“I could not consider it then and I nonetheless cannot consider it now!”
Jamie Carragher laughs as he remembers Liverpool successful the 2005 Champions League ultimate towards AC Milan in Istanbul.
Reflecting on a ultimate for the ages, Carragher informed BBC Radio Merseyside what it was wish to be a part of the workforce that got here again from three targets all the way down to beat the Italian giants on penalties.
Commercial
“We had been a defensively sturdy workforce however after conceding a objective within the first minute the sport plan goes out of the window,” he mentioned. “I do not suppose the workforce Rafael Benitez chosen helped with that as a result of we had been far too open. He tried to place extra offensive gamers on the pitch however that blew up in our face.
“Coming off at half-time, I bear in mind considering ‘I do not need this to be 5 or 6 nil. I had no thought in my head that we might come again from it and elevate the trophy. I do not suppose anybody within the dressing room did.
“What we wished to do was cease it from being embarrassing and remembering this ultimate for all the flawed causes.
“Most of us had been shocked by what occurred within the first-half and I do not bear in mind us screaming or shouting at one another. I feel we simply knew what we had been up towards and that they’d been too good for us.
Commercial
“After Steven Gerrard scored we thought ‘properly the rating line would not look too dangerous now,’ however when it went to 3-2 you possibly can sense the sensation was altering. AC Milan followers had been getting extra nervous and I felt like we might get the third objective as a result of the momentum was with us.
“You could possibly really feel the vitality within the crowd to go ahead once more after which Xabi Alonso scored.
“We held on in extra-time. I had cramp and we had been all getting drained, however we knew what was at stake and penalties can be a lottery.
“I can image the lads’ faces once we gained and we had been working from the road. I could not consider it then and I nonetheless cannot consider it now!
“Everybody was simply in sheer disbelief. I used to be very fortunate to be a part of it.”