2008–09 UEFA Champions League

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2008–09 UEFA Champions League
Tournament details
Dates 16 September 2008 – 27 May 2009
Teams 32
Final positions
Champions  Flag of Spain Barcelona (3rd title)
Runner-up  Flag of England Manchester United
Tournament statistics
Matches played 125
Goals scored 329 (2.63 per match)
Attendance 5,008,404 (40,067 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Argentina Lionel Messi
(9 goals)

The UEFA Champions League 2008–09 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 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 last won the tournament in 2006. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, and secured The Treble in the process.

Contents

[edit] Qualification

A total of 76 teams from 52 UEFA associations (Liechtenstein organises no domestic league competition) will participate in the 2008-09 Champions League. Countries are allocated places according to the 2007 UEFA league co-efficient ranking. The title holder entry is not used since Manchester United qualified for the group stage as the Premier League (Association 2) champions.

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

  • Associations 1-3 (Spain, England and Italy) each have four teams qualify
  • Associations 4-6 (France, Germany, and Portugal) each have three teams qualify
  • Associations 7-15 (Romania, Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Belgium, Czech Republic, Turkey, and Greece) each have two teams qualify
  • Associations 16-53 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify

First qualifying round: (28 teams)

  • 28 champions from associations 25-53

Second qualifying round: (28 teams)

  • 14 winners from the first qualifying round
  • 8 champions from associations 17-24 (Switzerland, Norway, Israel, Serbia, Denmark, Austria, Poland and Hungary)
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10-15

Third qualifying round: (32 teams)

  • 14 winners from the second qualifying round
  • 6 champions from associations 11-16
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7-9 (the Netherlands enter the winners of a series of play-off games rather than the runners-up automatically qualifying)
  • 6 third-place finishers from associations 1-6
  • 3 fourth-place finishers from associations 1-3

Group stage: (32 teams)

  • 16 winners from the third qualifying round
  • 10 champions from associations 1-10
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1-6
Group stage
Flag of Spain Real Madrid Flag of Italy Internazionale Flag of Germany Bayern Munich Flag of Romania CFR Cluj
Flag of Spain Villarreal Flag of Italy Roma Flag of Germany Werder Bremen Flag of the Netherlands PSV Eindhoven
Flag of England Manchester UnitedTH Flag of France Lyon Flag of Portugal Porto Flag of Russia Zenit St. Petersburg
Flag of England Chelsea Flag of France Bordeaux Flag of Portugal Sporting CP Flag of Scotland Celtic[A]
Third qualifying round
Flag of Spain Barcelona Flag of Italy Fiorentina Flag of the Netherlands Twente Flag of the Czech Republic Slavia Prague
Flag of Spain Atlético Madrid Flag of France Marseille Flag of Russia Spartak Moscow Flag of Turkey Galatasaray
Flag of England Arsenal Flag of Germany Schalke 04 Flag of Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk Flag of Greece Olympiacos
Flag of England Liverpool Flag of Portugal Vitória Guimarães Flag of Belgium Standard Liège Flag of Bulgaria Levski Sofia[A]
Flag of Italy Juventus Flag of Romania Steaua
Second qualifying round
Flag of Scotland Rangers Flag of Turkey Fenerbahçe Flag of Israel Beitar Jerusalem Flag of Austria Rapid Wien
Flag of Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv Flag of Greece Panathinaikos Flag of Serbia Partizan Flag of Poland Wisła Kraków[A]
Flag of Belgium Anderlecht Flag of Switzerland Basel Flag of Denmark Aalborg BK Flag of Hungary MTK Budapest[A]
Flag of the Czech Republic Sparta Prague Flag of Norway Brann
First qualifying round
Flag of Slovakia Artmedia Petržalka Flag of Lithuania Kaunas Flag of Belarus BATE Flag of Wales Llanelli
Flag of Croatia Dinamo Zagreb Flag of Finland Tampere United Flag of Albania Dinamo Tirana Flag of the Faroe Islands NSÍ Runavík
Flag of Cyprus Anorthosis Flag of Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol Flag of Estonia Levadia Flag of Luxembourg F91 Dudelange
Flag of Sweden IFK Göteborg Flag of Ireland Drogheda United Flag of Armenia Pyunik Yerevan Flag of Malta Valletta
Flag of Slovenia Domžale Flag of Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi Flag of Azerbaijan Inter Baku Flag of Andorra Santa Coloma
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Modriča Flag of the Republic of Macedonia Rabotnički Flag of Kazakhstan Aktobe Flag of San Marino Murata
Flag of Latvia Ventspils Flag of Iceland Valur Flag of Northern Ireland Linfield Flag of Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica

