What's the night like in Istanbul?

As a fan, it is hard to forget such a night, such a game, the impossible task, the most incredible reversal, the eternal miracle in the history of football, the unsolved mystery and the night of God's arrival. ........

The following is the wonderful blog post of Liverpool fan "lonely_eagle" after watching the game. I think this is the best song tonight. Post it for everyone to enjoy, and the copyright belongs to the "Lonely _ Eagle" friend, hehe.

Maybe there are many classics, maybe there are many miracles, maybe you can only watch them once in your life, maybe this memory doesn't exist ... but one thing is certain, there is only one night in Istanbul. This is Istanbul night on May 25th, 2005. Istanbul in history, also known as Constantinople, spans Europe and Asia. It was once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, and has always played a prominent role in history.

On April 24th, 2004, I took the first and last IELTS test.

Liverpool reached the finals four times in five finals, with a success rate of 80%; AC Milan reached the finals nine times and won the championship six times, with a success rate of 66.7%.

Liverpool won the championship in red jerseys four times, and the losers in the final all wore white jerseys; In the first nine Champions League finals, Milan wore white jerseys six times, five of which won the championship, and the last four won the championship in white. Tonight, the red and white showdown is staged again.

Two years ago, AC Milan of Italy won the championship after eliminating Inter Milan in the semi-final; Two years later, Liverpool, the former English overlord, came here on the shoulders of Chelsea, the current Premier League king.

1984, the Pope died, Prince Charles married Diana, and Liverpool, England defeated Rome, Italy, and won the championship for the last time. In 2005, the Pope died again, Prince Charles married his old love, and Liverpool once again met Italy's arch-rival ..... If fate is really doomed, which side will God take? preface

52 seconds. This is the time taken by Milan captain paolo maldini to score the fastest goal in the 50 finals of the Champions League. Before the game, it was generally believed that the final goal between Liverpool and Milan, the world's best defensive team, who had not conceded a goal in four consecutive knockout matches, would not exceed one … accident.

20 minutes. This is the time that Kerviel, who has just returned from injury, insisted on on on the court. From his sad expression when he left the court, I seemed to see his bleeding heart. Liverpool, one goal behind, was forced to make a hasty transfer and replaced veteran Smicer. Liverpool's brief offensive after conceding the goal ended with this substitution. God is smiling ... falling apart.

Gerard+Alonso. This is a world-class double defender that Liverpool is proud of. In their defensive position, Milan's young and handsome Kaka, like nobody's business, repeatedly released a deadly direct pass and stabbed Liverpool's heart again and again ... Finally, after several offsides and missed opportunities, the goal of Liverpool was scored twice by opportunist Crespo in 39 minutes and 44 minutes. Milan were celebrating, Liverpool fans were silent, the commentator asserted that the two teams were not in the same class, and my mind was blank ... At the end of the half-time, the TV screen locked the close-up on the big screen, and you could clearly see the dazzling 0:3, and the commentator kept repeating their hopes. They sincerely wish Liverpool not to lose face in front of people all over the world and not to surpass Barcelona's nightmare of swallowing four eggs from Milan. The clock points to 3: 30 in the morning. I turned off the light, and it was dark and silent all around, only the light from the TV and the endless comments. Looking at the mobile phone, I found that the tears that I was as excited as before the game had fallen into silence, and I didn't have the heart to encourage her, because I collapsed myself. "I don't have much hope. Liverpool beat the strong with the weak again and again. I'm very happy to have come this far. Forget it, some things can't be forced, "I said to myself ... lying in bed with the TV on, I'm not sleepy at all. I kept thinking, "I don't know how long it will take to see the Liverpool final, at least the second half." So I turned over again and continued to stare at the TV. God is smirking ... replacement.

Before the start of the second half, I saw Haman's figure and decided to make a last-ditch effort. I used Haman to freeze Kaka and played 3 defenders instead. After the opening ceremony, the scene still didn't improve. Traore, who sleepwalked in the first half, continued to sleep, and Hipia's slow pace was still easily thrown off by Kaka. Milan people want to win, chase bandits, break through, make free throws and corner kicks. For a time, I thought it was more practical to target Barcelona ... six minutes.

