Teo: Liverpool & the Miracle of Istanbul
As part of the build-up to the Champions League final, we continue our look back at great summit clashes of the past.
There have many memorable finals in the history of the European Cup, but one towers above them all. Istanbul 2005.
The contest between Liverpool and AC Milan was set up to be a cagey and tight affair between the two powerhouses of European football.
ESPNSTAR.com's look back at great European Cup finals
Real Madrid vs Eintracht Frankfurt (1960)
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich (1999)
Coming Soon:
Manchester United vs Benfica (1968)
Nottingham Forest vs Malmo (1979)
It was anything but.
Liverpool fans were reduced to tears of jubilation while Milan fans watched in disbelief as six stunning minutes in the second-half saw Rafael Benitez's men came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 after extra-time before going on to win their fifth European title on penalties.
Nobody, not even the most optimistic Liverpool fan, gave the Reds a glimmer of hope when the scoreline read AC Milan 3-0 Liverpool half-time.
Liverpool could not have asked for a worse possible start when Paolo Maldini volleyed in from an Andrea Pirlo free-kick to give Carlo Ancelotti's men the lead after just 50 seconds on the clock.
The fate of Benitez's men was sealed - or so everyone thought - when Hernan Crespo struck twice at the end of the first-half to give the Rossoneri a seemingly unassailable lead at half-time.
But what happened next will forever be etched in the annals of football history.
Those who turned off their television sets at half-time, will be haunted with regret for the rest of their lives - because what they missed was one of the greatest, if not the greatest footballing comeback. Ever.
When Steven Gerrard rose above the static Milan defence to power a header past Dida from a John Arne Riise's cross in the 54th minute, hope stirred in the heart of the Anfield faithful.
And you can see belief emanating from the Liverpool captain as he raised his hands, urging the travelling Kop fans and the millions watching around the world to get behind the team - just like they'd done on so many hair-raising European nights at Anfield.
And when Vladimír Šmicer, who came on for the injured Harry Kewell in the first-half, struck the sweetest of shots to find the bottom right-hand corner of Dida's goal two minutes later, hopes of a fifth European title were well and truly resurrected.
The Atatürk Olympic Stadium started to rock like Anfield, as ‘You'll never walk alone' echoed around the stadium - half of which was filled with anxious Milan fans incredulous at what they were witnessing.
And then, Gerrard was brought down by Gennaro Gattuso in the penalty area after latching on to a clever Milan Baros flick on.
Referee Manuel Mejuto González showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot and up stepped Xabi Alonso to complete an amazing comeback and equalize for the Reds.
The midfielder placed his shot to the bottom right of Dida, who dived the correct way and palmed the ball out. Millions held their breath as Alonso raced towards the loose ball.
This was the moment that would decide the destination of club football's most coveted trophy.
The midfielder smashed his follow-up into the net. Cue bedlam.
Six minutes of madness and the scoreline read 3-3.
The final then reverted to a cat-and-mouse affair, but Djimi Traore rescued a poor personal display when he cleared off the line from Andriy Shevchenko after Jerzy Dudek fumbled Crespo's cross.
Milan dominated possession in extra-time, and they were denied by a miracle double save by Dudek from Shevchenko with three minutes remaining.
It was down to penalties to decide who will be crowned Kings of Europe of 2005.
Serginho and Pirlo missed Milan's first two penalties, while Dietmar Hamann and Djibril Cisse were on target for Liverpool.
Substitute Jon Dahl Tomasson put Milan in contention before Riise missed for Liverpool.
Kaka converted for Milan, and after Smicer scored for Liverpool, Shevchenko's kick was saved by Dudek to spark wild scenes of celebration.
What had started off as a disaster for the English side had transformed into one of the most memorable nights in its history.
AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool - 25 May 2005
(Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties)
Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul
AC Milan: Dida, Cafu, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini (captain), Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso (Rui Costa 112'), Clarence Seedorf (Serginho 86'), Kaká, Andriy Shevchenko, Hernán Crespo (Jon Dahl Tomasson 85')
Scorers: Paolo Maldini (1), Hernán Crespo (39, 44)
Liverpool: Jerzy Dudek, Steve Finnan (Dietmar Hamann 46'), Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypiä, Djimi Traoré, Xabi Alonso, Luis García, Gerrard (captain), John Arne Riise, Harry Kewell (Vladimír Šmicer 23'), Milan Baroš (Djibril Cissé 85')
Scorers: Steven Gerrard (54), Vladimír Šmicer (56), Xabi Alonso (60)