- The analysis used open data from StatsBomb to break down the 2005 Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool from a data science perspective.
- AC Milan's first half shot map showed most of its shots came from inside the penalty area, while its passing network stayed concentrated between midfielders and fullbacks.
- Liverpool's first half passing network showed few passes between center backs Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher, a weak defensive partnership that AC Milan exploited.
- In the second half, Liverpool shifted its attack to the right side, converting three goals and completing the comeback known as the Miracle of Istanbul.
- Liverpool's expected goals value rose sharply after its second half tactical changes, while AC Milan's expected goals kept climbing until the penalty shootout.
Introduction
On May 25th, 2005, the UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Liverpool was held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. The match is still considered one of the greatest finals in football history. AC Milan took a 3-0 lead in the first half but Liverpool made a miraculous comeback in the second half to tie the game. Thanks to all the saves by Liverpool’s goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek during the penalty shootout, Liverpool won their 5th European Cup. As a result, this classic match is now commonly known as the Miracle of Istanbul.
You may wonder how Liverpool forced a comeback after conceding three goals in the first half. Let’s look at the game again from a data scientist’s perspective. In this article, we will analyze the shots, pressure as well as players’ position using open data from StatsBomb. Without further ado, let’s get started!
The Match’s First Half
AC Milan scored three goals in the first half. And if you see from the shot map below, most of the AC Milan happened inside the penalty area.
AC Milan’s Shots Map (Circles = Shots, Stars = Goals)
You can also see from the pressure heat map below that AC Milan didn’t get much pressure in their own half. The left side of the field is mostly dark meaning Liverpool’s attacks didn’t cause AC Milan too many troubles.
AC Milan’s Pressure from Liverpool (AC Milan Attacking from Left to Right)
And if you see from the passing networks below, AC Milan played an offensive game. The average position of AC Milan’s two forwards (Andriy Shevchenko and Hernán Crespo) is pretty close to Liverpool’s penalty box. Also, we can see that the networks are not centralized. Most of the passes were made between the midfielders and fullbacks.