2008–09 UEFA Champions League

2008–09 UEFA Champions League
The Stadio Olimpico in Rome hosted the final
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
15 July – 27 August 2008
Competition proper:
16 September 2008 – 27 May 2009
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 76
Final positions
ChampionsSpain Barcelona (3rd title)
Runners-upEngland Manchester United
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored329 (2.63 per match)
Attendance5,004,467 (40,036 per match)
Top scorer(s)Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
9 goals

The 2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 27 May 2009.[1] It was the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in Italy and the fourth time it has been held at the Stadio Olimpico. The final was contested by the defending champions, Manchester United, and Barcelona, who had last won the tournament in 2006. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, securing The Treble in the process. In addition, both UEFA Cup finalists, Werder Bremen and Shakhtar Donetsk featured in the Champions League group stage.

Anorthosis of Cyprus and BATE Borisov of Belarus were the first teams from their respective countries to qualify for the group stage. Romanian side CFR Cluj and Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg also made their Champions League debuts.

Association team allocation

[edit]

A total of 76 teams from 52 UEFA associations (Liechtenstein organises no domestic league competition) participated in the 2008–09 Champions League. Countries are allocated places according to the 2007 UEFA league co-efficient ranking.

Below is the qualification scheme for the 2008–09 Champions League:

  • Associations 1–3 each have four teams qualify.
  • Associations 4–6 each have three teams qualify.
  • Associations 7–15 each have two teams qualify.
  • Associations 16–53 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify.

Association ranking

[edit]

For the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2007 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2002–03 to 2006–07.[2]

Rank Association Coeff. Teams
1  Spain 76.891 4
2  England 68.540
3  Italy 66.088
4  France 53.656 3
5  Germany 44.364
6  Portugal 42.749
7  Romania 40.165 2
8  Netherlands 39.379
9  Russia 36.125
10  Scotland 30.500
11  Ukraine 29.475
12  Belgium 29.075
13  Czech Republic 26.825
14  Turkey 26.641
15  Greece 25.497
16  Bulgaria 24.582 1
17  Switzerland 23.850
18  Norway 19.725
Rank Association Coeff. Teams
19  Israel 19.208 1
20  Serbia 18.958
21  Denmark 18.575
22  Austria 18.500
23  Poland 17.000
24  Hungary 14.165
25  Slovakia 10.832
26  Croatia 10.708
27  Cyprus 10.582
28  Sweden 10.541
29  Slovenia 9.915
30  Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.665
31  Latvia 8.664
32  Lithuania 7.332
33  Finland 7.331
34  Moldova 7.166
35  Republic of Ireland 6.498
36  Georgia 6.164
Rank Association Coeff. Teams
37  Liechtenstein 6.000 0
38  Macedonia 5.831 1
39  Iceland 4.999
40  Belarus 4.665
41  Albania 3.832
42  Estonia 3.665
43  Armenia 3.498
44  Azerbaijan 3.166
45  Kazakhstan 2.332
46  Northern Ireland 2.165
47  Wales 1.998
48  Faroe Islands 1.665
49  Luxembourg 1.665
50  Malta 1.665
51  San Marino 0.000
52  Andorra 0.000
53  Montenegro 0.000

Distribution

[edit]

Since the title holders (Manchester United) qualified for the Champions League group stage through their domestic league, the group stage spot reserved for the title holders is vacated, and the following changes to the default access list are made:[3]

  • The champions of association 10 (Scotland) are promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage.
  • The champions of association 16 (Bulgaria) are promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
  • The champions of associations 23 (Poland) and 24 (Hungary) are promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round
First qualifying round
(28 teams)
  • 28 champions from associations 25–53
Second qualifying round
(28 teams)
  • 8 champions from associations 17–24
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
  • 14 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(32 teams)
  • 6 champions from associations 11–16
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 6 third-place finishers from associations 1–6
  • 3 fourth-place finishers from associations 1–3
  • 14 winners from the second qualifying round
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • 10 champions from associations 1–10
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
  • 16 winners from the third qualifying round
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from the group stage
  • 8 group runners-up from the group stage

