LIVERPOOL, England (AP) Twenty years after the Heysel Stadium tragedy shamed soccer, Liverpool is back in the European Cup final now called the Champions League.
Rafael Benitez's team edged newly crowned English champion Chelsea 1-0 Tuesday in the semifinal on a night of more European drama at its intimidating Anfield Stadium. A goal by Luis Garcia on a shot Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho reckoned didn't cross the line allowed Liverpool through 1-0 on aggregate.
The last time the club played in the final of European soccer's most prestigious club tournament, its rioting fans caused a stampede in Brussels, Belgium, which led to the deaths of 39 people, mostly followers of opponent Juventus.
Chasing its fifth triumph and first since Liverpool beat AS Roma 21 years ago, the English team probably will face Italian opposition again. AC Milan went into Wednesday's semifinal against the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
If it is to be an Italian club, then reminders of Heysel will be prevalent, especially with the final only four days before the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.
Right now, the Liverpool players are celebrating just getting to the final after years of underachievement.
Jamie Carragher, the standout player on the field against Chelsea, is a local who recalls the great nights of European soccer at Anfield.
''This club has been built on that type of night and it's been taken away from us the last few years,'' he said. ''It's good to get back to those sort of nights. We're desperate to get back to those heights and we've got the chance to create a little bit of history.''
A fifth Liverpool title will put the club an outright third on the list of European Cup/Champions League winners behind nine-time winner Real Madrid and Milan, which has six. Liverpool is tied with Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich with four titles.
Benitez, who led Valencia to a UEFA Cup final triumph last season before moving to Liverpool, said his team doesn't fear Milan, which is aiming for its second Champions League triumph in three seasons.
''Now we need to wait to see the team that we play against,'' the Spaniard said. ''After that, why can't we win? If you play in the final, it's for winning, not for losing.
''After beating Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Chelsea, we can beat AC Milan or PSV. Why not? This has been a fantastic night for me and the club.''
Benitez also has evidence of his club's never-say-die attitude even against an opponent that has beaten it three times this season. Chelsea took Liverpool 1-0 in both Premier League meetings and 3-2 in the Carling Cup final.
The noisy Liverpool fans let out a deafening roar when the players entered the field. Their team scored in the fourth minute, and they never let up with their singing and chanting.
According to Mourinho, they even influenced the match officials.
''The Anfield Road experience. I felt it, it was magnificent,'' Mourinho said. ''But I felt that it did not interfere with my players, but maybe it interfered with other people. It maybe interfered with the result.''
Mourinho was convinced that his defender, William Gallas, cleared Garcia's close-range shot off the line. Slovak referee Lubos Michel gave the goal after a signal from linesman and countryman Roman Slysko.
Mourinho suggested they might have been intimidated by the fans.
''Football sometimes is cruel,'' said the man who led FC Porto to the title last season before moving to Stamford Bridge. ''We have to accept the result. They scored a goal, if you can say THEY scored it.
''I can say that the linesman scored it. To give it, you must be 100 percent certain. You must be sure that the ball is in. My players say it was not a goal. From TV, I didn't see. But other people say nobody can confirm it's a goal.''
</WIRE_BODY>Associated Press
Rafael Benitez's team edged newly crowned English champion Chelsea 1-0 Tuesday in the semifinal on a night of more European drama at its intimidating Anfield Stadium. A goal by Luis Garcia on a shot Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho reckoned didn't cross the line allowed Liverpool through 1-0 on aggregate.
The last time the club played in the final of European soccer's most prestigious club tournament, its rioting fans caused a stampede in Brussels, Belgium, which led to the deaths of 39 people, mostly followers of opponent Juventus.
Chasing its fifth triumph and first since Liverpool beat AS Roma 21 years ago, the English team probably will face Italian opposition again. AC Milan went into Wednesday's semifinal against the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
If it is to be an Italian club, then reminders of Heysel will be prevalent, especially with the final only four days before the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.
Right now, the Liverpool players are celebrating just getting to the final after years of underachievement.
Jamie Carragher, the standout player on the field against Chelsea, is a local who recalls the great nights of European soccer at Anfield.
''This club has been built on that type of night and it's been taken away from us the last few years,'' he said. ''It's good to get back to those sort of nights. We're desperate to get back to those heights and we've got the chance to create a little bit of history.''
A fifth Liverpool title will put the club an outright third on the list of European Cup/Champions League winners behind nine-time winner Real Madrid and Milan, which has six. Liverpool is tied with Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich with four titles.
Benitez, who led Valencia to a UEFA Cup final triumph last season before moving to Liverpool, said his team doesn't fear Milan, which is aiming for its second Champions League triumph in three seasons.
''Now we need to wait to see the team that we play against,'' the Spaniard said. ''After that, why can't we win? If you play in the final, it's for winning, not for losing.
''After beating Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Chelsea, we can beat AC Milan or PSV. Why not? This has been a fantastic night for me and the club.''
Benitez also has evidence of his club's never-say-die attitude even against an opponent that has beaten it three times this season. Chelsea took Liverpool 1-0 in both Premier League meetings and 3-2 in the Carling Cup final.
The noisy Liverpool fans let out a deafening roar when the players entered the field. Their team scored in the fourth minute, and they never let up with their singing and chanting.
According to Mourinho, they even influenced the match officials.
''The Anfield Road experience. I felt it, it was magnificent,'' Mourinho said. ''But I felt that it did not interfere with my players, but maybe it interfered with other people. It maybe interfered with the result.''
Mourinho was convinced that his defender, William Gallas, cleared Garcia's close-range shot off the line. Slovak referee Lubos Michel gave the goal after a signal from linesman and countryman Roman Slysko.
Mourinho suggested they might have been intimidated by the fans.
''Football sometimes is cruel,'' said the man who led FC Porto to the title last season before moving to Stamford Bridge. ''We have to accept the result. They scored a goal, if you can say THEY scored it.
''I can say that the linesman scored it. To give it, you must be 100 percent certain. You must be sure that the ball is in. My players say it was not a goal. From TV, I didn't see. But other people say nobody can confirm it's a goal.''
</WIRE_BODY>Associated Press
