Rafa Benitez recalls half-time message to Liverpool stars in Istanbul

Former Reds manager Rafa Benitez has given the public access into what happened at half-time when Liverpool were 3-0 down against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul.

The 3-0 deficit, which was down to Paolo Maldini and a Hernan Crespo double, seemed impossible to recover.

However, the changes that Benitez made at half-time inspired the Reds to launch an incredible comeback.

Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso got the Reds back on level terms, which eventually led to the Anfield club claiming the match in a penalty shootout.

The match had rattled everyone involved with Liverpool, including Benitez himself. There was so much going on at half-time that Benitez ended up fielding 12 players on his board.

“I wanted to play three at the back, that was the idea,” said Benitez, speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

“When I finished, I was explaining everything then I was told Finnan couldn’t play another 45 minutes.

“We had already lost Kewell and Hamann was coming on so we couldn’t change another.

“I wanted to explain how we would play, have more control over Kaka through Hamann. That was fine.

“Then I was thinking Djibril Cisse on the right. I put him on the board instead of Luis Garcia and then someone told me we had 12! It was so complicated!”

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ISTANBUL, TURKEY – MAY 25: Liverpool defender John Arne Riise of Norway (R) and winger Harry Kewell of Australia lifts the European Cup after Liverpool won the European Champions League against AC Milan on May 25, 2005 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

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Carragher, who played centre-half for Liverpool on the night, joined Benitez on Sky Sports to discuss the issues the Liverpool manager faced at half-time.

“I remember coming in, because your English wasn’t great, you just said ‘Traore shower’,” Carragher said.

“Djimi Traore got changed and went to shower but the physio was with Steve Finnan and he couldn’t continue.

“He wasn’t too happy and I think of Rafa saying ‘Finnan shower, Traore out the shower’.

“We only had 15 minutes. Didi Hamann was outside warming up as he was about to come on.”

It just goes to show how pressurised a Champions League final is. When one considers the chaotic events that took place at half-time, the comeback is even more spectacular.

The 2005 Champions League trophy was Liverpool’s last piece of major silverware until the Reds defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid.

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Source: anfieldhq.com