Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise has admitted that he wanted to “go home” after he was left “ashamed” by the Reds’ first-half performance versus AC Milan in the Champions League final in 2005.
The Norwegian full-back earned his place in Anfield folklore after forming part of the fabled side led by Rafa Benitez that became European champions in Istanbul nearly two decades ago. Falling three goals behind to a strike from Paulo Maldini and a double from Hernan Crespo before the interval against Carlo Ancelotti’s outfit, it appeared that Liverpool were down and out.
However, the Merseysiders miraculously rallied with a six-minute comeback for the ages after the break with Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso scoring to level proceedings at 3-3 in the second-half. From there, they were able to hold off Milan to force extra-time and penalties – where they prevailed to earn a historic fifth European Cup crown.
Now, former Reds ace Riise has opened up on the scenes at half-time in the Liverpool locker room as the players tried to digest falling 3-0 down in the first 45 minutes of the affair. Speaking to Ladbrokes, the official betting partner of Liverpool FC, he admitted that he did not even want to come out to play the second half.
Revealing his state of mind, he said: “Every day, I get asked the same question about Istanbul in 2005: what happened at half-time? What did Rafa [Benitez] say at half-time? Or what was I thinking at half-time? And I always give the same answer: I wanted to go home, basically.
“I was ashamed of that first-half. We didn’t play that bad, but 3-0 down after 45 minutes was really, really bad,” he continued, admitting Liverpool appeared out of the contest. “It could’ve been 4-0 as well, as they had a goal disallowed. It could’ve been a disaster night for us, but this is why we love football.
The left-back, who represented the Reds between 2001 and 2008, was among those who were able to raise their game in the second-half – en route to one of the most memorable comebacks in soccer history. He provided an assist with a cross for captain Gerrard, who headed the ball home to start off the team’s resurgence on the night.
He continued: “That break at half-time was probably the toughest mental test for me, because we were 3-0 down with 45 minutes to go in the biggest game of our lives. So may fans travelled over to support us, millions and millions of people were watching around the world, and we had to try and prepare ourselves to get through another 45 minutes!”
Although Riise went on to miss his penalty attempt in the shootout, Liverpool still prevailed in the shootout, with the Norwegian admitting that the victory was very much a team effort on the night.
He added: “In individual sport, it would’ve probably been easier to deal with, because it’s all on you; you can change your mentality – but in football, you need 10 other guys to do the same. You know, I might have been ready, but what if seven of the others weren’t? We needed 11 players ready to go out and fight, and thankfully that’s what we had.”
