On This Day: Miracle of Istanbul - You Never Walk Alone; Bayern won 5th UCL

Hi all, welcome to All Football's On This Day! Let's find out what happened today (May 25th) in football history. If you have more stories and news that happened on this day in history, feel free to post them in the comment area and share them with AFers.

On this day in 2005 - The Miracle of Istanbul

On 25 May 2005, Liverpool won their fifth European Cup/Champions League trophy, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to beat AC Milan on penalties 3-3 (3-2) before a crowd of 70,000 at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium.

The win salvaged an otherwise disappointing season for the Reds, who had finished the Premier League season in fifth place after an early FA Cup elimination and a loss to Chelsea in the League Cup Final. The win also allowed Liverpool to compete in the next season's Champions League.

Milan were favored to win and, true to form, took an early lead with a volley from captain Paolo Maldini after only 51 seconds. Liverpool attacked the Milan area, but were unable to break through the Italians' defense. Liverpool's efforts exposed them to a counter-attack, resulting in two more Milan goals before the break, both from Argentinian striker Hernán Crespo (38', 42').

Milan's 3-0 lead looked insurmountable, but Liverpool renewed their pressure after the break. They played only three defenders in order to bolster their attack, which paid dividends when they scored three goals in a six-minute period (Gerrard 54', Šmicer 56', Alonso 60') to draw level. Despite Liverpool's weakened back line, Milan were unable to score and the match went to extra time, then to penalty kicks.

Milan went first in the shootout and missed their first two kicks - the first went over the bar, while the second was easily saved. Liverpool made their first two, but their third was saved, so that after four kicks, Liverpool were ahead 3-2. 

Milan's Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko, who had scored the winning penalty in the 2003 Final, stepped up to take Milan's last kick, knowing that he needed to convert it in order to prevent Liverpool from winning. Unfortunately for Milan, he sent it right down the middle where it was saved by keeper Jerzy Dudek.

On this day in 2013 - Bayern beat Dortmund to their 5th UCL title

On 25 May 2013, Bayern Munich have won the 2013 UEFA Champions League after a thrilling final came to a 2-1 end on an 89th-minute winning goal, courtesy of Arjen Robben.

After a goalless first half, Ribery and Robben combined to get the latter in the area, where he nipped past Wiedenfeller and passed the ball along the six-yard box to Mandzukic, who had a simple task of knocking the ball past Marcel Schmelzer and into the back of the net. Bayern were then ahead 1-0 with around half an hour to play—but it was a short-lived lead.

Just seven minutes later, Reus got into the box and knocked the ball past Dante, who almost chopped the attacker in half with a wild attempt at a tackle. Gundogan stepped up to take the spot kick and duly levelled the scores with a fine finish into the bottom-right corner for 1-1.

Having fluffed his lines on several occasions during the 89 previous minutes, Robben sped through the last line of defence, faced up to Weidenfeller and finally beat the Dortmund keeper. The shot slipped past and inside the far corner of the net, much to the heartbreak of those in yellow and to the absolute joy of those in red.

One week later, Bayern won the 2013 DFB-Pokal and, having already won the 2013 Bundesliga, completed the Continental Treble.

On this day in 1901 - Club Atlético River Plate was founded

On 25 May 1901, Club Atlético River Plate was founded in Buenos Aires. With a record 36 titles, they are the most successful team in Primera División history.

Named after the nearby Río de la Plata which separates Argentina from Brazil, River Plate won their first Primera División title in 1932 and added eleven more before the 1950s ended. After a fallow period of almost twenty years, River Plate returned to their winning ways in 1975. But their greatest year was 1986, when they took an historic treble consisting of the league title, the Copa Liberatadores, and the Intercontinental Cup.

They maintain a fierce competition with fellow Buenos Aires club Boca Juniors. The derby, known as the Superclásico, is one of the most heated rivalries in sport. At present, Boca have a slight edge, with 132 wins to 114 for River Plate and 113 draws.

On this day in 2016 - Granit Xhaka joined Arsenal

On 25 May 2016, Arsenal signed Xhaka from Borussia Mönchengladbach for a fee of around £30–35 million. Xhaka made his first appearance for Arsenal in a 2–1 win against the MLS All-Stars.

Xhaka made his competitive debut for Arsenal in the club's opening match of the 2016–17 Premier League season, a 4–3 defeat to Liverpool, replacing midfielder Mohamed Elneny in the 65th minute while also picking up a yellow card in the process. 

His first goal for the club came on 17 September 2016, a 25-yard thunderbolt in a 4–1 Premier League victory against Hull City. Four days later, he would score again from distance, this time from 30 yards in a 4–0 EFL Cup defeat of Nottingham Forest.

Xhaka's first Arsenal red card – and eighth for club and country since April 2014 – came in a 3–2 win over Swansea City on 15 October 2016. On 22 January 2017, Xhaka was sent off for the second time in the season, by referee Jon Moss, in Arsenal's 2–1 home win against Burnley.

On this day in 1967 - Celtic became the 1st Bristish club winning European Cup

On 25 May 1967, Celtic became the first British club to win the European Cup, beating Inter 2-1 in Lisbon. Notably, fourteen of Celtic's fifteen players and coaches were born within 10 miles of Celtic Park.

In just the seventh minute, the referee awarded Inter a penalty when Celtic right back Jim Craig fouled forward Renato Cappellini in the box. Sandro Mazzola converted the ensuing kick to put the Italians up 1-0. But in the 63rd minute, Craig sent the ball in for Tommy Gemmell, who beat the Inter keeper Giuliano Sarti to draw Celtic level. Then, in the 84th minute, they took the lead when Stevie Chalmers scored the winner. 

Afterward, manager Jock Stein delivered a not-so-veiled criticism of Inter's defensive style, saying "We did it by playing football; pure, beautiful, inventive football. There was not a negative thought in our heads."