People's fate can be changed in one decision, and the result of Istanbul night can also be changed in six minutes. Without warning, captain Steven Gerrard blew the horn of counterattack with his rare header. Up to now, I can clearly remember that the captain kept waving his hands in the middle circle after scoring the goal and encouraged his teammates to refuel with his spirit. This photo has since been fixed as one of countless eternal images of Istanbul night. Liverpool fans are singing "You will never walk alone" again. Subsequently, veteran Smicer, whose contract will end after the game, replaced Kewell, once again leaving Dida helpless with impeccable long-range shots. At this time, having learned that the club would not renew his contract, he pulled up the team emblem of the team uniform on his chest, kissed it affectionately twice, and then put it down ... The scene began to boil, and once the long-lost Red Army fans recovered their status, the whole football field was immediately submerged by the red ocean. In the blink of an eye, before I can catch my breath, the captain has been pulled down in the Milan penalty area, penalty kick! Liverpool have never had a good penalty taker. Who will kick this once-in-a-lifetime penalty for many players this time? It's Alonso, a Spaniard who has just joined the team for less than a season. Carrying everyone's hopes, Alonso started and ran, one step, two steps, three steps ... The ball really flew to the lower right corner of the goal, and when he was about to enter the door, Dida's long arm was displayed, and his fingertips touched the ball and was saved. Before I knew it, I saw Alonso leap forward, shovel on the ground and hang the ball on the corner ... 3: 3! ! The Olympic Stadium in Istanbul is completely out of control, and the camera is aimed at the cold face of Milan coach Ann Serotti. Behind him, there are red fans who are partying and a huge screen showing 3: 3 ... I picked up my mobile phone and sent a short message to the tears of the night, with only one word: "God will".

When a person's physical strength is overdrawn, the only thing he can rely on is will. When the game entered overtime, Garcia and Smicer suffered cramps one after another, even the captain's range of activities was greatly reduced, and the expressions on the players' faces changed from excitement and tension to numbness and even pain. The rhythm of both sides has slowed down, the dominant technology has created many opportunities, and the door of Liverpool is swaying in the wind and rain. Carragher, the central defender and vice captain, appeared in the camera the most times. He steals again and again, blocks again and again, fights for the top again and again, falls to the ground again and again, and gets up again and again. After falling to the ground again, he struggled on the ground, but could not move. The team doctor came in and he was carried off the court. Judging from his painful expression, I'm afraid he can't continue the game. By this time, Liverpool had used up three substitution places ... The commentator began to talk about the prospect of losing the main central defender and playing one less player. They are generally pessimistic, and I can't help frowning. Just as the commentator shook his head regretfully, the camera aimed at Carragher again. He stood up again and limped into the arena with a broken leg. When the ball flew into the heart of Liverpool, the commentator discussed how long he could last. Carragher stretched out his injured leg with all his last strength and shoveled the ball out of bounds in front of the Milan striker. When he stood up slowly, he touched his other leg. Obviously, his other leg was injured because of that extreme action just now. Carragher, who pulled a groin strain in both legs, finally played 120 minutes, and Milan didn't score again. God bless.

There is another reason not to concede a goal, and that is God's blessing. I'm afraid Duddeck never dreamed how he blocked Shevchenko's powerful shot less than 1 m from the gate. It was not so much his save as Shevchenko deliberately kicked the ball in his face. At this point, there are only 4 minutes left before the end of the game ... God smiled and left ... judgment.

Before entering the final penalty shoot-out, everyone except the 22 players on the court seemed to understand what happened tonight, and penalty seems to be a routine. From the comparison of the eyes of the two teams, it is obvious that the wandering Milan players can't believe the first 120 minutes, while the Liverpool soldiers only have firm and murderous eyes. Duddeck is an exception among Liverpool players, and his funny water snake dance is the only anger in the suffocating penalty shoot-out. Sepcenko didn't beat the water snake dance in the end. No, it should be said that he didn't defeat God in the end. Two years ago, his last penalty made Milan win the championship. Two years later, his last penalty put Liverpool at the top of Europe again after 20 years! (Note: Duddeck fouled Sheva and Pirlo by jumping out of the door early in the penalty kicks, but the referee didn't blow it. All the athletes rushed into the stadium, hugging, jumping and running wildly ... I couldn't believe what I saw. I don't know whether the first half was my dream or I fell asleep after the first half. The victory scene in front of me is my dream. I quickly sent a short message to Night Tears. This time it is an idiom: "Heaven forbid." Soon, the night replied that she was so happy and was hugging her friend tightly. I sent the same message to my college roommate Xiaodong, a loyal fan of Milan. He called me evil. Turn on the computer, all Liverpool forums are buzzing, and all kinds of pictures and comments are pouring in. I saw one of the signatures: "Unbeliverpool, adj/n, was included in Istanbul Oxford Dictionary on May 25th, 2005".

I finally proved that everything in front of me is true.

Outside the window, the sky has turned white and the clock points to six o'clock. postscript

Above Liverpool fans ~

But as a Milan fan, I can't believe my eyes. We cheered at 3: 0 in the first half. But maybe it was Milan's lounge. Sheva opened champagne in advance to celebrate, which angered God and gave Milan such a helpless ending.