Istanbul: Before and after quotes

No-one could have predicted the events of that evening - not least the players and staff of the two teams taking part in the game.

Here, we take a look at what Liverpool and AC Milan's key men were saying in the build-up to the match, and what they had to say after a truly incredible 120 minutes.

Before the game...

Rafael Benitez: "Until this week maybe [Milan are the best team in Europe]? After this week, we will see. But I have confidence in our team. I wouldn't swap this chance in the final for fourth place. We are here for winning titles, medals, trophies, and for winning money because, at the end, you need money to buy new players. It was always important for me to finish in the top four but if you can win the final, you will be in the history of the club and, in the end, it'll be more important."

Milan captain Paolo Maldini: "It is only my children who keep me awake at night - there's no other reason why I'd lose sleep before this game. Liverpool don't know how to attack - caution is at the heart of their game. We play the game properly: our defence is the best in Europe, and therefore the world."

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard: "It will be the proudest moment of my life leading Liverpool out. I've dreamed of this day since I was a kid, kicking a ball against the wall in the street where I lived. What could be better than leading Liverpool out for the Champions League final? Only lifting the trophy. We need everyone, all 11 players who start and the subs, to be ready to give everything. We need that mentality, when everyone has to put everything on the line for Liverpool. That is what it will take to win. We have to make sure we don't have any regrets at the final whistle."

Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi: "Liverpool are inferior to Milan. Milan are in their seventh Champions League final under my leadership. It is a record that makes me feel proud. We are the leading players in world football, the standard-bearers for good play. We are winners, we want to win games in a convincing fashion. This is an ongoing tradition - and one that will continue on Wednesday."

Milan's Andriy Shevchenko: "Liverpool won't win. I said at the start of the season Liverpool couldn't win the Champions League and I still don't think they will. Milan will win."

Jamie Carragher on what he said to Stevie G before the final: "We spoke about how you think the final will go, who you'll be up against, how good's this player, how good is that one. Some of the names that we were up against they're players you've looked up to really for years. Thinking of me, Maldini, I'm on the same pitch as someone like that. He's [Gerrard] coming up against Pirlo, Kaka, so you speak about that. And also how you think the game will go and the way we'd got there we'd kept clean sheets, won games 1-0. You know you go back to the Juventus games, the semi-finals against Chelsea. So we thought it might be a 1-0 victory either way."

Afterwards it was a different story...

Benitez: "I don't have words to express what I feel at the moment. You concede in the first minute, you lose Harry Kewell, players go down with cramp and it's very difficult. We tried to change things at half-time and said it would be different if we scored - and it was. But the players believed and we won. Gerrard is a key player for us, he has the mentality."

Maldini: "These things can happen, there's just not an explanation. We played well in that game for 110 minutes out of 120, really well, it was one of our best games - the first half was perfect."

Gerrard: "We were massive underdogs at the beginning of the competition and I'll put my hands up say and I didn't think we were going to go all the way. But, as you can see, we are never beaten. The manager told us to keep our chins up, to try and score early in the second half and give some respect for the fans. The first goal gave us a bit of belief. The supporters have saved up for weeks and months to come here. I am so happy to lift the cup for the fans."

Berlusconi: "Football is like politics: you think you have won, but that is not the case. Pity, this is a real pity. But I know full well what football is like."

Shevchenko: "It's very hard to explain. But I think it was destiny that decided to change sides and give the cup to Liverpool. With a 3-0 advantage it's difficult to think that any team can come back against Milan. But Liverpool found the courage to continue. Believe me, it's not easy when you are 3-0 down. They never lost hope, they believed right until the end that it was possible and I guess that is the winning mentality."

Carragher: "It is one of the greatest finals of all time. We were all deflated at half-time. We knew we had to get the next goal and we knew we had to push up. When we got the goal Milan just seemed to go. The save Jerzy Dudek made from Shevchenko at the end was unbelievable. I can't believe we've just won."