Magical Sporting Moments - The 2005 Champions League Final

As Liverpool prepare for their first Champions League final since 2005 I thought I'd take a look back at the incredible events that took place 13 years ago...

I can remember grumbling at half-time as a very ordinary Liverpool team had slumped to a 3-0 half-time scoreline. They had knocked out a superior Chelsea team in the semis and I was feeling hard done by because at least Chelsea would have 'made it a good match'.

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I almost turned the TV off altogether but decided to keep it on in the background as I turned my focus to a far more satisfying game of Football Manager.

In the 54th minute that man Gerrard popped up with a headed goal which prompted me to find the remote and turn the volume back up. At that stage Liverpool still had a hell of a lot to do but they had brought the stadium back to life. It was a start.

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Two minutes later I shut down the laptop and restored full concentration to the television. Liverpool had scored again through Vladimir Smicer making it 3-2.

At this point I began thanking Liverpool for beating Chelsea in the semis because you could tell that this was going to be a special night. Milan looked understandably shaken as their lead had been cut to just one goal.

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It didn't take long before Stevie G went down in the box and Liverpool were awarded a penalty. Xabi Alonso decided to make things just a bit more dramatic by missing the initial penalty but scoring the rebound.

In just 6 minutes Liverpool had scored 3 goals and completed one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history. I'm not sure if I've ever gone from grumpy to ecstatic in the space of 6 minutes before and I'm not even a Liverpool supporter!

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The last half-hour and added time weren't quite as dramatic but both teams had chances to win. They couldn't break the deadlock though and the match went to penalties.

Jerzy Dudek's 'spaghetti legs' worked a treat as Milan missed their first two penalties. Liverpool weren't going to throw that kind of advantage away as their opponents had done and they went on to win the shootout 3-2 and claim the Champions League crown.

Arguably one of the greatest Champions League Finals of all time we can only hope that Liverpool and Real Madrid produce something similar this time round. The way the teams play I wouldn't say it's out of the question...