ISTANBUL reprised? Hardly. This was a pale imitation of the 2005 European Cup Final, and this time Liverpool, after falling behind, could find no way back.

England may have provided three of the four semi-finalists, but the spoils and the glory belongs to Italy. Playing in their third final in the past five years, Milan were nowhere near their best, but won with goals of contrasting construction by Filippo Inzaghi.

The first was something of a fluke, the striker deflecting in a 25-yard free-kick from Andrea Pirlo. The second was worthy of the occasion, Inzaghi fastening on to a through ball from Kaka and rounding Pepe Reina for a high class finish.

Liverpool pulled one back through Dirk Kuyt but, coming after Peter Crouch, on as substitute but, coming in the 89th minute, it was too late to affect the outcome.

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Yesterday's scheduled miracle failed to take place

Simon Barnes

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BACKGROUND

• Luck runs out for Liverpool

• Dreams lie in ruins for Liverpool

• No way back for Liverpool

• How the teams rated

• Flood of forged tickets deepens fans' trauma

Multimedia

• European Cup Final 2007

• AC Milan v Liverpool clockwatch

Liverpool had much the better of the first half, only to fall behind in the 45th minute. In truth, however, neither team played well and, unlike 2005, a disappointing final will not linger long in the memory. Milan left their best football in the semi-finals, where they played so much better than this to outclass Manchester United.

Twenty minutes before the kick-off, the public address announcer played “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and invited the scouse choir to crank up the volume. They were not found wanting. After the underwhelming atmosphere at the FA Cup Final last Saturday, it was good to be among genuine football fans who care. There were corporate suits in attendance but, unlike at Wembley, they were very much in the minority.

One similarity was the interminable preliminaries, which went on so long they threatened to delay the kick-off. Athens put on a good show, but there is a danger of the organizers of these events losing sight of the fact that the game is the thing.

When it finally began, Liverpool had Gerrard stationed just off Dirk Kuyt, to the exclusion of Peter Crouch, with Jermaine Pennant in on the right wing. Milan preferred the more experienced Inzaghi to Alberto Gilardino up front.

The Anfield jury is still out on Pennant, but if his selection was not a particularly popular one it seemed to be inspired, for the first half, at least, when he was the final’s most creative influence.

Liverpool were much the better, more cohesive team for all but the last of those 45 minutes. After a cagey start, Marek Jankulovski’s poor control let in Pennant, who held off Paolo Maldini to get in a low shot, right to left, which Dida could only push out. There was further encouragement when Javier Mascherano laid down a marker by winning his first tussle for midfield possession with the rottweiler that is Gennaro Gattuso.

Kaka tried his luck from distance, but Reina was equal to the task as the Kop’s favourite Euro anthem, “We Won It Five Times”, saluted a promising start.

Midway through the first half, Pennant set up Gerrard with a good, low cross from the right but, from a position reminiscent of his heroics in Istanbul, the Liverpool captain miscued an awkward shot over the bar. Xabi Alonso was closer with a 25-yarder flashed just wide of Dida’s right-hand post.

Massimo Oddo, overlapping down the right, had occasional success against John Arne Riise, but Milan, despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, struggled to impose their passing game on disciplined, assertive opponents, and another prompt from Pennant set up Riise for one of those siege gun blasts of his. Setting his sights, the Norwegian was just too high.

Clearly worried, the Milan supporters exhorted the Rossoneri to raise their game, but the force was with Liverpool and Gattuso, frustration personified, had his name taken for a foul on Alonso.

Milan’s first chance was delayed until the 45th minute, but it was enough to floor Liverpool going into half-time. Alonso impeded Kaka on the edge of the D and when Pirlo stepped forward to take the free-kick Reina had the shot covered until it deflected off Inzaghi, cruelly wrong-footing and beating the goalkeeper.

Liverpool had made all the running, but suddenly they were behind. How would they respond? For inspiration, they had only to look back to the corresponding final two years ago, when Milan were 3-0 up and coasting at the interval, only to lose. Time to conjure up the spirit of Istanbul. If only… Harry Kewell replaced Bolo Zenden, but the goal had lifted Milan and Mascherano and Carragher were booked in successive minutes as Liverpool briefly came under pressure for the first time.

They ought to have equalized after 62 minutes when a mistake by Gattuso let in Gerrard, whose shot, left to right, was disappointingly weak and comfortably saved.

Milan had the better of the classic game of two halves, and the contest was effectively over after 82 minutes, when Kaka played in Inzaghi, who finished with cool aplomb. Kuyt’s late strike was no consolation and Liverpool ended the evening in tears.