There I was at 7.30pm tuned into ITV1 to watch the Champions League final between two teams steeped in European history, at that moment, never would I have thought that I would have seen a game like that unfold before my eyes.
As my housemates took sanction in the local SU bar, I opted for the comfort of the living room, armed with cigarettes and alcohol and a great view of the TV.
I was ready to see a great game, secretly hoping
Imagine my horror, as
Benitez gambled with playing Harry Kewell, had rarely played this season, and with Hamman on the bench to make way for the Aussie winger Liverpool's midfield was exposed by Milan as they ran the ball around Gerrard and Alonso with ease, and it paid off towards the end of the half as Shevchenko broke away down the right flank in a sweeping attack, and crossed for Crespo to turn home from close range.
Kewell had already gone after 22 minutes with an injury, replaced by Smicer and the situation worsened for Benitez as
The first half was poor from a Liverpool/British (even Everton fans were supporting Liverpool last night!!) perspective, the
After the final six minutes of the half where Crespo - who according to some media outlets would not play through injury - almost guaranteed
But of course, how foolish of me to almost forget for one minute who
Hamman coming on for an injured Finnan and the side reverting to a 3-4-2-1 formation was the turning point, and a rare header from captain Gerrard stunned the
We soon saw a more confident
A confident strike from Vladirmir Smicer - possibly playing his last game for the club - found its way beyond Dida in the Milan goal minutes later and it was very much game on as Gerrard and co realised they could comeback from the jaws of defeat.
And it was the rise of Gerrard's confidence in the second half that was the catalyst for
While there was no sending off, when there should have been from the Spanish official, it was another Spaniard, Xabi Alonso, who was charged with coverting the ensuing penalty.
Dida saved the penalty diving well to his right, however, the reaction of Alonso was quicker than that of the Brazilian keeper and he slotted the ball high into the roof of the net, much to the delight of the red army in the stands around them.
Liverpool were playing free-flowing football now, with confidence high as they went in search of what would have been an amazing winning goal with thirty minutes to play.
That goal never came, despite plenty chances, a Shevchenko shot cleared off the line by Djimi Traore, and Jamie Carragher solid at the back for Liverpool, regularly keeping his head while his fellow defenders lost theirs was a major part of Liverpool keeping a clean sheet in the second half.
Extra time it was then and
Faced with another European final shoot-out final, millions of fans braced themselves for the cruellest of outcomes to a game, which had me running for another beer before Serginho stepped up to take the first penalty for Milan.
Dudek, was in gamesmanship mood, and his prancing on the line was enough to put the Brazilian off, with his poorly stuck shot blazing high and wide, much to the delight of the red contingency in the crowd.
First up for Liverpool was Didi Hamman, who made no mistake with his effort slotting it to Dida's right to give
Next came Pirlo, and Dudek's gamesmanship continued, presenting the ball to the Italian, before dancing on his line and making a save that would see
Looking back at the penalty though, if I had been the referee, there would have been a re-take - just look at how far Dudek was off his line when he made the save.
Next up for
A confident strike from the Frenchman doubled their lead, with even more pressure on
Former Newcastle United forward Jon Dahl Tomasson converted his penalty before a well-placed Jon Arne Risse penalty was kept out by Dida, diving to his right to give
Brazilian midfielder Kaka, who had faded in the second half, was the only other penalty scorer for
With Dudek insistent on looking foolish on the goal line, it would be that foolishness which made Shevchenko weakly hit the ball straight down the middle allowing Dudek to make the match winning save and spark scenes of wild celebration across the world.
My phone was being bombarded with texts from jubilant Liverpool mates ecstatic about their win, and car horns could be heard on the streets of
If it was a rollercoaster of a ride for armchair fans, and those in pubs alike, imagine what it was like for the 30,000+ inside the Ataturk Stadium, some paying thousands of pounds to make it, and one person I know of, booking a week's holiday in Turkey this week, just because it was cheaper to get a package holiday deal to Turkey than it was to secure flights to Istanbul for the game.
Truly remarkable win for Rafa Benitez's side, who at times in the tournament were looking out of it, yet battled bravely back on numerous occasions, defeating the likes of Juventus and Chelsea on their route to the final, and of course Milan in the final. Nobody can say
Let's just hope that common sense prevails at UEFA and they grant
As Jamie Carragher said last night after the game, this will be remembered for years to come as one of the best, if not the best, UEFA Champions League final, and few could argue. The joy on the faces of every
Many fans have doubted the tactics and decisions of Rafa Benitez throughout his first season in charge at Anfield, but you cannot doubt the fact that Spaniard Rafael Benitez - who won the UEFA Cup last season with