May 25, 2005, Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, UEFA Champions League final. At halftime, AC Milan led 3-0 over Liverpool. The whole Italian stadium was already singing victory. On the Reds’ bench, Rafael Benítez changed the tactical shape and brought in Dietmar Hamann. Six minutes after coming out of the dressing room, Liverpool had equalized. Two hours later, English supporters raised their fifth European Cup. This 2005 Istanbul final remains, twenty years on, the biggest turnaround ever seen in a major European final.
Here is the complete account of this unique night: the context, the match storyline, the key actors, the penalty shootout, and the legacy. To understand what this victory means for Liverpool and world soccer, you need to get into the decisive minutes between the 54th and 60th, then into extra time and the shootout that sealed the miracle.
Context: Liverpool as an underdog against Milan
Liverpool’s 2004-2005 team was not a favorite for the Champions League. Fifth in the Premier League that season, 37 points behind champion Chelsea, the club had even almost failed to qualify for the group stage. Steven Gerrard’s late goal against Olympiakos in December 2004 (3-1 at Anfield) had allowed the Reds to qualify at the last moment. Nobody considered Liverpool capable of going all the way.
Yet Rafael Benítez, the Spanish coach who arrived the previous summer from Valencia, had built a solid European run. Liverpool had eliminated Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals (3-1, 1-3), then Juventus in the quarter-finals (2-1, 0-0), and finally Chelsea in the semi-finals in a very tense two-legged tie (0-0 at Stamford Bridge, 1-0 at Anfield thanks to a disputed goal by Luis García).
Against AC Milan, the sporting gap seemed huge. The Italians, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, lined up a team full of stars: Maldini in defense, Cafu, Stam, Gattuso and Pirlo in midfield, Seedorf, Kaká and Shevchenko up front. European champions in 2003 and Coppa Italia finalists, they were the clear favorites for the final.
Atatürk Olympic Stadium and the red invasion
Atatürk Olympic Stadium, 25 km from central Istanbul, hosted the 2005 final. It is a new stadium, opened in 2002, with a capacity of 75,145 but only 69,000 seats were available that evening for security reasons. Getting into the stadium was complicated: limited public transport, jammed roads, supporters stuck for hours in buses.
Liverpool sold its 20,000 allocated tickets in a few days. A real red invasion took over Istanbul, from the bars in the Taksim district to the Bosphorus area. The hooliganism feared by Turkish authorities did not materialize: Reds supporters, in line with club culture, remained festive and disciplined. Some estimate that there were actually 30,000 to 40,000 in the city, with some having traveled without tickets.
Kickoff was at 9:45 p.m. local time, 7:45 p.m. in Liverpool. The referee was Spanish official Manuel Mejuto González. Carlo Ancelotti set up his usual Christmas-tree 4-3-2-1, with Crespo and Shevchenko ahead of Kaká. Benítez chose a 4-4-1-1 with Steven Gerrard behind Milan Baroš, with Luis García as a false right winger.
First half: 3-0 and Milan as a steamroller
The first minute is still remembered by everyone. From a Pirlo free kick from the right side, Paolo Maldini stepped up at 25 meters and volleyed the ball with his right foot. The shot went into Jerzy Dudek’s top corner. 1-0 for AC Milan after 50 seconds of play. At that time, it was the fastest goal ever scored in a Champions League final.
Liverpool was stunned. Milan dominated all over. Kaká orchestrated, Shevchenko stretched the attack with depth, Crespo finished. In the 39th minute, the Brazilian doubled up: from a through pass from Shevchenko, he slipped the ball between Dudek’s legs (2-0). In the 44th, as everyone thought the first half was over, Kaká sent a lofted pass over the defense for Crespo, who chipped it with an overhead touch over the Polish keeper. 3-0 at halftime. The final seemed wrapped up.
In the tunnel to the changing room, several Italian players were already talking about the win. For Liverpool, it was shock and despair. But something unexpected happened in the stands: the Reds fans did not stay quiet. On the contrary, they sang You’ll Never Walk Alone through the entire half-time period. The song echoed through the stadium for fifteen minutes.