TH Title Holder

[edit] Excluded teams

[edit] Porto

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 Portuguese Liga during the 2003-04 season.[2] As a result, Vitória Guimarães were promoted from the 3rd qualifying round to the group stage and Benfica from the UEFA Cup into the 3rd qualifying round. However, after Porto appealed the decision, the decision was referred by UEFA's Appeals Body back to the Control & Disciplinary Body for re-assessment.[3] 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.[4]

[edit] CSKA Sofia

Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia were excluded from the tournament having failed to secure a UEFA licence due to the club being in debt to various government bodies and creditors.[5] Levski Sofia took their place in the 3rd qualifying round.

[edit] Round and draw dates

Date Event
1 July 2008 Draw for first and second qualifying rounds
15 & 16 July 2008 First qualifying round, first leg
22 & 23 July 2008 First qualifying round, second leg
29 & 30 July 2008 Second qualifying round, first leg
1 August 2008 Draw for third qualifying round
5 & 6 August 2008 Second qualifying round, second leg
12 & 13 August 2008 Third qualifying round, first leg
26 & 27 August 2008 Third qualifying round, second leg
28 August 2008 Draw for group stage
16 & 17 September 2008 Group stage, Matchday 1
30 September & 1 October 2008 Group stage, Matchday 2
21 & 22 October 2008 Group stage, Matchday 3
Date Event
4 & 5 November 2008 Group stage, Matchday 4
25 & 26 November 2008 Group stage, Matchday 5
9 & 10 December 2008 Group stage, Matchday 6
19 December 2008 Draw for first knockout round
24 & 25 February 2009 First knockout round, first leg
10 & 11 March 2009 First knockout round, second leg
20 March 2009 Draw for remaining rounds
7 & 8 April 2009 Quarter-finals, first leg
14 & 15 April 2009 Quarter-finals, second leg
28 & 29 April 2009 Semi-finals, first leg
5 & 6 May 2009 Semi-finals, second leg
27 May 2009 Final in Rome, Italy

[edit] Qualifying rounds

[edit] First qualifying round

The draw for the first and second qualifying rounds was held on Tuesday, 1 July 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland. The first leg matches were held on 15 July and 16 July, while the second legs were played on 22 July and 23 July 2008.

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

In the draw for the first qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The lower pot contained the 14 teams from associations 40-53: none of these teams had a team ranking.

Two of the 14 ties were won by the lower ranked team: Inter Baku (Azerbaijan, country rank 42) beat Rabotnički (Macedonia, 36); and BATE (Belarus, 40) beat Valur (Iceland, 37).

Of the 28 teams in the first qualifying round, two would survive as far as the group stage: Anorthosis and BATE. Each then finished in fourth place.

[edit] Second qualifying round

The first leg matches were played on 29 July and 30 July, while the second legs were played on 5 August and 6 August 2008.

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

In the draw for the second qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The higher pot contained teams ranked 166 or higher: so each tie contained exactly one team ranked in the top 166.

Three of the 14 ties were won by the lower ranked team: Kaunas (unranked, coefficient 2.640) beat Rangers (ranked 24, coefficient 66.013); BATE (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 stage of the competition.

[edit] Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round took place on 1 August 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland.[6] The first leg matches were played on 12 August and 13 August, while the second leg matches took place on 26 August and 27 August. The losing team of each match are being seeded into the UEFA Cup 2008-09 first round; while the winning teams advance into the UEFA Champions League 2008–09 group stage.

Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Anorthosis Flag of Cyprus 3–1 Flag of Greece Olympiacos 3–0 0–1
Vitória Guimarães Flag of Portugal 1–2 Flag of Switzerland Basel 0–0 1–2
Shakhtar Donetsk Flag of Ukraine 5–1 Flag of Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 2–0 3–1
Schalke 04 Flag of Germany 1–4 Flag of Spain Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–4
Aalborg BK Flag of Denmark 4–0 Flag of Lithuania Kaunas 2–0 2–0
Barcelona Flag of Spain 4–1 Flag of Poland Wisła Kraków 4–0 0–1
Levski Sofia Flag of Bulgaria 1–2 Flag of Belarus BATE 0–1 1–1
Standard Liège Flag of Belgium 0–1 Flag of England Liverpool 0–0 0–1 (aet)
Partizan Flag of Serbia 3–4 Flag of Turkey Fenerbahçe 2–2 1–2
Twente Flag of the Netherlands 0–6 Flag of England Arsenal 0–2 0–4
Spartak Moscow Flag of Russia 2–8 Flag of Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 1–4 1–4
Juventus Flag of Italy 5–1 Flag of Slovakia Artmedia Petržalka 4–0 1–1
Brann Flag of Norway 1–3 Flag of France Marseille 0–1 1–2
Fiorentina Flag of Italy 2–0 Flag of the Czech Republic Slavia Prague 2–0 0–0
Galatasaray Flag of Turkey 2–3 Flag of Romania Steaua 2–2 0–1
Sparta Prague Flag of the Czech Republic 1–3[C] Flag of Greece Panathinaikos 1–2 0–1

In the draw for the third qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The higher pot contained teams ranked 61 or higher. However, the draw was held before the second qualifying round was played, which meant that Kaunas and BATE effectively moved into the higher pot, replacing the teams they eliminated.

Four of the 16 ties were won by the lower ranked team: Anorthosis (ranked 193) beat Olympiacos (ranked 44); BATE (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).

[edit] Group stage

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.[7]

[edit] Tie-breaking criteria

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.
Key to colours in group tables
Teams that progressed to the first knockout round are indicated in bold type
Teams that progressed to the UEFA Cup are indicated in bold italics
Teams eliminated from European competitions for the season are indicated in plain italics

[edit] Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Italy Roma 6 4 0 2 12 6 +6 12
Flag of England Chelsea 6 3 2 1 9 5 +4 11
Flag of France Bordeaux 6 2 1 3 5 11 −6 7
Flag of Romania CFR Cluj 6 1 1 4 5 9 −4 4
  BDX CLU CHL ROM
Bordeaux 1–0 1–1 1–3
CFR Cluj 1–2 0–0 1–3
Chelsea 4–0 2–1 1–0
Roma 2–0 1–2 3–1

[edit] Group B

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Greece Panathinaikos 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10
Flag of Italy Internazionale 6 2 2 2 8 7 +1 8
Flag of Germany Werder Bremen 6 1 4 1 7 9 −2 7
Flag of Cyprus Anorthosis 6 1 3 2 8 8 0 6
  ANO INT PAN BRM
Anorthosis 3–3 3–1 2–2
Internazionale 1–0 0–1 1–1
Panathinaikos 1–0 0–2 2–2
Werder Bremen 0–0 2–1 0–3

[edit] Group C

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Spain Barcelona 6 4 1 1 18 8 +10 13
Flag of Portugal Sporting CP 6 4 0 2 8 8 0 12
Flag of Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 6 3 0 3 11 7 +4 9
Flag of Switzerland Basel 6 0 1 5 2 16 −14 1
  BAR BSL SHK SCP
Barcelona 1–1 2–3 3–1
Basel 0–5 1–2 0–1
Shakhtar Donetsk 1–2 5–0 0–1
Sporting CP 2–5 2–0 1–0

[edit] Group D

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of England Liverpool 6 4 2 0 11 5 +6 14
Flag of Spain Atlético Madrid 6 3 3 0 9 4 +5 12
Flag of France Marseille 6 1 1 4 5 7 −2 4
Flag of the Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 6 1 0 5 5 14 −9 3
  ATL LIV MAR PSV
Atlético Madrid 1–1 2–1 2–1
Liverpool 1–1 1–0 3–1
Marseille 0–0 1–2 3–0
PSV Eindhoven 0–3 1–3 2–0

