By: The Retro Pitch Published: April 17, 2026

If you simulated the 2005 final 1,000 times on a computer, AC Milan would win 999 of them. But football is not played on a spreadsheet. It is played on a humid Turkish night, where men turn into legends and 3–0 leads evaporate in six maddening minutes.

"Hello, hello!" screamed Andy Gray.

Then came the shootout. And the final act of the "crack."

Then there was . Rafa Benítez’s side had limped out of the Premier League title race by October. They were defensive, pragmatic, and, frankly, boring. They finished second in their group behind Monaco , losing 1–0 to Olympiacos at home.