Halftime: Benítez changes everything
In Liverpool’s dressing room, Rafael Benítez did not shout. He took out the board and drew a new shape. He brought on Dietmar Hamann, a compact German defensive midfielder, in place of Steve Finnan, the right-back who had been carrying a knock. The system changed to 3-5-2 with Hamann as a stopper in front of the defense. This tactical adjustment changed everything.
Benítez explained in a few minutes: Hamann had to lock down Kaká, Milan’s organizer. Vladimír Šmicer also came in to support Gerrard and Riise. The idea was to create a four- to five-man midfield to suffocate Italian creativity. Liverpool returned to the pitch with a radically different setup, and Milan did not realize it right away.
The return from the locker room was one of the craziest in soccer history. Everything changed in six minutes, between the 54th and 60th.
Crazy six minutes: 3-3 from the 54th to the 60th minute
54th minute. John Arne Riise crossed from the left with his left foot. Steven Gerrard surged to the far post and put away a diving header past Dida. 3-1. The Liverpool captain raised his arms to rouse his supporters. The entire stadium woke up.
56th minute. Just two minutes later. Šmicer picked up the ball at 25 meters and tried a curled shot with his right foot. The ball beat Dida on his right and found the back of the net. 3-2. The unbelievable was unfolding. Milan looked stunned. Liverpool was back on the attack.
60th minute. On a burst from the left, Gerrard was brought down in the box by Gattuso. Penalty. Xabi Alonso stepped up, shot to the right of Dida who parried it away, but the Spaniard got there first on the rebound and pushed it into the net. 3-3. In six minutes, Liverpool had equalized a final they had been trailing 3-0 at halftime. No team has ever done this in a Champions League final, not before or since.
Extra time and Dudek’s double save
The score did not change during the final 30 minutes of regulation time, despite a few chances for both sides. Then came extra time, played in heavy heat (even in May, Istanbul air felt heavy). Legs were tired, both teams progressed with caution.
117th minute. Milan got one last chance. Serginho crossed from the left on the touchline, Andriy Shevchenko nodded at six yards: Dudek deflected the ball off the post. It came back to Shevchenko, who controlled and shot at close range: Dudek, already on the ground, put out his right hand and somehow tipped the ball over the crossbar. This double save, nicknamed the save by commentators, became one of the most iconic stops in football history. Without it, Liverpool would have lost in stoppage time.
The end of extra time was signaled at 3-3. Next came the penalty shootout, at 1:00 a.m. local time. Steven Gerrard and Carlo Ancelotti selected their takers. For Liverpool, first taker would be Hamann, who had played with a marked-up foot but was chosen for his coolness. For Milan, it was Serginho who opened the shootout.
The penalty shootout, kick by kick
1st Milan taker: Serginho. His strike sailed over the crossbar. Miss. 0-0.
1st Liverpool taker: Hamann. He calmly scored at mid-height. 0-1.
2nd Milan taker: Pirlo. He shot to the right of Dudek, who dived well and saved the ball. Miss. 0-1.
2nd Liverpool taker: Cissé. He scored powerfully through the center. 0-2.
3rd Milan taker: Tomasson. He scored to the right of Dudek. 1-2.
3rd Liverpool taker: Riise. He shot to the right of Dida, who dived well and saved the ball. Miss. 1-2.
4th Milan taker: Kaká. He calmly scored to the left. 2-2.
4th Liverpool taker: Šmicer. He scored cleanly to the left of Dida. 2-3.
5th Milan taker: Shevchenko. To equalize, the Ballon d’Or winner had to score. He chose a central half-height strike, but Dudek, who was making gestures and theatrics, somehow tipped the ball away with both hands. Miss. Liverpool won 3-2 in the shootout.
On the pitch, Steven Gerrard dropped to his knees. Dudek was carried in triumph by his teammates. The 30,000 Reds supporters sang a You’ll Never Walk Alone that would stay in the memory of everyone who was there. Carlo Ancelotti, on the bench, put his head in his hands. Milan had lost a final they thought they had won by halftime.
