Missing a vital penalty in a big shootout is every footballer's worst nightmare, and the stakes don't get much higher than doing it in the Champions League final.
But Andriy Shevchenko believes that having the decisive penalty saved in AC Milan's 2005 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool was a valuable life lesson.
The prolific centre-forward enjoyed his peak at San Siro in the early 2000s, helping the club to win the Champions League in 2003 and Serie A the following year. Those exploits also made Shevchenko the 2004 Ballon d'Or winner.
But even that excellent Milan side were not immune to the kind of chaos that football can throw up from time to time...as they found out when they met Rafa Benitez's Liverpool in Istanbul.
Paolo Maldini got Milan off to a dream start by scoring off a corner in the very first minute, with Hernan Crespo's brace just before half time seemingly putting the game to bed.
But then, of course, came the great comeback as Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso all scored to bring Liverpool back level and force the game to penalties.
As Shevchenko put it to FourFourTwo: "We were 3-0 up at half-time, then followed six minutes of nightmare.
"In that period, we gave up our three-goal advantage, but we must also give credit to Liverpool for the blind faith they had in their comeback. Their supporters never stopped cheering them on from the stands.
"People may think that we relaxed at 3-0, but thats not true at all. We were concentrated and didnt underestimate Liverpool at half-time, wed talked about maintaining focus, because there was still a second half to play.
"The final was strange. If we could overlook those six minutes, we played a great match. We dominated, created chances and I had a double chance in extra time that Jerzy Dudek inexplicably saved.
"Football is beautiful for that reason. Never take anything for granted."
Shevchenko told FFT that Carlo Ancelotti had asked him to take the first penalty as Milan beat Juventus on penalties at Old Trafford in the 2003 final, but the striker insisted on taking on the responsibility of the fifth and final spot kick.
The Ukrainian's spot kick ended up winning the Champions League for Milan that night...but it was a different story in Istanbul as Shevchenko again put himself forward for the last penalty of the shootout.
The forward had to score to keep Milan in the shootout after Serginho and Andrea Pirlo failed to score their first two penalties, with John Arne Riise the only Liverpool player to see his effort kept out.
Shevchenko said of the decisive moment: "Yes, I was nervous, and I noticed Dudek making some strange movements in goal. My shot ended up being too close to the centre of the goal, and he saved it with his left hand.
"Understanding that you dont always win is another valuable lesson in life. Every great athlete has missed at some point.
"Michael Jordan used to explain that before reaching the top, he missed thousands of free throws. You have to accept defeat as part of the journey."
TOPICS
