May 25th is the anniversary of the Miracle of Istanbul, Liverpool’s glorious comeback against AC Milan in the Champions League final.
15 years later, the Anfield faithful still recall that night like it was only yesterday but we’ve been wondering how the once-in-a-lifetime game might have gone down had Twitter been around in 2005.
1. Twenty years from their last European Cup final Liverpool are back in the big time
2. The journey from Taksim Square to the Ataturk is not without its complications
3. The atmosphere is building outside the ground
4. And the media have hit warp speed on the big day
5. Others envisage a tricky night ahead for Liverpool’s gangly full back
When you realise Andriy Shevchenko has scored twice as many goals as anyone on the Liverpool team this season pic.twitter.com/ck1PcmoRAn
— Funny Football (@Funny____Footy) May 13, 2015
6. There are stats. Lots of stats. There’s always stats
7. And the ITKs are already looking further ahead
8. Current players have their say, but nobody wants to hear from them
9. The team news drops. A certain Aussie starts for Liverpool
10. At least one set of fans is happy with his inclusion
AC Milan fans finding out Harry Kewell is starting be likehttps://t.co/U8KXG8HZo8
— FootballLOLS (@Football__LOLS) May 15, 2015
11. These are the nights that Clive Tyldesley lives for…
What the hell is Clive Tyldesley smoking?!https://t.co/QNExxHt2MA
— Funny Football (@Funny____Footy) May 19, 2015
Peep!!
The game finally gets underway
1 min: Paolo Maldini gets Milan off to a flyer
To the delight of some people …
Liverpool after just one minute trying to compete with the big boyshttps://t.co/Yd7KGcQcZf
— 15 Times (@15TimesMUFC) May 14, 2015
22 min: Surprise, surprise – a certain Aussie is struggling
THAT challenge that put an end to Harry Kewell's Champions League final #Mincinghttps://t.co/jHYuwMcxTX
— Stratton Bookmakers (@StrattonBookies) May 19, 2015
Cue: Derision
Harry Kewell…https://t.co/EhZcSrqbkB
— Blue Square (@BlueSquareBook) May 19, 2015
39 min: Liverpool are caught on the break and Crespo makes it 2-0
41: Oh dear. Crespo makes it 3-0 and the party starts for everyone but Liverpool
An ex-Liverpool striker offers compassion, but nobody wants to listen
The one thing that unites Liverpool and United fans? Neither can believe what’s happening
Half time: The Milan fans are celebrating
On the message boards, Chelsea fans are celebrating too
The official Liverpool FC account decides to keep things brief… and honest
Back in the stadium, some fans have seen enough …
Though not all …
We're going nowhere. Believehttps://t.co/QUyFkcxK3N
— I'm in Istanbul (@ImInIstanbul) May 20, 2015
Hope comes from certain quarters
Someone has a ‘source’. There’s always a source
The teams are back out at the Ataturk
But an Irish legend is missing
The second half is underway. Liverpool didn’t think it could get any worse but Jerzy Dudek is giving it a pretty good go
Jesus fucking Christ
Take him off NOW – I don't care if we've one sub left. You don't win cups with Dudek in netshttps://t.co/uONTc0uJXR— Rome 1984 (@1984Rome) May 20, 2015
Andy Townsend is definitely making things worse
While Djimi Traore is just being Djimi Traore
Djimi Traore has been Milan's best player so farhttps://t.co/JEcPqPU5vM
— Funny Football (@Funny____Footy) May 20, 2015
54 min: Gerrard intervenes. Hope. Not much hope, but hope all the same
Thankfully there’s a journalist at hand to tell everyone the real importance of the thing they’ve just seen themselves with their own eyes
56 min: After six seasons of making a passable imitation of a footballer, Vladimir Smicer finally decides to come good. Liverpool 2 Milan 3
Andy Townsend isn’t impressed
59 min: Gerrard goes down. Penalty! It’s soft but no one cares. Well, someone cares
60 min: Xabi Alonso misses the penalty
60 min + a few seconds: Xabi Alonso scores the rebound
There’s nothing like a live internet poll at a time of mass hysteria
Things are really getting out of hand now. The game has officially lost the plot
It’s a long journey back into town for those who left at the break
Things are really getting out of hand now
Djimi Traore is so good, he even cleans up after Dudek's mess!https://t.co/OGRNvfEc15
— FootballLOLS (@Football__LOLS) May 20, 2015
Jamie Carragher is everywhere, absolutely everywhere
The Chelsea message boards have gone quiet
90 min: And breathe…
Extra time is the kind of cagey encounter everyone expected from the off
With players dropping with cramp, Rafa tightens up
Milan miss the only chance of the first half (of extra time)
Half time. Again
Piers Morgan has his say…
The ‘my sport is better than your sport’ brigade make an appearance…
The game is going to penalties. Everyone knows it. Just blow it up, ref
Andy Townsend is still managing to aggravate people
Dudek flaps unconvincingly at a corner
But then his moment arrives. Arise, Sir Jerzy
We’re going to penalties and there’s only one reason that has happened. Dudek is now the hero
#ThingsJerzyDudekWouldSave Del Boy pic.twitter.com/0k2VPLzwk2
— Blue Square (@BlueSquareBook) May 21, 2015
#ThingsJerzyDudekWouldSave pic.twitter.com/boU5auay1A
— 15 Times (@15TimesMUFC) May 21, 2015
Mrs Doyle#ThingsJerzyDudekWouldSave pic.twitter.com/PcGXpnTKSL
— Father Ted Reactions (@FrTedReactions) May 21, 2015
#ThingsJerzyDudekWouldSave
Ireland's World Cup pic.twitter.com/34pAOoGpRH— FootballLOLS (@Football__LOLS) May 21, 2015
Jerzy Dudek right now pic.twitter.com/vrZjpyv8ki
— Stratton Bookmakers (@StrattonBookies) May 21, 2015
It all comes down to penalties but someone has the inside track
Cue: Bedlam
Unbelievable scenes!https://t.co/zNzjE8RefZ
— Funny Football (@Funny____Footy) May 21, 2015
12. Now it’s Carlo Ancelotti’s turn to feel the heat
13. The celebrations are going on and on
THIS. IS. LIFE#Champions pic.twitter.com/gTsNtCAmab
— Rome 1984 (@1984Rome) May 21, 2015
14. Some are struggling to accept it
15. An explanation for the madness we’ve all just witnessed
16. A payrise for the social media guru at Carlsberg, please
17. Someone shouldn’t have left
18. The captain signs off with the promise of many more to come…
