A night when nothing quite went right for Liverpool was summed up in the third minute of stoppage time, when Steven Gerrard controlled a Milan clearance, set himself up and let fly, only to see his shot charged down.
The tens of thousands of Liverpool fans, hands clasped, will have been hoping for the sort of logic defying last gasp of drama that Gerrard provided in the FA Cup final against West Ham at the end of last season. It didn’t come, but that was about right for a night when, for all the immense support they received from the crowd, Liverpool seemed to lack conviction.
From the awkwardly positioned press box here at the Olympic Stadium, level with the Liverpool goal in the first half, my main impression was of seeing Liverpool send over a series of wasted crossed. From Jermaine Pennant on the right they seemed to be regularly overhit, while Bolo Zenden’s efforts from the left were being blocked, and that was when he wasn’t giving the ball away.
But then, even if every cross had been perfectly executed would Liverpool have gone ahead? Peter Crouch, the club’s top scorer in Europe this season, was left on the bench for all but the last 12 minutes when he might have been expected to make the most of whatever the wide men could give him.
Milan got a touch of luck with the deflection on Inzaghi’s goal just before half-time. It meant Liverpool had no choice but to leave more gaps at the back, and gave Kaka the chance to set up predator Pippo to score a goal that reminded me of Raul’s clinching third in the 2000 final for Real Madrid against Valencia. From there, there was no way back, even if Kuyt’s header gave them a glimmer of hope.
The fans still greeted the final whistle with a chorus of You’ll never Walk Alone, and continued applauding, singing and cheering even as Paolo Maldini walked up the steps to accept the European Cup from Michel Platini. They could hardly have made more noise if they’d won.
Sorry to the Liverpool fans who’ve made so many comments over the last few days, and keep coming back, please. There’s always Moscow in 2008.
Kevin Fylan, Athens
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7 comments so far
Is it just me or does it seem like most Champions League finals with Italian teams in them are invariably disappointing, if not dull?
- Posted by Erikwasn’t disappointing to me! screamed myself hoarse, together with two other friends.
- Posted by ballack's missing hairIt was disappointing, but I didn’t find it dull: it was a white knuckle ride of wasted chances. The beer was flowing and the entire pub was cheering Liverpool on (even though most are crestfallen Leeds United fans). A top night.
- Posted by fionaHope those crushed Liverpool fans can recover from their disappointment and get back to their jobs soon.
- Posted by erikErik, I’d agree with the other posters and say I don’t think it was a boring game. It wasn’t a classic, of course, but it was always tense. If Liverpool had scored that goal a few minutes earlier we might have had some real fun…
- Posted by Kevin FylanIt was a crap final, utterly depressing, and Liverpool must be kicking themselves for not stuffing that Milan team. No excuses for my namesake. Why on earth was Crouch left on the bench and why, when Liverpool have loads of good midfielders, did he play Zenden? Time’s up for Zenden, Riise, Bellamy, Gonzalez, Fowler and probably a few others. Time to make one or two big signings and rely on youngsters to fill any holes.
- Posted by RafaIt was the fairest result over 2 CL finals.
- Posted by Five Times