Source: Liverpool_Echo
Fabio Aurelio recalls famous game that changed the fortunes of Rafael Benitez and Valencia FC
THERE is a glint in Fabio Aurelio's eye as he recalls the game that could have finished a reign but ended up sparking a dream.[LNB]While Istanbul and Cardiff are the places that Liverpudlians will forever associate with stirring comebacks masterminded by Rafa Benitez, Aurelio's own memory of winning against the odds came in a small corner of Barcelona.[LNB]Back in December 2001, Aurelio - then of Valencia - remembers Benitez being under intense pressure, as Los Che had slipped off the pace in the race for La Liga after a stuttering start to the campaign.[LNB]Legend has it that Benitez would have been sacked had his team lost a crucial game against Espanyol and when his side trailed by two goals at half-time, it was claimed that Valencia's press officer was called to start drafting the manager's departure statement.[LNB]Then, though, the situation was turned on its head; a double blast from Francisco Rufete and another from Adrian Ilie, completed a turnaround to give Valencia an irresistible impetus that ultimately propelled them to their first La Liga title in 31 years.[LNB]Fast forward to the present day and Aurelio again finds himself in another side that is finding it difficult to match strides with the early pacesetters but he sees no reason why history cannot repeat itself - particularly if Liverpool win at Sunderland tomorrow.[LNB]'Before we played Espanyol that night, everyone said Rafa's job was in danger if we lost,' Aurelio, twice at title winner at the Mestalla, recalled. 'We were losing 2-0 at half-time but, by the final whistle, we had turned it around and won 3-2. After that, we put a good run together.[LNB]'With six games to go, we were six points behind Real Madrid but by the end we had gone six ahead of them. It's the same all the time; if you want to get close to the top, you need a game to start it all off.[LNB]'In a different way, this could be the month that changes things for us. We are playing Sunderland now and we have to win to keep going in the Premier League, then there are Champions League and Carling Cup games too that must be won, too.