Teams

[edit]

League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Title holders).[4]

Group stage
Spain Real Madrid (1st) Italy Internazionale (1st) Germany Bayern Munich (1st) Romania CFR Cluj (1st)
Spain Villarreal (2nd) Italy Roma (2nd) Germany Werder Bremen (2nd) Netherlands PSV Eindhoven (1st)
England Manchester United (1st)TH France Lyon (1st) Portugal Porto (1st)[Note POR] Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st)
England Chelsea (2nd) France Bordeaux (2nd) Portugal Sporting CP (2nd) Scotland Celtic (1st)
Third qualifying round
Spain Barcelona (3rd) Italy Fiorentina (4th) Netherlands Twente (PO) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (1st)
Spain Atlético Madrid (4th) France Marseille (3rd) Russia Spartak Moscow (2nd) Turkey Galatasaray (1st)
England Arsenal (3rd) Germany Schalke 04 (3rd) Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk (1st) Greece Olympiacos (1st)
England Liverpool (4th) Portugal Vitória de Guimarães (3rd) Belgium Standard Liège (1st) Bulgaria Levski Sofia (2nd)[Note BUL]
Italy Juventus (3rd) Romania Steaua București (2nd)
Second qualifying round
Scotland Rangers (2nd) Turkey Fenerbahçe (2nd) Israel Beitar Jerusalem (1st) Austria Rapid Wien (1st)
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (2nd) Greece Panathinaikos (PO) Serbia Partizan (1st) Poland Wisła Kraków (1st)
Belgium Anderlecht (2nd) Switzerland Basel (1st) Denmark AaB (1st) Hungary MTK Budapest (1st)
Czech Republic Sparta Prague (2nd) Norway Brann (1st)
First qualifying round
Slovakia Artmedia Petržalka (1st) Lithuania Kaunas (1st) Belarus BATE Borisov (1st) Wales Llanelli (1st)
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Finland Tampere United (1st) Albania Dinamo Tirana (1st) Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík (1st)
Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta (1st) Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Estonia Levadia (1st) Luxembourg F91 Dudelange (1st)
Sweden IFK Göteborg (1st) Republic of Ireland Drogheda United (1st) Armenia Pyunik Yerevan (1st) Malta Valletta (1st)
Slovenia Domžale (1st) Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi (1st) Azerbaijan Inter Baku (1st) Andorra Santa Coloma (1st)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Modriča (1st) North Macedonia Rabotnički (1st) Kazakhstan Aktobe (1st) San Marino Murata (1st)
Latvia Ventspils (1st) Iceland Valur (1st) Northern Ireland Linfield (1st) Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica (1st)
Notes
  1. ^
    Portugal (POR): On 4 June 2008, a decision was taken to exclude Portuguese champions Porto from this year's competition, after the club was found guilty of bribing referees in the Primeira Liga during the 2003–04 season.[5] As a result, Vitória de Guimarães were promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage, and Benfica from the UEFA Cup into the third qualifying round. After Porto appealed the decision, however, it was referred by UEFA's Appeals Body back to the Control & Disciplinary Body for re-assessment.[6] The meeting to re-assess the situation took place on 16 June 2008, with the decision being reversed and Porto being allowed back into the 2008–09 Champions League. The decision was taken due to Porto's disciplinary process in Portugal not yet being complete.[7]
  2. ^
    Bulgaria (BUL): Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia failed to obtain UEFA license due to unpaid debts and were replaced by league runners-up Levski Sofia.[8][9]

Round and draw dates

[edit]
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying First qualifying round 1 July 2008 15–16 July 2008 22–23 July 2008
Second qualifying round 29–30 July 2008 5–6 August 2008
Third qualifying round 1 August 2008 12–13 August 2008 26–27 August 2008
Group stage Matchday 1 28 August 2008 16–17 September 2008
Matchday 2 30 September–1 October 2008
Matchday 3 21–22 October 2008
Matchday 4 4–5 November 2008
Matchday 5 25–26 November 2008
Matchday 6 9–10 December 2008
Knockout phase Round of 16 19 December 2008 24–25 February 2009 10–11 March 2009
Quarter-finals 20 March 2009 7–8 April 2009 14–15 April 2009
Semi-finals 28–29 April 2009 5–6 May 2009
Final 27 May 2009 at Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Qualifying rounds

[edit]

First qualifying round

[edit]

The draw for the first qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland. The first legs were held on 15 and 16 July, while the second legs were played on 22 and 23 July 2008.