[edit] Group E

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of England Manchester United 6 2 4 0 9 3 +6 10
Flag of Spain Villarreal 6 2 3 1 9 7 +2 9
Flag of Denmark Aalborg BK 6 1 3 2 9 14 −5 6
Flag of Scotland Celtic 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5
  AAB CEL MU VIL
Aalborg BK 2–1 0–3 2–2
Celtic 0–0 1–1 2–0
Manchester United 2–2 3–0 0–0
Villarreal 6–3 1–0 0–0

[edit] Group F

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Germany Bayern Munich 6 4 2 0 12 4 +8 14
Flag of France Lyon 6 3 2 1 14 10 +4 11
Flag of Italy Fiorentina 6 1 3 2 5 8 −3 6
Flag of Romania Steaua 6 0 1 5 3 12 −9 1
  BAY FIO LYO STE
Bayern Munich 3–0 1–1 3–0
Fiorentina 1–1 1–2 0–0
Lyon 2–3 2–2 2–0
Steaua 0–1 0–1 3–5

[edit] Group G

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Portugal Porto 6 4 0 2 9 8 +1 12
Flag of England Arsenal 6 3 2 1 11 5 +6 11
Flag of Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 6 2 2 2 4 4 0 8
Flag of Turkey Fenerbahçe 6 0 2 4 4 11 −7 2
  ARS DYN FEN POR
Arsenal 1–0 0–0 4–0
Dynamo Kyiv 1–1 1–0 1–2
Fenerbahçe 2–5 0–0 1–2
Porto 2–0 0–1 3–1

[edit] Group H

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Flag of Italy Juventus 6 3 3 0 7 3 +4 12
Flag of Spain Real Madrid 6 4 0 2 9 5 +4 12
Flag of Russia Zenit St. Petersburg 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5
Flag of Belarus BATE 6 0 3 3 3 8 −5 3
  BAT JUV RM ZNT
BATE 2–2 0–1 0–2
Juventus 0–0 2–1 1–0
Real Madrid 2–0 0–2 3–0
Zenit St. Petersburg 1–1 0–0 1–2

[edit] Knockout stage

From the first knockout round through to the semi-finals, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis with the same rules as the qualifying rounds applied. In the last 16, group winners play runners-up other than teams from their own pool or nation. For the draw of the quarter-finals and semi-finals clubs are seeded based on the results in the group and first knockout stage of the current season (eight matches).

The draw for the first knockout round was held on Friday, 19 December 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor, Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's director of professional football and Bruno Conti, the ambassador for the final in Rome.

The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were both held on Friday, 20 March 2009 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by David Taylor and Bruno Conti. Unlike the first knockout round, teams from the same group or country may be drawn together from the quarter-finals onwards.

[edit] Bracket

  First knockout round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                                         
 Flag of France Lyon 1 2 3  
 Flag of Spain Barcelona 1 5 6  
   Flag of Spain Barcelona 4 1 5  
   Flag of Germany Bayern Munich 0 1 1  
 Flag of Portugal Sporting CP 0 1 1
 Flag of Germany Bayern Munich 5 7 12  
   Flag of Spain Barcelona (a) 0 1 1  
   Flag of England Chelsea 0 1 1  
 Flag of Spain Real Madrid 0 0 0  
 Flag of England Liverpool 1 4 5  
   Flag of England Liverpool 1 4 5
   Flag of England Chelsea 3 4 7  
 Flag of England Chelsea 1 2 3
 Flag of Italy Juventus 0 2 2  
   Flag of Spain Barcelona 2
   Flag of England Manchester United 0
 Flag of Italy Internazionale 0 0 0  
 Flag of England Manchester United 0 2 2  
   Flag of England Manchester United 2 1 3
   Flag of Portugal Porto 2 0 2  
 Flag of Spain Atlético Madrid 2 0 2
 Flag of Portugal Porto (a) 2 0 2  
   Flag of England Manchester United 1 3 4
   Flag of England Arsenal 0 1 1  
 Flag of Spain Villarreal 1 2 3  
 Flag of Greece Panathinaikos 1 1 2  
   Flag of Spain Villarreal 1 0 1
   Flag of England Arsenal 1 3 4  
 Flag of England Arsenal (p) 1 0 1 (7)
 Flag of Italy Roma 0 1 1 (6)  

[edit] First knockout round

The first legs of the first knockout round were played on 24 and 25 February 2009, and the second legs were played on 10 and 11 March.

