Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benitez, holds aloft the Champions League trophy following Liverpool's return from Turkey. - REUTERS
LIVERPOOL, England (AP):
MORE THAN half a million fans jammed the streets and squares of Liverpool yesterday evening to welcome their soccer team home after its dramatic victory in Europe's showpiece competition.
Cheering crowds estimated by police at 750,000 came out for a parade celebrating Liverpool's penalty shoot-out win over AC Milan in the Champions League final on Wednesday night in Istanbul, Turkey, the storied club's fifth European title and first in 21 years.
Manager Rafa Benitez, captain Steven Gerrard and the rest of the team travelled through the city with the trophy in an open-topped, double-decker bus. Fans wearing the club's red colours perched from lamp posts, traffic lights, balconies and rooftops to get a better view, and sang the team's anthem, 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.
"Seeing these smiling faces is the greatest pleasure," Benitez said. "They have been magnificent all season. They have been our 12th man and behaved perfectly in Istanbul. I have always said our fans are the best in England. Now I know they are the best in Europe too."
The bus, led by 20 mounted police officers, was adorned with a huge banner depicting the club's five European trophies. It took more than two hours for the bus to wind its way through the huge crowds, stopping briefly at the club's Anfield stadium and concluding the parade at St. George's Hall, where an estimated 300,000 people were waiting.
"I said we would bring the cup back for these fans, and now we have done it," Gerrard said.
Earlier, Gerrard and Benitez had carried the huge silver cup together as they got off the plane at John Lennon Airport following the flight home from Turkey.
Down 3-0 at half-time, Liverpool scored three quick goals early in the second half and beat AC Milan 3-2 on penalties for their first title in Europe's top club competition since 1984. As five-time champions, Liverpool get to keep the trophy for good.
"Unbelievable. Incredible. Brilliant. The whole country is very proud of you," Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a message to Benitez and his players.
Queen Elizabeth II learned of the result before returning from an official visit to Canada.
"Congratulations on your remarkable win last night," she said. "It was a magnificent achievement which will be remembered for many years both in Liverpool and across the country."