Two of the 14 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient: Inter Baku (Azerbaijan, country rank 42) beat Rabotnički (Macedonia, 36); and BATE Borisov (Belarus, 40) beat Valur (Iceland, 37). Of the 28 teams in the first qualifying round, two survived as far as the group stage: Anorthosis Famagusta and BATE Borisov.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Linfield Northern Ireland 1–3 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 1–1
Valletta Malta 0–3 Slovakia Artmedia Petržalka 0–2 0–1
Dinamo Tbilisi Georgia (country) 3–1 Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík 3–0 0–1
Santa Coloma Andorra 2–7 Lithuania Kaunas 1–4 1–3
Murata San Marino 0–9 Sweden IFK Göteborg 0–5 0–4
Llanelli Wales 1–4 Latvia Ventspils 1–0 0–4
Anorthosis Famagusta Cyprus 3–0 Armenia Pyunik 1–0 2–0
Inter Baku Azerbaijan 1–1 (a) North Macedonia Rabotnički 0–0 1–1
Tampere United Finland 3–2 Montenegro Budućnost 2–1 1–1
F91 Dudelange Luxembourg 0–3 Slovenia Domžale 0–1 0–2
Dinamo Tirana Albania 1–4 Bosnia and Herzegovina Modriča 0–2 1–2
Aktobe Kazakhstan 1–4 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 1–0 0–4
Drogheda United Republic of Ireland 3–1 Estonia Levadia 2–1 1–0
BATE Borisov Belarus 3–0 Iceland Valur 2–0 1–0

Second qualifying round

[edit]

The draw for the second qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland, immediately after the draw for the first qualifying round. The first legs were played on 29 and 30 July, while the second legs were played on 5 and 6 August 2008.

Three of the 14 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient: Kaunas (unranked, coefficient 2.640) beat Rangers (ranked 24, coefficient 66.013); BATE Borisov (unranked, 1.760) beat Anderlecht (56, 41.810); and Anorthosis (ranked 193) beat Rapid Wien (ranked 166). Of the 28 teams in the second qualifying round, Panathinaikos were the only one to qualify for the knockout phase of the competition.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Rangers Scotland 1–2 Lithuania Kaunas 0–0 1–2
Brann Norway 2–2 (a) Latvia Ventspils 1–0 1–2
Inter Baku Azerbaijan 1–3 Serbia Partizan 1–1 0–2
Tampere United Finland 3–7 Slovakia Artmedia Petržalka 1–3 2–4
Anorthosis Famagusta Cyprus 4–3 Austria Rapid Wien 3–0 1–3
Domžale Slovenia 2–6 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 0–3 2–3
Panathinaikos Greece 3–0 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 3–0 0–0
IFK Göteborg Sweden 3–5 Switzerland Basel 1–1 2–4
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 0–3 Czech Republic Sparta Prague 0–1 0–2
Drogheda United Republic of Ireland 3–4 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 1–2 2–2
Anderlecht Belgium 3–4 Belarus BATE Borisov 1–2 2–2
Beitar Jerusalem Israel 2–6 Poland Wisła Kraków 2–1 0–5
Fenerbahçe Turkey 7–0 Hungary MTK Budapest 2–0 5–0
AaB Denmark 7–1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Modriča 5–0 2–1

Third qualifying round

[edit]

The draw for the third qualifying round took place on 1 August 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland.[10] The first legs were played on 12 and 13 August, while the second legs were played on 26 and 27 August. The winners of each tie advanced to the group stage, while the losers were seeded into the 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round.

