia — 2005 UEFA Champions League final: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_UEFA_Champions_League_final
• UEFA — Liverpool’s Istanbul comeback: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/