16 March 2023 , 13:30
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Jose Mourinho has once again taken aim at the 'ghost goal' Liverpool scored against Chelsea in the semi-finals of the 2005 Champions League.
The Portuguese boss was in charge of the Blues at the time, in what was his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge. After drawing the first leg in London, Chelsea travelled to Anfield, with the Reds scoring the tie's only goal after just four minutes.
There remains huge controversy over the decision to award that goal, with members of Chelsea's team that day remaining adamant that it did not cross the line. Mourinho is clearly one to hold sore feelings about it, having brought up the incident this week.
The Roma boss is preparing his side to face Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League last 16 clash. After being asked about the atmosphere he expects to face in Spain, Mourinho could not resist taking aim at Liverpool's 'ghost goal' 18 years ago.
“It's the pitch that speaks in the end, the only time I've seen a stadium score a goal was in the semi-final of the Champions League in 2005 when the Liverpool stadium scored a goal because the ball hadn't gone in but they made so much noise that they scored," he said.
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"The stadium helps, statistically the home team has more positive results than the guests, but you have to play. Tomorrow the atmosphere will charge us too, the problem was in Covid times with empty stadiums.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Do you think Luis Garcia's goal in 2005 crossed the line? Comment below.
There has long been debate over whether Luis Garcia actually scored against Chelsea in 2005"We are not afraid of the environment, Roma will play better with the perfect storm , as their coach called it."
Luis Garcia was the man to score the goal at Anfield that night, taking advantage of Milan Baros' pass after the striker was brought down by Petr Cech. William Gallas attempted to clear the ball off the line but a goal was given, with Garcia admitting he had not seen it cross over.
“When they touch the ball, I wait for it to bounce and then I go to celebrate. I don’t wait around, I just run off to celebrate. My reaction means I saw the ball going in. Nothing more to say, your honour,” he told BT Sport.
At the time, Mourinho was left furious, insisting the reaction of the crowd had convinced the referee to award a goal. He also questioned the linesman for "scoring the goal" that sent his side crashing out.
"The linesman scored the goal. No-one knows if that shot went over the line and you must be 100%. But they are in the final and from my heart I hope they win it. The night belongs to them and I don't want to criticise them," he said.
"I felt the power of Anfield, it was magnificent. I felt it didn't interfere with my players but maybe it interfered with other people and maybe it interfered with the result. But you should ask the linesman why he gave a goal. The best team lost."
Mourinho brought the incident back up in 2019, telling beIN Sports: "Anfield is a magic place to play, it is a beautiful place to play.
"They can even score goals that the players don't score, like it happened in 2005. It wasn't Garcia that scored the goal, it was the crowd that scored the goal, but now it isn’t possible with VAR and goal-line technology."
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