Four of the 16 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient: Anorthosis (ranked 193) beat Olympiacos (ranked 44); BATE Borisov (unranked, coefficient 1.760) beat Levski Sofia (ranked 80, coefficient 32.644); Atlético Madrid (ranked 67) beat Schalke 04 (ranked 22) and Dynamo Kyiv (ranked 74) beat Spartak Moscow (ranked 61).

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Anorthosis Famagusta Cyprus 3–1 Greece Olympiacos 3–0 0–1
Vitória de Guimarães Portugal 1–2 Switzerland Basel 0–0 1–2
Shakhtar Donetsk Ukraine 5–1 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 2–0 3–1
Schalke 04 Germany 1–4 Spain Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–4
AaB Denmark 4–0 Lithuania Kaunas 2–0 2–0
Barcelona Spain 4–1 Poland Wisła Kraków 4–0 0–1
Levski Sofia Bulgaria 1–2 Belarus BATE Borisov 0–1 1–1
Standard Liège Belgium 0–1 England Liverpool 0–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Partizan Serbia 3–4 Turkey Fenerbahçe 2–2 1–2
Twente Netherlands 0–6 England Arsenal 0–2 0–4
Spartak Moscow Russia 2–8 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 1–4 1–4
Juventus Italy 5–1 Slovakia Artmedia Petržalka 4–0 1–1
Brann Norway 1–3 France Marseille 0–1 1–2
Fiorentina Italy 2–0 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 2–0 0–0
Galatasaray Turkey 2–3 Romania Steaua București 2–2 0–1
Sparta Prague Czech Republic 1–3[A] Greece Panathinaikos 1–2 0–1
  1. ^ Order of legs reversed after original draw.

Group stage

[edit]
Location of teams of the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Green: Group E; Blue: Group F; Purple: Group G; Pink: Group H.

The draw for the group stage took place on 28 August 2008 at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, prior to the 2008 UEFA Super Cup the following day.[11]

The top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout phase, and the third-placed teams entered the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup. Based on paragraph 6.05 in the UEFA regulations for the current season, if two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:

  1. higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  2. superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
  3. higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  4. superior goal difference from all group matches played;
  5. higher number of goals scored in all group matches played;
  6. higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.

Zenit St. Petersburg, BATE Borisov, CFR Cluj and Anorthosis were making their debuts in the group stage.[12]

Group A

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ROM CHE BOR CLJ
1 Italy Roma 6 4 0 2 12 6 +6 12 Advance to knockout phase 3–1 2–0 1–2
2 England Chelsea 6 3 2 1 9 5 +4 11 1–0 4–0 2–1
3 France Bordeaux 6 2 1 3 5 11 −6 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–3 1–1 1–0
4 Romania CFR Cluj 6 1 1 4 5 9 −4 4 1–3 0–0 1–2
Source: RSSSF

Group B

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAN INT BRM ANO
1 Greece Panathinaikos 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 Advance to knockout phase 0–2 2–2 1–0
2 Italy Internazionale 6 2 2 2 8 7 +1 8 0–1 1–1 1–0
3 Germany Werder Bremen 6 1 4 1 7 9 −2 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–3 2–1 0–0
4 Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta 6 1 3 2 8 8 0 6 3–1 3–3 2–2
Source: RSSSF

Group C

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAR SPO SHK BSL
1 Spain Barcelona 6 4 1 1 18 8 +10 13 Advance to knockout phase 3–1 2–3 1–1
2 Portugal Sporting CP 6 4 0 2 8 8 0 12 2–5 1–0 2–0
3 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 6 3 0 3 11 7 +4 9 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–2 0–1 5–0
4 Switzerland Basel 6 0 1 5 2 16 −14 1 0–5 0–1 1–2
Source: RSSSF