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

[edit] Quarter-finals

The first leg matches were played on 7 April and 8 April, with the second leg matches being played on 14 April and 15 April 2009. 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.[8]

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

[edit] Semi-finals

The first leg matches were played on 28 April and 29 April, while the second leg matches were played on 5 May and 6 May 2009. 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.

Team #1   Agg.   Team #2   1st leg     2nd leg  
Manchester United Flag of England 4–1 Flag of England Arsenal 1–0 3–1
Barcelona Flag of Spain (a) 1–1 Flag of England Chelsea 0–0 1–1

[edit] Final

The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played at 20:45 CEST 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. For the fifth consecutive year, one of the finalists was an English team. 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.

27 May 2009
20:45 (UTC+2)
Barcelona Flag of Spain 2 – 0 Flag of England Manchester United Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 62,467
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
Eto'o Goal 10'
Messi Goal 70'
Report
UEFA Champions League
2008–09 Winners
Flag of Spain
FC Barcelona
Third Title

[edit] Top goalscorers

The top scorers from the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League (excluding qualifying rounds) are as follows:

Rank Name Team Goals Time played Minutes per goal
1 Flag of Argentina Lionel Messi Flag of Spain Barcelona 9 982'44" 109'12"
2 Flag of England Steven Gerrard Flag of England Liverpool 7 580'36" 82'57"
Flag of Germany Miroslav Klose Flag of Germany Bayern Munich 7 680'07" 97'10"
4 Flag of Argentina Lisandro López Flag of Portugal Porto 6 943'11" 157'12"
5 Flag of Togo Emmanuel Adebayor Flag of England Arsenal 5 627'33" 125'31"
Flag of Italy Alessandro Del Piero Flag of Italy Juventus 5 688'14" 137'39"
Flag of Côte d'Ivoire Didier Drogba Flag of England Chelsea 5 702'31" 140'30"
Flag of the Netherlands Robin van Persie Flag of England Arsenal 5 716'34" 143'19"
Flag of France Thierry Henry Flag of Spain Barcelona 5 717'50" 143'34"
Flag of France Karim Benzema Flag of France Lyon 5 731'13" 146'15"

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Results

  • Bayern Munich defeated Sporting CP by 12–1 on aggregate in the first knockout round, being 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.

[edit] Progression

  • At least one English team reached the final for a fifth consecutive year. However, English clubs have only beaten a foreign opponent in the final once during that span. As in the 2007–08 tournament, the semi-final teams consisted of three English teams and Barcelona. It was the third consecutive season that there were three English teams in the semi-final stage. For the second consecutive year, four English teams reached the quarter-final stage. Arsenal were the season's only semi-finalists that did not qualify for the semi-finals in 2007–08, replacing Liverpool.
  • Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Barcelona marked the first time an English team had been eliminated by a non-English team since the 2007 final when Liverpool were beaten by Milan.
  • Liverpool and Chelsea played each other in the quarter-finals, making the match the fifth time in five years that the two teams had been drawn together in the Champions League.
  • Barcelona and Chelsea played each other in the semi-finals, making the match the fourth time in five years that the two teams had been drawn together in the Champions League.
  • 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, and the first reigning champions to reach the final since Juventus in 1997.

[edit] Team performance

  • Cyprus' Anorthosis and BATE of Belarus were the first ever teams from their countries to qualify for the group stage.
  • The Romanian side CFR Cluj and Russian champions Zenit also made their debut in the Champions League.
  • Arsenal became the first side in the Champions league era to win a penalty shootout in a knockout round, and advance to the next stage, and win their next tie.
  • Porto's 0–1 loss to Manchester United in the second leg of the quarter-finals was the club's first ever home defeat to English opposition.
  • Arsenal's 1–3 loss to Manchester United in the second leg of the semi-finals was the club's first ever defeat at the Emirates Stadium in a European competition.

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

A. ^  Moved up from the lower qualifying round due to the Title Holder entry not being used.
B. ^  Match was played in Dublin.
C. ^  Order of legs reversed

[edit] References

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