The art of the impossible

Alex Vella recalls the salient episodes of a match during which a remarkable feat, regarded by many as the best of the decade, was accomplished

The first decade of the new millennium will soon be consigned to history. Only statistics will be unearthed to recall football feats that left their mark during the period.

If one looks at a competition and the unexpected element one will surely recall the 2004 European Championship in Portugal which had the unfancied Greeks sending the pundits into disarray when lifting the prize.

Greece did what Uruguay and Germany had accomplished in the 1950s when they won the World Cup at the expense of great favourites Brazil and Hungary respectively.

However, if one had to eliminate the surprise package, amid other remarkable upsets, as well as record feats, such as Arsenal's unbeaten league run in 2003-04 and Valletta's amazing clean sweep of the six honours in 2000-01, and focus on a gargantuan task, regarded as 'mission impossible' accomplished in a single match, Liverpool's remarkable recovery from 3-0 down at half-time against Milan to win the Champions League in 2005 tops the lot and in this respect is regarded by many as the feat of the decade.

The episodes of that match will remain testimony to the bizarre ways of football in that the unthinkable can happen.

That huge Liverpool three-goal deficit at half-time was completely annulled in the second period and eventually turned upside down on penalties.

The Liverpool fans, whose pre-match aspirations of success on the night were as high as those of the opposing faction, despite the bookmakers' stakes favouring Milan due to their star-studded formation, had been muted into silence at half-time.

That 'almost unassailable' lead the Italians enjoyed at the end of the first half, led many, including the Reds' supporters, to believe that Liverpool were dead and ready for cremation. Some left the stadium and others gave up watching the match on television.

At that stage the mood of a group of Maltese backing Liverpool inside the stadium and the others in front of the small screen was in sharp contrast to that of other islanders shouting for Milan.

They had watched the first half proceedings with gripping intensity. The atmosphere was similar to that in Rome in 1984, in what turned out to be the Bruce Grobbelaar final, decided dramatically in the Reds' favour in another penalty shoot-out.

The chanting of 'You'll never Walk Alone' by the Reds' fans as the second half started had an eerie wailing feeling about it rather than an expression of faith in the recuperative powers of their team.

The aristocrats of Milan had destroyed their defensive trenches through Paolo Maldini after 52 seconds and twice through Hernan Crespo shortly before half-time.

What else could Rafael Benitez do at half-time except tell his lads to try and do their best in the circumstances? He brought in Dietmar Hamann and made some tactical changes, probably more in hope than as a result of conviction.

One man who could be counted on to help his team pick up the loose threads and steer the vessel into less turbulent waters was the inimitable captain Steven Gerrard.

Triumphant entry into a safe haven was only conjured in the realms of fantasy.

His first goal early after the resumption from a splendid header injected adrenalin into his colleagues.

His immediate reaction with a fling of both arms as if to say 'come on mates, let's carry on with the job' was truly fitting body language from a remarkable player.

Six 'mad' minutes

Within six minutes, fiction became fact as Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso had drilled two more goals past the Italians to level matters.

It was 3-3 on the hour.

The metamorphosis, although not complete, was taking shape, only to mature after the penalty shoot-out. Milan could not fathom what had happened in those dreaded six 'mad' minutes which they thought were inexplicable.

But there was still time for either team to take the lead.

There was more heart than head in the Reds' forward play as they opted for caution. Gerrard took up duties on the right flank with typical resoluteness, as did the indestructible Jamie Carragher who defied the ill-effects of cramp and battled on bravely.

The others were just as bold, as the team grew taller mentally.

Finally, there was Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek who pulled off an incredibly instinctive save on Andriy Shevchenko before his wobbly-legged acts in the shoot-out, put the seal on Liverpool's complete volte face and the team's fifth success in the competition.

They had triumphed against the Italian giants after being on the brink of humiliation. Gerrard had been the catalyst in lifting his team by the bootlaces. Now the cup was theirs for keeps.

The unthinkable had happened. The so-called rationale in football had been thrown to the wind. Milan's T-shirts under their vests revealing a triumphant slogan - at least that was the hearsay - remained hidden!

The victors will recall with pride their great feat while the vanquished will always strive to mask the pangs of a weird capitulation on that night of high drama.

Liverpool had simply refused to be reduced to ashes and their feat on the day was definitely carved in the niche of the city's folklore, alongside that of their pop group icons, the Beatles.

It remains to be seen whether we will ever witness a comeback of similar proportions on the international stage, even if the art of the impossible is never to be excluded in this great game.

Factbox Istanbul - May 25, 2005

Liverpool 3:3 Milan
Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties

Liverpool: Jerzy Dudek, Steve Finnan (Dietmar Hamann 46), Djimi Traore, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher, John Arne Riise, Steven Gerrard, Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso, Harry Kewell (Vladimir Smicer 23), Milan Baros (Djibril Cisse 85).

Milan: Dida, Cafu, Paolo Maldini, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso (Rui Costa 112), Clarence Seedorf (Serginho 86), Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo (Jon Dahl Tomasson 85).

Referee: Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain).

Goals: 0:1 Maldini (1), 0:2 Crespo (39), 0:3 Crespo (44), 1:3 Gerrard (54), 2:3 Smicer (56), 3:3 Alonso (59).

Penalties: Serginho (missed), Hamann (scored), Pirlo (saved), Cisse (scored), Tomasson (scored), Riise (saved), Kaka (scored), Smicer (scored), Shevchenko (saved).