Group D

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV ATM MAR PSV
1 England Liverpool 6 4 2 0 11 5 +6 14 Advance to knockout phase 1–1 1–0 3–1
2 Spain Atlético Madrid 6 3 3 0 9 4 +5 12 1–1 2–1 2–1
3 France Marseille 6 1 1 4 5 7 −2 4 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–2 0–0 3–0
4 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 6 1 0 5 5 14 −9 3 1–3 0–3 2–0
Source: RSSSF

Group E

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MUN VIL AAB CEL
1 England Manchester United 6 2 4 0 9 3 +6 10 Advance to knockout phase 0–0 2–2 3–0
2 Spain Villarreal 6 2 3 1 9 7 +2 9 0–0 6–3 1–0
3 Denmark AaB 6 1 3 2 9 14 −5 6 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–3 2–2 2–1
4 Scotland Celtic 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5 1–1 2–0 0–0
Source: RSSSF

Group F

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAY LYO FIO STE
1 Germany Bayern Munich 6 4 2 0 12 4 +8 14 Advance to knockout phase 1–1 3–0 3–0
2 France Lyon 6 3 2 1 14 10 +4 11 2–3 2–2 2–0
3 Italy Fiorentina 6 1 3 2 5 8 −3 6 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–1 1–2 0–0
4 Romania Steaua București 6 0 1 5 3 12 −9 1 0–1 3–5 0–1
Source: RSSSF

Group G

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification POR ARS DKV FEN
1 Portugal Porto 6 4 0 2 9 8 +1 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–0 0–1 3–1
2 England Arsenal 6 3 2 1 11 5 +6 11 4–0 1–0 0–0
3 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 6 2 2 2 4 4 0 8 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–2 1–1 1–0
4 Turkey Fenerbahçe 6 0 2 4 4 11 −7 2 1–2 2–5 0–0
Source: RSSSF

Group H

[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV RMA ZEN BATE
1 Italy Juventus 6 3 3 0 7 3 +4 12 Advance to knockout phase 2–1 1–0 0–0
2 Spain Real Madrid 6 4 0 2 9 5 +4 12 0–2 3–0 2–0
3 Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–0 1–2 1–1
4 Belarus BATE Borisov 6 0 3 3 3 8 −5 3 2–2 0–1 0–2
Source: RSSSF

Knockout phase

[edit]

In the knockout stage, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows:

  • In the draw for the round of 16, the eight group winners were seeded, and the eight group runners-up were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other.
  • In the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. As the draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held together before the quarter-finals were played, the identity of the quarter-final winners was not known at the time of the semi-final draw. A draw was also held to determine which semi-final winner was designated as the "home" team for the final (for administrative purposes as it was played at a neutral venue).

Bracket

[edit]

Round of 16

[edit]

The draw for the round of 16 was held on 19 December 2008, and conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and Bruno Conti, the ambassador for the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.[13] The first legs of the round of 16 were played on 24 and 25 February 2009, while the second legs were played on 10 and 11 March.[14]

Bayern Munich defeated Sporting CP by 12–1 on aggregate in the first knockout round; the biggest two-leg win in Champions League era. Manchester United's 2–0 victory against Internazionale in the first knockout round was their 21st consecutive undefeated match, a record surpassing Ajax's 20 undefeated matches, set between 1985–86 and 1995–96. The record was extended to 25 matches, ending with a 2–0 defeat to Barcelona in the final.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea England 3–2 Italy Juventus 1–0 2–2
Villarreal Spain 3–2 Greece Panathinaikos 1–1 2–1
Sporting CP Portugal 1–12 Germany Bayern Munich 0–5 1–7
Atlético Madrid Spain 2–2 (a) Portugal Porto 2–2 0–0
Lyon France 3–6 Spain Barcelona 1–1 2–5
Real Madrid Spain 0–5 England Liverpool 0–1 0–4
Arsenal England 1–1 (7–6 p) Italy Roma 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Internazionale Italy 0–2 England Manchester United 0–0 0–2

Quarter-finals

[edit]

