Cafu on Milan's road to the 2005 UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool in Istanbul

In this piece, presented by Turkish Airlines, former AC Milan right-back Cafu talks through the Rossoneri's progress to the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, perhaps the most dramatic decider in the competition's history.

Group stage

Matchday 1: Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 Milan
Matchday 2: Milan 3-1 Celtic
Matchday 3: Milan 1-0 Barcelona
Matchday 4: Barcelona 2-1 Milan
Matchday 5: Milan 4-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Matchday 6: Celtic 0-0 Milan

Round of 16

Hernán Crespo (centre) celebrates the winner at Old TraffordManchester United via Getty Images

Man United 0-1 Milan
Milan 1-0 Man United
(agg: 2-0)

Having made comfortable progress in the group stage, Milan faced a brutal last-16 draw against Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. Cafu remembers the first leg at Old Trafford fondly – for more than one reason. As he puts it, "That's when I took the ball off [Cristiano] Ronaldo."

Cafu remembers the Portuguese prodigy having a tough night. "Cristiano Ronaldo tried to pull some fancy moves against 'Il Capitano' [defender Paolo Maldini] and he simply said: 'No need for that, kid. You're going to be the world's best.' And he went on to be the world's best player five times."

Hernán Crespo scrambled in the only goal of the first leg, and Cafu set up the Argentinian for the winner in the return fixture in Milan. "Crespo's headed goal was a gem," he remembers as he watches footage of the striker's finish. "A deep cross... Look at that!"

Quarter-finals

Jaap Stam (left) after opening the scoring against InterAFP via Getty Images

Milan 2-0 Inter
Inter 0-3 Milan (awarded)
(agg: 5-0)

For the second time in the space of three seasons, the San Siro neighbours met in the Champions League. "It's amazing how both were such great teams during that era – one coached by [Roberto] Mancini, and our manager, [Carlo] Ancelotti," remembers Cafu. "Think of two teams that played the best football: they were Milan and Inter. What a derby, what a great game."

Semi-finals

Massimo Ambrosini heads the goal that took Milan to the finalBongarts/Getty Images

Milan 2-0 PSV Eindhoven
PSV Eindhoven 3-1 Milan
(agg: 3-3, Milan win on away goals)

Milan seemed to have one foot in the final after Shevchenko and Jon Dahl Tomasson put them 2-0 up in the first leg, but they almost came unstuck in the return game against a determined PSV side. "PSV had an impressive team," Cafu says. "A young team that liked to move the ball, workhorses. They had a perfect tactical formation, but we had Kaká and [Massimo] Ambrosini, who really made the difference for Milan."

Park Ji-Sung and Phillip Cocu struck to level the tie overall, only for Ambrosini to connect with Kaká's ball in second-half added time. "A cross from the left, Ambrosini manages to get on the end of it and scores, and Milan went through," Cafu says. "Incredible, incredible, incredible! At the time, I thought it was the goalkeeper's fault. Seeing the footage of our glorious Brazilian goalkeeper [Heurelho Gomes], the ball ended up going through his hands."

Cocu scored again within a minute, but due to the away goals rule, it was not enough to keep PSV in the competition. Instead, the celebrations began for Milan. "Reaching a Champions League final is something," Cafu says. "Especially for me, who had been waiting for this title a long time, and it was the only one I didn't have.

"My whole life flashed before my eyes like a film. I thought the time had come for me to return home with the title that I wanted the most, the most famous title of all: the Champions League."

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard has also looked back over his side's run to the final here, while Cafu and Gerrard will be reviewing the showpiece in our next article in this series.