Liverpool & Rangers' bizarre '5 seconds to score shootout' in 1997 remembered | OneFootball

Liverpool and Rangers once took part in a bizarre ‘five seconds to score’ shootout.

In January 1997, the tro football giants travelled to Holland to take part at a six-a-side tournament named ‘Euro Sixes’.

Ajax and AC Milan also took part.

The tournament was staged to celebrate the opening of Ajax’s Amsterdam Arena, with 21,000 fans in attendance.

According to Balls.ie, the tournament was sponsored by Sony. Each club were awarded £125,000 for participating.

Each game featured full sized goals and be played in four eight-minute quarters, featuring rolling substitutions.

Despite the tournament taking place in the middle of the 1996/97, the four teams all brought very strong squads.

The likes of Michael Owen, Jamie Redknapp, Stan Collymore, and Steve McManaman all turned out for Liverpool.

But, despite featuring some big names, Liverpool lost all of their group games.

They played Rangers in the 3rd place playoff.

The game ended in a draw and was then decided by a bizarre penalty shootout.

Players started on the half-way line and, after the buzzer went off, they had five seconds to run towards the goal and score.

It made for mad viewing and you view how the shootout played out below…

VIDEO: LIVERPOOL AND RANGERS’ BIZARRE PENALTY SHOOTOUT IN 1997

What an odd contest.

A teenage Owen had had burst onto the scene in the years prior and made no mistake from his effort.

But McManaman, Collymore and David James all failed to convert their penalties.

Rangers legend Ally McCoist was presented with the chance to win it for his side and he converted his penalty with supreme confidence.

Football fans have been reminiscing about the shootout and you can view some reaction below…

We would love to see the ‘5 second to score shootout’ make a comeback at some point in the future.

The one-off tournament was eventually won by AC Milan, who defeated Ajax in the final.

Rangers were left to rue letting their star players play in the tournament.

That’s because Paul Gascoigne suffered an ankle injury and was out of action for a few months.

He returned by the end of the season and helped Rangers pip Celtic to the Scottish Premier Division title.

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