The draw for the quarter-finals took place in Nyon, Switzerland, on 20 March 2009.[15] The first legs were played on 7 and 8 April while the second legs were played on 14 and 15 April. Due to the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough Disaster, Liverpool were granted their request that their return leg not be played on 15 April; the match was played on 14 April.[16][17]

Porto's 1–0 loss to Manchester United in the second leg of the quarter-finals was the club's first ever home defeat to English opposition.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Villarreal Spain 1–4 England Arsenal 1–1 0–3
Manchester United England 3–2 Portugal Porto 2–2 1–0
Liverpool England 5–7 England Chelsea 1–3 4–4
Barcelona Spain 5–1 Germany Bayern Munich 4–0 1–1

Semi-finals

[edit]

The draw for the semi-finals took place on 20 March 2009, immediately after the draw for the quarter-finals. The first legs were played on 28 and 29 April and the second legs on 5 and 6 May.

As in 2007–08, the semi-final teams consisted of three Premier League sides and Barcelona. This was the third consecutive season in which three of the four semi-final teams were English. Manchester United were the first defending champions to reach the semi-finals since the introduction of the first knockout round in the 2003–04 season. Chelsea were knocked out by Barcelona after a highly controversial performance by referee Tom Henning Øvrebø,[18] while Arsenal's 3–1 loss to Manchester United in the second leg of the semi-finals was the club's first defeat at the Emirates Stadium in a European competition.[19]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester United England 4–1 England Arsenal 1–0 3–1
Barcelona Spain 1–1 (a) England Chelsea 0–0 1–1

Final

[edit]

The final was played on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi. Barcelona's victory also meant that they became the first Spanish team to win the Treble. Manchester United were the first defending champions to reach the final of the competition since Juventus in 1997, but they failed to become the first club to defend the European Cup since Milan in 1990.

Barcelona Spain2–0England Manchester United
Eto'o 10'
Messi 70'
Report


Statistics

[edit]

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds.

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Rank Player Team Goals Minutes played
1 Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona 9 982
2 England Steven Gerrard England Liverpool 7 580
Germany Miroslav Klose Germany Bayern Munich 680
4 Argentina Lisandro López Portugal Porto 6 943
5 Togo Emmanuel Adebayor England Arsenal 5 627
Italy Alessandro Del Piero Italy Juventus 688
Ivory Coast Didier Drogba England Chelsea 702
Netherlands Robin van Persie England Arsenal 716
France Thierry Henry Spain Barcelona 717
France Karim Benzema France Lyon 731

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ravdin, Eugene; Menicucci, Paolo (5 October 2006). "Moscow and Rome feast on finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  2. ^ "UEFA Country Ranking 2007". Bert Kassies. Archived from the original on 2020-09-03. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  3. ^ "2008/09 UEFA Champions League access list and calendar". UEFA.com. 22 December 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Qualification for European Cup Football 2007/2008". Bert Kassies.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Porto lose Champions League place". BBC Sport. 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  6. ^ "FC Porto case deferred" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 September 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  7. ^ "Porto admission confirmed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  8. ^ "CSKA without UEFA license, Tomov takes the guilt". 3 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  9. ^ "CSKA Sofia banned from Champions League over unpaid debts". 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  10. ^ "Draws for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 July 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  11. ^ "UEFA sets Monaco agenda". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
  12. ^ "Europe's finest set for group stage draw". UEFA.com. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  13. ^ "Man Utd to face Mourinho's Inter". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 December 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
  14. ^ 2008/09 Draw and match calendar. uefa.com Archived 22 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Liverpool draw Chelsea in Europe". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 March 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  16. ^ "UEFA statement on Hillsborough anniversary". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  17. ^ "Reds won't play on Hillsborough date". liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool FC. 20 March 2009. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
  18. ^ "Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona (agg 1-1)". BBC Sport. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  19. ^ "Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United (agg 1-4)". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  20. ^ "Full Time Report" (PDF). UEFA. 27 May 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  21. ^ "Busacca to referee Rome final". UEFA. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
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