The tragedy of Istanbul.

The sky had certainly fallen on Carlo Ancelotti and his player who just etched their name in thin air after their embarrassment against Liverpool in Istanbul. The issue was not to lose a final; Milan didn’t lose the final; they threw it away in the most awkward fashion. It would have been better to lose by a large margin and accept inferiority but to behold the victory, caress it, and invariably reject it was the truth of the scenario by a large mile.

Funny enough, Milan had a reputation for winning the UEFA champions league six times only second to Real Madrid. They were made for great stages like these finals. It wasn’t a case of being an underdog. Seven out of Milan’s key players already won the trophy two years before against Juventus. It was familiar turf for them. But the tides changed, and an extraordinary event manifested the despair of Milan’s ten of million fans across the globe.

Milan was up by three goals in the first 45 minutes. It felt as if they were home and dry, but Liverpool emerged from the dressing room like basilisks who just shed out their skins and looked very venomous.

And yes, the venom struck Milan so much that they lost the 3-goal cushion eventually. Milan lost that game on penalties. It was a miracle for Liverpool and a tragedy for Milan. In goalkeeper Dida’s exact words, ‘Sometimes when we watch the match, we can’t still believe it. We still think about it, we got so close. How could it be?”.

The Athenian Redemption.

Milan had the chance to redeem themselves in 24 months albeit in a different city this time, Athens. This time Liverpool started with the fireworks but this time, Milan were calm. This time around, there was no anxious Shevchenko or gun-blazing Crespo. But they had a much-matured talisman in Kaka and a more composed and clinical Pippo Inzaghi leading the attacking mission.

It was a very nervy encounter, but Maldini’s experience gave directional leadership at the backline. Inzaghi’s two goals ratified the redemption process for Milan. They might have found redemption in Athens but might never completely heal from Instabul’s scars.

The Athenian redemption couldn’t erase the eternal regret of the final they lost 2 years earlier.