Great Anfield European nights are the very stuff of Liverpool folklore, from St-Étienne to Barcelona, but for some the best ones end by silencing the home crowd. Sixteen years ago, Benfica’s Simão Sabrosa picked out Pepe Reina’s top corner to quell a raucous atmosphere and send the Champions League holders crashing out in the last 16.
Simão raises a smile as he considers returning to Anfield in 10 days’ time in his suit to find the spot 25 yards out from where he scored. “If I get on to the pitch, I will try to do the same movement; I will take a ball but maybe I won’t score this time,” says Benfica’s head of international relations.
