2000 UEFA Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match contested between Galatasaray
of Turkey and Arsenal
of England on 17 May 2000 at Parken
in Copenhagen
. The match was won by Galatasaray, who won 4–1 on penalties after extra time.
and Dennis Bergkamp
, but the mind kept being dragged back to the probability of worse trouble this summer when English and Turkish fans will surely meet on their travels through the Low Countries.
And in keeping with the day's theme of antagonism, this UEFA Cup
final produced the prickliest of first halves. Okan Buruk
and Bülent Korkmaz
were both booked for poleaxing Arsenal players; Patrick Vieira
and Martin Keown
were also cautioned for catching opponents late. Incensed by one tackle from Parlour, Hagi took his anger out on the ball and Bergkamp's pride, the Romanian whisking the ball past the Dutchman in breathtaking fashion.
Adams
, meanwhile, kept asking Galatasaray's players to desist from diving, most notably Arif Erdem
, who at times resembled an old man in a strong wind. Yet it was Arif, playing just off Şükür
, who had the best chances of the scoreless opening half, being denied by Seaman's tip-over and failing again just before the interval.
This opportunity was initially created by Hagi, his left foot trailing danger, opening up his box of tricks again and clipping the ball forward towards Hakan Şükür. The tall striker worked possession on to Ümit Davala
, who threaded the ball through to Arif.
Arsenal's back line screamed vainly - and misguidedly - for offside as Arif advanced on David Seaman
. A goal appeared inevitable but Arif placed his shot wastefully wide, much to the relief of the massed ranks of Arsenal fans behind Seaman's goal.
But the representatives of the nation who gave football to the world showed their character. Moments after Şükür's chance, Arsenal went raiding. Silvinho
, a lively, quicksilver presence down the left, released Thierry Henry
, whose cross raced across Taffarel
's box. Arriving unmarked was Keown but the centre-half scooped the ball over.
Arsenal were seeking to play on the counter-attack, using the speed of Henry and Overmars to catch the Turks unawares. Overmars
, who had tested Taffarel's reflexes with a stinging low drive in the first half, now began racing through the gears down the left. One run, after 66 minutes, climaxed in a fine cross-field pass to Parlour, whose first-time shot flew over.
Back came Arsenal again, charging upfield through the flying figures of Henry and then Overmars. Bergkamp gambled and sprinted to the near post but found himself on the wrong wavelength to Overmars, his Dutch compatriot who chose the far and the danger subsided.
Just as Overmars was prospering down the left, so was Hagi, who had switched from his roving but predominantly right-sided station at half-time. One piece of skill, delivering the ball down the line to a team- mate while everyone else's attention was drawn the other way, was a delight.
after the England centre-half had caught him. Hagi, hitherto a bewitching presence, refused to depart, arguing with the Spanish referee before finally jabbing a finger in the official's chest and stalking off.
The advantage was with Arsenal
and they poured forward in search of the golden goal
. Overmars should have profited from Henry's good work but saw his close-range shot diverted. Then Thierry Henry
was denied by Cláudio Taffarel
's amazing save at the far post, following a fine cross from Ray Parlour
. Again, Galatasaray's keeper stood between Arsenal and victory, reacting superbly to twice repel shots from the rampaging Kanu
and set up penalties
.
's left-hand post.
Hakan Şükür and Ümit Davala scored for Galatasaray while Ray Parlour was the only Arsenal player to score from the spot. Davor Šuker
and Patrick Vieira
both missing for Arsenal. The Turks were already well ahead at 3-1 when Gheorghe Popescu
stepped up and smashed the ball past David Seaman to send the Turkish fans into utter delight.
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
of Turkey and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
of England on 17 May 2000 at Parken
Parken Stadium
Parken Stadium is a football stadium in the Indre Østerbro district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built from 1990–1992. It currently has a capacity of 38,065 for football games, and is the home ground of F.C. Københaven and the Danish national football team...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. The match was won by Galatasaray, who won 4–1 on penalties after extra time.
Match report
As if a dreadful day in Copenhagen, Denmark needed any further tension, this UEFA Cup final between two well-matched sides was dragged into extra time and then penalties before Galatasaray prevailed at the Parken Stadium.First half
This should have been an occasion for celebrating the achievements of two good footballing sides, for lauding the magical moments of HagiGheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi is a former Romanian footballer. He was famous for his passing, close control, long shots and was regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time...
and Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
, but the mind kept being dragged back to the probability of worse trouble this summer when English and Turkish fans will surely meet on their travels through the Low Countries.
And in keeping with the day's theme of antagonism, this UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
final produced the prickliest of first halves. Okan Buruk
Okan Buruk
Okan Buruk is a Turkish former international footballer who played in the midfielder position. He played for Galatasaray, Internazionale, Beşiktaş, and İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor...
and Bülent Korkmaz
Bülent Korkmaz
Bülent Korkmaz is a retired Turkish football centre back and manager of Karabükspor. He played for Galatasaray for his whole career , where fans nicknamed him Büyük Kaptan ....
were both booked for poleaxing Arsenal players; Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
and Martin Keown
Martin Keown
Martin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal...
were also cautioned for catching opponents late. Incensed by one tackle from Parlour, Hagi took his anger out on the ball and Bergkamp's pride, the Romanian whisking the ball past the Dutchman in breathtaking fashion.
