CARDIFF, 14 May 2006 — Liverpool won one of the most dramatic FA Cup finals in the competition’s 134-year history yesterday with a 3-1 penalty shootout win over West Ham United after a heart-stopping match ended 3-3 after extra time.
Steven Gerrard, with two blistering goals, emerged as one Liverpool hero, while goalkeeper Jose “Pepe” Reina, who was at fault for two of West Ham’s goals, was the other after saving three penalties in the shootout.
Liverpool recovered from going 2-0 down inside 28 minutes — the worst start to a final by any team for 47 years — and invoked the never-say die spirit they showed a year ago when they came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with AC Milan and win the European Cup on penalties.
This time they hauled themselves up off the Millennium Stadium floor to break the hearts of the West Ham fans who had been dreaming of their first FA Cup win since 1980.
West Ham had gone ahead when Jamie Carragher turned a low cross into his own goal after 20 minutes and went 2-0 up eight minutes later when Dean Ashton pounced after Reina spilled a Matthew Etherington shot.
Djibril Cisse pulled one back with a neat volley after 32 minutes and Gerrard, whose pinpoint pass led to that goal, leveled with a thunderous shot in the 54th as both teams poured everything into attack.
Just when it appeared that West Ham had lost their impetus as well as their lead, they suddenly regained it from an unexpected source in the 64th minute.
Fullback Paul Konchesky attempted a long lofted cross from the left but the ball caught out Reina and curved into the top corner.
Liverpool looked down an out until Gerrard, limping through cramp, seized on a headed clearance a minute from time to drive a screaming 30-meter shot beyond Shaka Hislop.
There were few chances in extra time as injured and exhausted players dropped all over the pitch but Reina needed to produce an acrobatic save to tip a Nigel Reo-Coker flicked header against the post in the 119th minute.
Hearts Win Scottish FA Cup in Penalty Shootout
In Glasgow, Hearts lifted the Scottish FA Cup for the first time in eight years with a 4-2 penalty shootout win over third division Gretna at Hampden Park yesterday.
The score was 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time. Hearts had Paul Hartley sent off in the final minute of extra time for kicking Derek Townsley and earning a second booking.
Czech striker Rudi Skacel scored for Hearts in the 38th minute, crashing in a low shot after a long throw in by Robbie Neilson hurtled towards the back of the box.
Gretna substitute David Graham had an amazing miss in the 66th minute. He raced past several defenders and rounded keeper Craig Gordon seven meters out only for Hearts’ Robbie Neilson to stop him rolling the ball into an empty net. Gretna equalized through Ryan McGuffie in the 74th minute when he followed up on his penalty shot which had been blocked by Gordon. Hearts won the shootout when Gretna’s Townsley and Gavin Skelton both missed their penalties.
Bremen Beat Hamburg, Snatch 2nd Place in Finale
In Berlin, Werder Bremen snatched second place and direct qualification into the Champions League with a thrilling 2-1 victory at Hamburg SV on the final day of the Bundesliga season.
Miroslav Klose scored the winner 18 minutes from time which lifted Bremen up from third at the expense of Hamburg, who now enter the third qualifying round for the Champions League. “It’s hard to find words for this, the disappointment is so great,” said Hamburg coach Thomas Doll. “It really hurts.” Hamburg had been second most of the season but lost two of their final three matches, while Bremen’s win gave them 17 points in their last seven games.
Bayern Munich, who clinched their 20th German championship a week ago, drew 3-3 at home against Borussia Dortmund to finish the season with 75 points, ahead of Bremen on 70 and Hamburg 68. At the bottom of the table, VfL Wolfsburg secured 15th place with a 2-2 draw against Kaiserslautern, who finished one point behind them and were relegated along with Cologne and MSV Duisburg.
In Munich, midfielder Michael Ballack was jeered before the match as fan anger over his decision to leave Bayern, probably for Chelsea, after four years boiled over.
