Sven-Goran Eriksson lives Anfield dream as Liverpool Legends fight back to beat Ajax | OneFootball

Warm embrace: Fernando Torres shares a moment with Sven-Goran Eriksson after scoring in front of The Kop

Action Images via Reuters

Sven-Goran Eriksson enjoyed a dream afternoon at Anfield as a Liverpool Legends team produced an epic second-half fightback to beat Ajax 4-2.

The former England boss, 76, was fulfilling a lifelong ambition on Saturday by managing his beloved Reds, who extended the invitation after he revealed a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer earlier this year.

It was an emotional afternoon on Merseyside as fans and players alike all paid tribute to Eriksson, a boyhood Liverpool supporter who admitted that he was managing the last game of an illustrious long career that spanned five decades.

Eriksson fought back the tears as he was given a standing ovation before kick-off and lined up for a particularly poignant pre-match rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

His team made a poor start to the latest high-profile annual charity friendly held to raise money for the LFC Foundation, with Derk Boerrigter putting Ajax ahead with just two minutes on the clock as he dispatched a low Demy de Zeeuw cross beyond Jerzy Dudek.

Fernando Torres struck the post with a header and things got worse for a Liverpool side captained by Steven Gerrard just before the break as substitute Kiki Musampa chested down Boerrigter’s delivery and doubled Ajax’s advantage with a cool finish.

However, Eriksson, who coached alongside Liverpool heroes John Barnes, Ian Rush and John Aldridge, made wholesale half-time changes and the hosts then came roaring back through an unlikely source as former left-back Gregory Vignal - a first-half replacement for the injured Fabio Aurelio - fired expertly into the bottom corner.

Djibril Cisse headed in Dirk Kuyt’s cross with just over 15 minutes to go to set up a grandstand finish, with Nabil El Zhar then completing a dramatic late turnaround with an emphatic effort rifled past the helpless Bogdan Lobont.

There was still time left for Torres to cap his Anfield return by converting Mark Gonzalez’s cross in off the post in front of The Kop, then receiving a standing ovation of his own as he was substituted and shared a warm moment with Eriksson, who received another great reception as he embarked upon a lap of honour after the game.