Legacy: the fifth star forever
This victory gave Liverpool its fifth European Cup (after 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984). Under the UEFA rules in force then, a club winning the competition five times earned the right to keep the trophy permanently and to stitch a star onto its jersey. Liverpool was the first club to benefit from this rule, just before it was changed.
In sporting terms, the Istanbul miracle did not launch a dominant domestic cycle for Liverpool (the Reds would only win the Premier League in 2020), but it strengthened their European identity. The club returned to a final in 2007 (lost to AC Milan in Athens, Italian revenge) and another in 2018 (lost to Real Madrid in Kiev), before the 2019 victory in Madrid against Tottenham.
For the protagonists, Istanbul was a personal crowning. Steven Gerrard was voted best player of the final, and most likely of that European season. Jerzy Dudek became a living legend at Anfield despite a mixed career afterward. Rafael Benítez stayed at Liverpool until 2010, without winning the Premier League but by cementing that European standing. For the complete history of Liverpool, we published a dedicated piece placing Istanbul in the Reds’ long saga.
What to remember
- The Liverpool-Milan AC final was played on May 25, 2005, at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, in front of 69,000 spectators.
- Final score: 3-3 after extra time, Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties.
- Milan goals: Maldini (1st), Crespo (39th and 44th). Liverpool goals: Gerrard (54th), Šmicer (56th), Alonso (60th, from a saved-and-recovered penalty).
- Liverpool was down 3-0 at halftime before equalizing in six minutes after the break (54th to 60th).
- Jerzy Dudek made a decisive double save against Shevchenko in the 117th minute, then saved penalties from Pirlo and Shevchenko.
- In the shootout: Milan scored and missed with Serginho and Pirlo, then Kaká and Tomasson; Liverpool converted with Hamann, Cissé and Šmicer, with Riise missing.
- This was Liverpool’s 5th European Cup, which gave them the right to keep the trophy permanently.
Learn more
To explore the Liverpool universe in more detail, we recommend our pieces on the complete history of the club, on the history of the Reds’ red jersey, and on the origins of You’ll Never Walk Alone, the anthem chanted repeatedly in the Istanbul tunnel. Our piece on Manchester United’s 1999 treble revisits the other great English European turnaround.
Frequently asked questions
What was the score at halftime of the 2005 Istanbul final?
At halftime in Liverpool-Milan, the score was 3-0 to AC Milan. Maldini opened the scoring in the 1st minute, Crespo scored again in the 39th and then again in the 44th. The final seemed decided. Liverpool equalized in six minutes after the break (54th to 60th).
Who scored Liverpool’s goals?
Steven Gerrard headed in at the 54th minute (from a Riise cross), Vladimír Šmicer equalized at 3-2 in the 56th with a curling shot, and Xabi Alonso scored at the 60th by pushing in the rebound from his penalty that had first been saved by Dida (after Gattuso fouled Gerrard).
How did the penalty shootout go?
Liverpool won 3-2 in the shootout. For Milan: Serginho shot over, Pirlo had his shot saved by Dudek, Tomasson and Kaká scored, and Shevchenko had his shot saved by Dudek. For Liverpool: Hamann, Cissé and Šmicer scored; Riise had his shot saved by Dida.
Who was Liverpool’s coach in 2005?
Rafael Benítez, the Spanish manager who arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2004 from Valencia. He was the one who made the decisive tactical shift at halftime, bringing in Dietmar Hamann in defensive midfield to neutralize Kaká, and switching to a 3-5-2 system.
Why was Liverpool able to keep the trophy?
Under UEFA rules in force in 2005, a club that won the European Cup five times earned the right to keep the original trophy permanently and stitch a star on its jersey. The Istanbul win (5th title, after 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984) allowed Liverpool to benefit from that rule.
Recreate the moment with the Istanbul jersey
The Liverpool collection on our site brings together the 2005 Istanbul retro kit, current home, away, and third jerseys, plus a selection of the Reds’ iconic seasons.