One of the most famous comebacks in Champions League history is Liverpool’s against AC Milan back in 2005, nicknamed the ‘miracle of Istanbul’. In the Final of the competition, held in Istanbul, Liverpool were 3-0 down at halftime but roared back to tie the game 3-3 before triumphing in the penalty shootout. As it so happens, Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso was part of that Liverpool team, scoring the goal to equalize at 3-3. And now he is 3-0 down after the first leg of a Champions League match against Bayern Munich, which is essentially the half time of the tie.
It does not take a genius to make a certain connection. Asked about if his Leverkusen team could stage a similar comeback to how Liverpool did in 2005, Alonso certainly did not discourage these talks.
“Absolutely,” the Spanish coach said, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “It will take time to analyze and go through this result because we have been beaten well. Everything went against us because of us.
“But it is not over until it is over and, as you said, anything can happen. The mindset has to be that and if there is a chance, we will fight for it. We have to fight back. We will learn from this and believe in our return leg. We don’t give up so easily.
“Three goals? You never know. One goal can change anything.”
He’s not wrong. Even independent of any Liverpool connections, Alonso’s Leverkusen have forged a reputation for some dramatic comebacks. This is not over. Not before the final whistle blows to conclude the second leg next week.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s massive and dominant 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League? Awesome, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below: