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Former AC Milan full-back Cafu has spoken about his side’s premature celebration at half-time in their remarkable defeat to Liverpool in the finals of Champions League 2005, ESPN reports. The Brazillian’s team were in cruise control at half-time when they took a three-goal lead over the Merseyside outfit in Europe’s elite club competition, but Liverpool came from behind to defeat Milan.
Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey hosted one of the best Champions League finals in history. The mighty Reds equalised and cancelled AC Milan's three-goal lead through Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso in a seven-minute spell which eventually took the game to penalties.
Former Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek made a stunning save to Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty kick in normal time, which could have made it 4-3 to Milan. Dudek followed up his heroics by cancelling out Andrea Pirlo and Shevchenko’s spot kicks in the shootout to lift the trophy.
The World Cup winner confirmed that his team did get carried away with themselves.
"It is true, yes," he said when asked whether Milan had been celebrating in the dressing room.
"We scored three great goals against a Liverpool team that was one of the most tactically aware sides I have ever faced – we thought it was our day, and we relaxed.”
"When they scored the first two, we felt the impact. When they netted the third we just couldn't believe it.”
“It wasn't Milan's fault; Liverpool deserved that comeback. I have big admiration for Liverpool: maybe another team wouldn't show so much character to get level after trailing 3-0 at half-time.”
"Actually I realised it was all lost even before the penalty shootout started, when Shevchenko missed that clear opportunity right in front of Dudek during extra time."
2007 Champions League victory was all down to experience: Cafu
Milan players and fans were all gutted at the end of the final whistle, but two years on from their nightmare show at Istanbul, Milan avenged Liverpool when they beat them 2-1 in Athens to claim the prize. Cafu has insisted the victory was all down to experience.
"It was a very experienced team. I was 36, [Paolo] Maldini 38, [Alessandro] Costacurta 41 and Serginho 35," Cafu added.
"We knew it was our last chance to win that trophy, but we were very calm.”
"Not many teams could play with that tranquillity. After Pippo [Inzaghi] scored with Pirlo's assist, I knew this time it was ours: in the 2005 final that kind of opportunity would definitely have been squandered."
