Uefa Champions League Final 2005 At last well have the Champion of Europe.

[Peaktao 0]

As my beloved Liverpool is in the Final tonight, i feel like giving a bit of preview and my thought about the match...Liverpool vs AC MilanAlthough they were disappointing in the English League this season, Liverpool's form in Europe had been a totally different story. Many points to the fact that we've got a new spanish coach and some new spanish signings which suit european football better than english football. And by taking Liverpool to their first European's biggest cup final for the first time in 21 years, Rafael Benitez is seen as a god to most Red's fan. Being undrdogs in early rounds against the like of Juventus and Chelsea, the Red men defied all the odds again and again to set up a show down with another history-rich club, AC Milan of Italy.Player News:After a campaign with the worst injuries crisis since i've ever watched football, Liverpool will have most of their frst-team players back for this final. Cisse returns after 6 months out for double-broken leg which threatened to end his career. Alonso came back after recover from his broken ankel. Hamann, Kewell, Gerrard, Traore, Baros, Garcia, Josemi are now all avaiable.Milan rested their first-team players against Palermo in the Series A match at the weekend, as a result their domestic title was lost to Juventus, and Champions Leauge is now the only trophy Milan can get. Experienced Milan is at full-strength apart from the super-sub, Ambrosini, who scored at the last minute in PSV to put milan through. Lastest news also suggested that Crespo limped out of training on thursday. we'll see.Expected line-up: Liverpool: Dudek, Finnan, Caragher, Hyypia, Traore, Garcia,Gerrard, Alonso, Riise, Kewell, Cisse Milan: Dida, Cafu, Nesta, Stam, Muldini, Seedorf, Pirlo, Guttuso, Kaka, Shevchenko, Crespo My view: Milan will start as a favourite. The names in the team sheet clearly suggest that. Several world-class players with a lot of experience in finals between them. However, this will likely be a cagey affair as both side will be cautious. So this can be a battle of tactics between Benitez and Ancelotti. Milan's back four is solid, but somewhat slow, so pace of Cisse and Baros can give them a bit of a run. it's likely that Liverpool will try to counter on a break. On the other hand, in Shevchenko, Milan probably has the most lethal striker in the world. He has pace. he has power. He's good in the air and he's very sharp in front of goal. Carragher and Hyypia must be at their best to keep him as quiet as possible. Nevetheless, i think the midfield battle will be the key that decide the game. Both sides has one of best midfield in the world. and it'll be interesting to see who will gain the control of the game. And finally, both sides seems vulnerable against set-pieces... so the game may be decided by a single goal from set-pieces. One thing for sure, whoever get the first goal will be the likely winner.my prediction: Well, i'm a liverpool fan...and this prediction comes from my heart not my brain. I'll go for Liverpool winning 1-0, here. I believe the spirit of the lads will help them to beat Milan who looked tired and weary in recent weeks.Any thoughts?

[jose_a1 0]

my prediction: Well, i'm a liverpool fan...and this prediction comes from my heart not my brain. I'll go for Liverpool winning 1-0, here. I believe the spirit of the lads will help them to beat Milan who looked tired and weary in recent weeks.

Any thoughts?

144403[/snapback]

Congratulations to your Liverpool. Yes your dogged spirits won the game but it was not the first goal - or the first three for that matter - of the game that assured us of the winning team. What a great comeback. I'm very impressed.

 

Next year I hope a new Reds team will get the trophy. I'm hoping for my Bayern Munich to win it too.

 

Too bad you won't be able to defend your trophy so enjoy it while it lasts.

[hype 0]

Oh this is sick!!! half time 3-0 to AC Milan full time 3-3!! 3 goals for Liverpool in just 6 minutes!!! And Liverpool won that shootout!!!

[alperuzi 0]

Dude, that game was wrong... Liverpool played properly for about 10 minutes and scored 3 during that. For the rest of the game Milan was much better, I have no idea how they lost...

[hype 0]

Something terrible happen during the half time break, but I dont know what's it...

[jose_a1 0]

Liverpool were very very lucky I think. But what can you do? The ball is round and anything can happen. How come Zidane scored 2 goals in a minute in Euro 2004?Sometimes you can pull your luck very far indeed.

[hype 0]

Ya, like how did Man U score 2 goals in injury time to fight back to win the champions league back at 1999 while they meet Bayern Munich...

[jose_a1 0]

Ya, like how did Man U score 2 goals in injury time to fight back to win the champions league back at 1999 while they meet Bayern Munich...

144816[/snapback]

Yeah, I was totally distraught after that game. I'm a die hard Bayern Munich fan. I couldn't believe it either.

 

Maybe a few seconds of complacency can catch you off gaurd.

 

That happened to me too in real life. I played for my school in a national meet we where up 3-1 first half and at the end of the game we lost 4-3.

 

It's the results that matter. It doesn't matter how you win the game as long as you do.

Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to defend liverpool and I'm not trying to side with Milan either.

 

Luck has a big say in this game. How come Chelsea both their first goals agains Bayern Munich in exactly the same way? Deflected off Lucio and then you know what happened. That can't be explained either.

 

It's unbelievable -- all those moments of luck. I take consolation from it by just seeing it as pure luck.

[Peaktao 0]

Yeehaaa.... We won. Yes i wasn't a dream. I was watching the game in a pub and the whole pub was silent in the first half (except when people swore at the ref for Milan's second goal). Milan was classy, no doubt. Kaka is super-human. However, even experienced as they are, Milan were out of places when Stevie scored the first goal. Dida fell down more slowly than the titanic sank to give us a second goal. And Guttuso was quite lucky not to even see a yellow card, never mind a red one. To be honest, i started to cry since smicer got our second goal. Then i knew we could do it, even if we couldn't i would be satisfied with the fight they put in. If Riise strike went in for our fourth goal, the result would be even sweeter, but it didn't and Milan recovered their composure.In extra time, i was so nervous as 1) i knew that we ran out of gas after chasing Milan all night. 2) Milan is supposed to be "more ready" for the penalties. So i was hoping that we can cling on and a miracle goal from Cisse. Oh...double save from Dudek was the best i've ever seen, though he hardly knew anything about it ;-)Then came the penalties... with so many misses this season (including alonso's in this match!), i wouldn't bet on liverpool to win. Somehow we did... and it showed that nothing is impossible if you keep believing and fighting.* As for defending it.... i don't know. But now there is a very strong lobby from G-14 and UEFA sponsors to let us defending it. The UEFA president seems keen to have us in as well. So we will see. If not, then we'll focus on the premiere league, and a eufa cup win would also do nicely ;-)** credit to both teams, that's the best Champions league final in years. i really enjoyed it...and i hope everyone did as well.*** Mourinho - Uefa cup 2003, Champions League 2004, Premiere league 2005 Benitez - Uefa cup 2004, Champions League 2005, Premieree League 2006? hehe

[Peaktao 0]

"That happened to me too in real life. I played for my school in a national meet we where up 3-1 first half and at the end of the game we lost 4-3."Yeah that happened to me too, but the other way round. 3-0 down at half-time in a school match, the coach gave us a hard time during the break, and we came out and won on penalties after a 4-4 draw. (It is one of the matches i wouldn't forget...as i scored two goals in that come back too)