We were robbed against this lot in 1965 when we played them in the semi-final, we won at home (first leg) 3 -1 with goals from Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Ian St.John, and then we lost the away leg 3-0.
Half of Merseyside was still decorated in Red and White after Liverpool had just won the FA Cup against Leeds, when, three days later, Inter Milan arrived for the first leg of the European Cup semi-final.
A lot of people thought that Liverpool would be out-matched by the sinister, subtle and very adept Italians.
Before the game Shankly, in an inspired moment of propaganda, with Inter on the field, sent out Gordon Milne and Gerry Byrne (who had played in the cup final with a broken collar bone) to carry the FA Cup round the ground before a packed Anfield of 54,000 on the Tuesday evening. The gates were closed at Anfield an hour before kick-off.
The response was what the team needed to lift them. Hunt first, then Callaghan made it 2-0 before Mazzola pulled one back. St John restored the two- goal margin before the end. The kop thought the occasion worthy of it's own tribute and, to the melody of 'Santa Lucia' hastily improvised:
Oh, Inter , One, Two, Three
Go Back to Italy.
The second leg, Shankly said 'wasn't a game, it was a war'. Liverpool stayed on Lake Como and had to ask for the church bells, ringing until midnight to be curbed, needless to say they were refused.
At the San Siro Stadium the reception was terrible, Ron Yeats recalls, there were bonfires on the terraces and rockets whizzing onto the pitch. And as for the referee from Spain, he was diabolical, he signalled an indirect free kick, the ball went straight into our net and he signalled a goal. Their second came after the ball had been kicked out of Tommy Lawrence's hands. Their winning goal was fair enough......but what a way to win a match !
Not much has changed then in Italian football over the years, the cheating still goes on
Let's hope that doesn't happen this time.
