After a long wait, it finally arrived at 9:45 PM.
The referee blew the whistle to start the big battle on time.
In the stands below, fans from both sides were cheering wildly for their respective teams.
But who could have imagined that in the next 120 minutes, the two teams would cause their fans' emotions to reverse completely, and together they would deliver one of the most exciting and bizarre finals in Champions League history.
In fact, before the start of this match, or even before the start of the second half, the prevailing opinion in European football was that AC Milan could defeat Liverpool.
Some clues can be gleaned from the lineups of both sides.
Ancelotti's lineup today was undeniably luxurious. Up front were the peak-form Shevchenko and Crespo, followed by Kaká, Pirlo, Seedorf, and Gattuso. In defense, Nesta and Stam anchored the center, with Cafu and Maldini on the wings. The goalkeeper was Brazilian Dida, and the bench also featured stars like Rui Costa and Tomasson.
In contrast, Benitez's Liverpool has not only had a bumpy road to success, but also only Gerrard and Xabi Alonso can be considered world-class stars in the squad.
Whether in terms of player reputation or overall strength, AC Milan is far superior to Liverpool.
Therefore, Florentino, who is essentially neutral, also believes that AC Milan should win in the end.
But the course of the match was no different from Li Shiguang's memory.
Less than a minute into the game, Kaká's breakthrough on the right wing drew a foul from Liverpool, earning AC Milan a free kick in a good position. And AC Milan converted that free kick into a goal in less than a minute.
Pirlo delivered the ball, and AC Milan's legendary captain Maldini swept it across the six-yard box near Liverpool's penalty area, sending it directly into Dudek's goal and setting a new record for the fastest goal in a Champions League final.
Less than a minute into the game, AC Milan took a commanding 1-0 lead over Liverpool.
After taking the lead, AC Milan did not give up and continued to dominate the game.
Liverpool, on the other hand, suffered another setback when Kewell was injured in the 23rd minute and was replaced by Smicer.
Liverpool then seized an opportunity when Luis Garcia broke into the penalty area. Nesta went down and used his hand to block the ball, but the referee ruled it was a handball and did not award a penalty.
Just as Liverpool players were still arguing for a penalty, the experienced AC Milan immediately launched a counter-attack. Pirlo passed the ball directly to Kaká, who then dribbled forward and, facing the three remaining Liverpool defenders, passed the ball to Shevchenko. Shevchenko broke into the penalty area and crossed the ball in front of the goal, where Crespo arrived in time to easily kick the ball into the net. In the 39th minute, AC Milan made it 2-0.
However, Liverpool's nightmare in the first half was not over.
Just before the end of the first half, Pirlo and Kaká linked up again. Kaká received a through pass from Pirlo, turned and got past Gerrard who came to defend, and then Kaká delivered a brilliant through ball. Crespo was one-on-one with Dudek and easily put the ball into the goal.
Kaká was responsible for at least 70% of Crespo's two goals, delivering two brilliant passes that showcased his exceptional vision and passing skills.
Before the first half was even over, Liverpool were already down 0-3, seemingly having fallen into an abyss.
As the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, the players from both sides entered the players' tunnel one after another.
Shocked by Kaka's performance, Florentino, in front of Li Shiguang, had already arranged for his assistant to collect all of Kaka's information.
After arranging things, Florentino turned to Li Shiguang and said half-jokingly, "Li, it seems you misjudged today. Liverpool has been defeated by AC Milan. Hopefully, they won't concede any more goals in the second half."
But Li Shiguang, with a strange smile, raised his glass of red wine, took a sip, and said, "I don't think so. I know Liverpool's players. They won't be easily defeated. I bet 100 euros that Liverpool will still be the champion!"
Although Li Shiguang had wondered if the outcome of the match would change because of his presence as an unknown factor, after watching the first half, he felt that his little butterfly wings hadn't yet spread from England to Istanbul, and the final champion should still be Liverpool, who staged a dramatic comeback.
Hearing Li Shiguang's words, Florentino found himself increasingly unable to understand this young man from the East. He simply couldn't fathom how Liverpool, with their current form and squad, could possibly score four goals against AC Milan in the remaining 45 minutes. However, he wasn't indifferent to playing along, so he said, "Then I'll bet 100 euros that AC Milan will definitely be the final champions!"
But starting from the 53rd minute of the second half, the situation on the field changed dramatically, and a miracle was born!
Riise delivered two consecutive crosses from the left, sending the ball into AC Milan's penalty area. Liverpool captain Gerrard, seeing the pass, leaped high and headed the ball beautifully from near the penalty spot, making the score 3-1.
Liverpool also sounded the horn for a counterattack.
Less than three minutes later, substitute Smicer scored again with a long-range shot, beating Dida's goalkeeper.
Liverpool scored two goals in three minutes, making the score 3-2.
But the counterattack is not over yet.
In the 60th minute, Baros made a beautiful backheel pass in the penalty area, and Gerrard was stopped by Gattuso in the penalty area after receiving the ball. The referee awarded a penalty without hesitation.
Young Xabi Alonso then took the penalty. Although Dida saved his first shot, he calmly followed up and scored, miraculously leveling the score at 3-3 for Liverpool.
When the score was 3-1, Florentino still didn't think it was a big deal.
When the score was 3-2, he was secretly cursing AC Milan's players for being so disappointing.
When Alonso scored that goal, Florentino's eyes changed when he looked at Li Shiguang. At that moment, Li Shiguang seemed to be the incarnation of Jesus in his eyes!
Can this young man predict the future? Is it really as the media says, that he has a real knack for being a head coach? Otherwise, how do you explain his previous statement about understanding Liverpool's players?
The match was eventually dragged into a penalty shootout by the tenacious Liverpool, with Dudek making a crucial save from Shevchenko's shot. In the end, Liverpool defeated AC Milan 3-2 in the penalty shootout.
While Liverpool players and fans were celebrating wildly on the pitch.
Li Shiguang looked at Florentino with a mysterious smile and said, "Mr. Perez, thank you for providing me with the private room today. Consider the 100 euros as my rent."
He then left the box amidst Florentino's adoring gaze.
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