Milan legend Alessandro Costacurta does not believe his teammates failed to defeat Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final, despite building a three-goal lead in just six minutes.
After a shot by Paolo Maldini and a pair from Hernan Crespo AC Milan Leading 3-0 in the first half of the final, it seemed impossible that the Italian giants would lose control of the next one Champions League crown. Except that it was Liverpool fight to take the match to penalties and ultimately win.
However, Costacurta, who spent over 20 years in Milan during his playing career and spent the entire 2005 final as an unused substitute, still praises the team that played against the Reds in Istanbul.
Milan didn’t go down, but they did become complacent against Liverpool
“I think the Rossoneri team that played in Istanbul was the greatest Milan of all the finals we played in, apart from the final against Steaua in 1989,” says Costacurta. FourFourTwo. “For 114 minutes we played an extraordinary, beautiful match, but… [the other] We were doomed to a draw for six minutes and then lost on penalties.
“I understand that conceding three goals in just six minutes means that at the beginning of the second half we thought we had already won. Anyone who has played at a high level knows this feeling: when you are leading 2-0, your opponent is shocked and you think the game is over.
“We underestimated Liverpool’s strength of character. After equalizing, we created many more chances. I understand why this is a topic worth discussing, but I will repeat: this was one of the best Milan in the history of modern football. The goals from Hernan Crespo and Paolo Maldini are extraordinary.”
Costacurta goes on to suggest that complacency had set in and that small details in the build-up to the goals were the reason for Liverpool’s failure to maintain the lead, rather than the real disaster.
“When you see Liverpool goals, Cocoa he ties his shoelaces when Steven Gerrard comes home – this shows that we were not 100% focused [in fact, the ball passed Kaka while he adjusted a shinpad and Vladimir Smicer made it 3-2]– he adds.
“But we didn’t fall. We lost concentration for six minutes. For the remaining 114 minutes we were extraordinary. Fortunately, we got our revenge two years later in Athens.”
