So this match couldn't possibly live up to the breath-taking standard of the 2005 Champions League final meeting, could it? I didn't think so either, at least in terms of a big deficit and a big comeback by either side. What we got was a match in which Liverpool had the better first half, but failed to really mount any serious offensive challenges. At the death of the first half, AC Milan got on the scoreboard with a free kick from Filippo Inzaghi to give them the lead.
Though I was rooting for the Reds, I honestly didn't think they could get the lead after their performance in the first half, I was hoping that maybe they could take it to penalties again. Alas, Inzaghi scored a simple, but beautiful goal in the 82nd minute to seem to seal Liverpool's fate. Surely, with so little time left, there wasn't much chance again for a repeat of two years ago? Things got a little more tense in the 89th, when Dirk Kuyt headed one home in the 89th, and suddenly that repeat seemed possible again. However, some time wasting by Milan, and an announced 3 minutes of stoppage time that seemed to end at 2:45 put the finish on the match, not that the "extra" seconds would've mattered too much. All I know is that the Liverpool fans I sat with wanted Peter Crouch on earlier, and were quite happy when midfielder Boudewijn Zenden was subbed for in the second half.
At any rate, a lively crowd (and packed) crowd gathered at Rennie's to watch the proceedings, I grabbed a seat by the Liverpool contingent, where a flag and two scarves were on display (one of them was for the 2005 CL title); just before the match, a tape of You'll Never Walk Alone was played to get everybody going, most everybody in this end knew all of the words. A very nice touch. Even met again the Spurs fan watching the season ending game versus Charlton, he remembered me and pointed out a couple of other Spurs fans in the house. I was also happy not to have received a parking ticket, I parked on Alder by Cy's in a one hour space at 11:20, expecting to either plug the meter later. By the time 12:20 rolled around, there was no way I was gonna leave my seat in the crowded place for anything, I just said "to heck with it, a ticket can't be that much". Getting back to my car at nearly 2:00, I was more than a bit shocked to find that there was no paper of any kind placed between the windshield wipers. Yeah to that.....
UEFA RECAP
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