ISTANBUL - Greatest comebacks in the European Cup/Champions League after Liverpool beat AC Milan here on Wednesday:
1956
Real Madrid (ESP) 4 Reims (FRA) 3
Real trailed 2-0 to the French side and then 3-2 - future France national coach Michel Hidalgo scoring Reims' third in the 62nd minute - before winning it with two goals in the last 18 minutes with Jose Hector Rial sealing the come from behind victory with the second of his double 11 minutes from time.
1962
Benfica (POR) 5 Real Madrid (ESP) 3
Real saw history reverse itself as they let slip a 2-0 lead and then a 3-2 advantage - Ferenc Puskas scoring a hat-trick for the Spaniards - as the Portuguese stormed back to take the trophy. The ley was the shackling of Puskas in the second-half and then the flowering of their own great player, Eusebio, as the Mozambique-born Portuguese international scored a brace in 10 second-half minutes to kill off Rreal's hopes.
1999
Manchester United (ENG) 2 Bayern Munich (GER) 1
Bayern were just a minute away from winning the trophy before two goals in a minute by Teddy Sheringham and appropriately the 'Baby Faced Assassin' Ole-Gunnar Solsjkaer stole the cup from under the Germans noses. United - without inspirational captain Roy Keane, who was suspended - admitted afterwards that the sight of Mario Basler strolling off the pitch when he was substituted midway through the second-half and clapping to the Bayern fans had irritated them so much they had used that as a major motivating factor.
2005
Liverpool (ENG) 3 AC Milan (ITA) 3 - Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties
Liverpool staged the greatest ever comeback in the whole of the European Cup as they came from 3-0 down at half-time to level the match at the end of full-time and win the game 3-2 on penalties. Their hero was Polish goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, who made a spectacular double save right at the end of extra-time from Andriy Shevchenko and then saved from Andrea Pirlo and the unfortunate Shevchenko in the shootout to give Liverpool their fifth European Cup and first since 1984. It enabled Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez to emulate Jose Mourinho in winning the UEFA Cup and Champions League in successive seasons - though Benitez became the first coach to guide two different teams to the respective trophies in successive seasons having tasted UEFA Cup glory with Valencia.
05/25/2005 22:31 GMT