Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso says he was “embarrassed” at half-time in their 2005 Champions League final comeback victory against AC Milan
The Reds came from 3-0 down at half-time to draw level by the hour mark thanks to Steven Gerrard’s header, a long-range strike from Vladimir Smicer and Alonso’s rebound goal from his missed penalty.
Jerzy Dudek was brilliant in extra time and in the penalty shootout as Rafa Benitez’s side won a historic fifth Champions League title on spot-kicks.
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And, speaking with former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher on Carragher’s Greatest Game podcast, Alonso has revealed his embarrassment at the interval.
“I was angry at myself thinking, ‘we can’t throw it away so easily, this is a beautiful chance’,” Alonso said.
“I was kind of embarrassed with what we were doing. More than thinking about the others it was painful, that was first (how I felt). Later, Rafa (Benitez) changed. I thought ‘let’s see how this works’.
“To hear the boos from the fans was important because they didn’t want to kill us but we thought let’s try and give them something to believe, try to have some hope.”
Alonso went on to play for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and has selected Real’s 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Barcelona as his “worst night” in football.
Alonso added: “We knew in that moment if we were too nice they were going to kill us.
“The league game in Camp Nou we lost 5-0 and that was the worst night I’ve ever lived on a football pitch. After 20 minutes I wanted to leave, to go home, shower and to go home.
“It was so painful. It gave us a big determination. We couldn’t be too nice or we wouldn’t have beaten them (the next season).”
Alonso has worked under some of the best managers in football – including Pep Guardiola – but the former Spain international is currently happy in his role as manager of Real Sociedad’s B team.
Alonso continued: “I don’t want it to come too early (a big job). I am still young. I want to take steps and build knowledge of the game, make mistakes and learn how to correct them.”
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