Adams
Tony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
, meanwhile, kept asking Galatasaray's players to desist from diving, most notably Arif Erdem
Arif Erdem
Arif Erdem is a retired Turkish international footballer and the current manager of İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. He played in the forward position. Starting out with local club Zeytinburnuspor in 1990, Erdem had a decorated 15-year professional career...
, who at times resembled an old man in a strong wind. Yet it was Arif, playing just off Şükür
Hakan Sükür
Hakan Şükür is a retired Turkish footballer who played as a striker. He spent the majority of his professional career with Galatasaray, being a three-time Gol Kralı , representing the club in three different spells and winning a total of 14 major titles.Şükür represented Turkey a...
, who had the best chances of the scoreless opening half, being denied by Seaman's tip-over and failing again just before the interval.
This opportunity was initially created by Hagi, his left foot trailing danger, opening up his box of tricks again and clipping the ball forward towards Hakan Şükür. The tall striker worked possession on to Ümit Davala
Ümit Davala
Ümit Davala is a Turkish former international footballer who is currently an assistant manager of Galatasaray.-Club career:...
, who threaded the ball through to Arif.
Arsenal's back line screamed vainly - and misguidedly - for offside as Arif advanced on David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
. A goal appeared inevitable but Arif placed his shot wastefully wide, much to the relief of the massed ranks of Arsenal fans behind Seaman's goal.
Second half
Shortly after the break, Galatasaray really should have taken the lead but Arif's shot cannoned off Seaman's left-hand upright. The huge banner born from the shores of the Bosphorus and hung from the rafters of a Scandinavian stadium was beginning to ring true: "We have come to shake the cradle of football".But the representatives of the nation who gave football to the world showed their character. Moments after Şükür's chance, Arsenal went raiding. Silvinho
Sylvinho
Sylvio Mendes Campos Junior , commonly known as Sylvinho is a retired Brazilian footballer, who played for Corinthians, Arsenal, Celta Vigo, FC Barcelona and Manchester City...
, a lively, quicksilver presence down the left, released Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, whose cross raced across Taffarel
Cláudio Taffarel
Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is of German and Italian descent....
's box. Arriving unmarked was Keown but the centre-half scooped the ball over.
Arsenal were seeking to play on the counter-attack, using the speed of Henry and Overmars to catch the Turks unawares. Overmars
Mark Overmars
Markus Hendrik Overmars is a Dutch computer scientist and teacher of game programming known for his game development application Game Maker. Game Maker lets people create computer games using a drag-and-drop interface. He is the head of the Center for Geometry, Imaging, and Virtual Environments...
, who had tested Taffarel's reflexes with a stinging low drive in the first half, now began racing through the gears down the left. One run, after 66 minutes, climaxed in a fine cross-field pass to Parlour, whose first-time shot flew over.
Back came Arsenal again, charging upfield through the flying figures of Henry and then Overmars. Bergkamp gambled and sprinted to the near post but found himself on the wrong wavelength to Overmars, his Dutch compatriot who chose the far and the danger subsided.
Just as Overmars was prospering down the left, so was Hagi, who had switched from his roving but predominantly right-sided station at half-time. One piece of skill, delivering the ball down the line to a team- mate while everyone else's attention was drawn the other way, was a delight.
Extra time
After the disappointing, occasionally fractious normal time, the additional period had experienced an explosive start when Gheorghe Hagi was dismissed for showing the darker side of his game, whacking Tony AdamsTony Adams (footballer)
Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
after the England centre-half had caught him. Hagi, hitherto a bewitching presence, refused to depart, arguing with the Spanish referee before finally jabbing a finger in the official's chest and stalking off.
The advantage was with Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and they poured forward in search of the golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
. Overmars should have profited from Henry's good work but saw his close-range shot diverted. Then Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
was denied by Cláudio Taffarel
Cláudio Taffarel
Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is of German and Italian descent....
's amazing save at the far post, following a fine cross from Ray Parlour
Ray Parlour
Raymond "Ray" Parlour , is a retired English footballer. He spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but...
. Again, Galatasaray's keeper stood between Arsenal and victory, reacting superbly to twice repel shots from the rampaging Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu, OON , or simply Kanu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Portsmouth. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 until 2010...
and set up penalties
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
.
Penalties
The shootout tipped Galatasaray's way when Ergün Penbe scored the opening penalty and Suker hit Cláudio TaffarelCláudio Taffarel
Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is of German and Italian descent....
's left-hand post.
Hakan Şükür and Ümit Davala scored for Galatasaray while Ray Parlour was the only Arsenal player to score from the spot. Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker , is a retired Croatian footballer. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals....
and Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
both missing for Arsenal. The Turks were already well ahead at 3-1 when Gheorghe Popescu
Gheorghe Popescu
Gheorghe Gică Popescu is a former Romanian footballer who played as a defender, and was a key part of the Romania national team in the 1990s. He played for a string of European clubs in an illustrious career that saw him amass many honours...
stepped up and smashed the ball past David Seaman to send the Turkish fans into utter delight.
Match details
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Man of the match:  Cláudio TaffarelCláudio Taffarel Cláudio André Mergen Taffarel is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is of German and Italian descent.... (Galatasaray) Assistant referees: Victoriano Giráldez Carrasco (touchline) (Spain) Fernando Tresaco Gracia (touchline) (Spain) Fourth official: |