2008–09 UEFA Champions League

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 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.

2008–09 UEFA Champions League
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

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

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

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]

RankAssociationCoeff.Teams
1 Spain76.8914
2 England68.540
3 Italy66.088
4 France53.6563
5 Germany44.364
6 Portugal42.749
7 Romania40.1652
8 Netherlands39.379
9 Russia36.125
10 Scotland30.500
11 Ukraine29.475
12 Belgium29.075
13 Czech Republic26.825
14 Turkey26.641
15 Greece25.497
16 Bulgaria24.5821
17 Switzerland23.850
18 Norway19.725
RankAssociationCoeff.Teams
19 Israel19.2081
20 Serbia18.958
21 Denmark18.575
22 Austria18.500
23 Poland17.000
24 Hungary14.165
25 Slovakia10.832
26 Croatia10.708
27 Cyprus10.582
28 Sweden10.541
29 Slovenia9.915
30 Bosnia and Herzegovina9.665
31 Latvia8.664
32 Lithuania7.332
33 Finland7.331
34 Moldova7.166
35 Republic of Ireland6.498
36 Georgia6.164
RankAssociationCoeff.Teams
37 Liechtenstein6.0000
38 Macedonia5.8311
39 Iceland4.999
40 Belarus4.665
41 Albania3.832
42 Estonia3.665
43 Armenia3.498
44 Azerbaijan3.166
45 Kazakhstan2.332
46 Northern Ireland2.165
47 Wales1.998
48 Faroe Islands1.665
49 Luxembourg1.665
50 Malta1.665
51 San Marino0.000
52 Andorra0.000
53 Montenegro0.000

Distribution

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 roundTeams 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

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

Group stage
Real Madrid (1st) Internazionale (1st) Bayern Munich (1st) CFR Cluj (1st)
Villarreal (2nd) Roma (2nd) Werder Bremen (2nd) PSV Eindhoven (1st)
Manchester United (1st)TH Lyon (1st) Porto (1st)[Note POR] Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st)
Chelsea (2nd) Bordeaux (2nd) Sporting CP (2nd) Celtic (1st)
Third qualifying round
Barcelona (3rd) Fiorentina (4th) Twente (PO) Slavia Prague (1st)
Atlético Madrid (4th) Marseille (3rd) Spartak Moscow (2nd) Galatasaray (1st)
Arsenal (3rd) Schalke 04 (3rd) Shakhtar Donetsk (1st) Olympiacos (1st)
Liverpool (4th) Vitória de Guimarães (3rd) Standard Liège (1st) Levski Sofia (2nd)[Note BUL]
Juventus (3rd) Steaua București (2nd)
Second qualifying round
Rangers (2nd) Fenerbahçe (2nd) Beitar Jerusalem (1st) Rapid Wien (1st)
Dynamo Kyiv (2nd) Panathinaikos (PO) Partizan (1st) Wisła Kraków (1st)
Anderlecht (2nd) Basel (1st) Aalborg BK (1st) MTK Budapest (1st)
Sparta Prague (2nd) Brann (1st)
First qualifying round
Artmedia Petržalka (1st) Kaunas (1st) BATE Borisov (1st) Llanelli (1st)
Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Tampere United (1st) Dinamo Tirana (1st) NSÍ Runavík (1st)
Anorthosis Famagusta (1st) Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Levadia (1st) F91 Dudelange (1st)
IFK Göteborg (1st) Drogheda United (1st) Pyunik Yerevan (1st) Valletta (1st)
Domžale (1st) Dinamo Tbilisi (1st) Inter Baku (1st) Santa Coloma (1st)
Modriča (1st) Rabotnički (1st) Aktobe (1st) Murata (1st)
Ventspils (1st) Valur (1st) Linfield (1st) Budućnost Podgorica (1st)
Notes

Round and draw dates

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingFirst qualifying round1 July 200815–16 July 200822–23 July 2008
Second qualifying round29–30 July 20085–6 August 2008
Third qualifying round1 August 200812–13 August 200826–27 August 2008
Group stageMatchday 128 August 200816–17 September 2008
Matchday 230 September–1 October 2008
Matchday 321–22 October 2008
Matchday 44–5 November 2008
Matchday 525–26 November 2008
Matchday 69–10 December 2008
Knockout phaseRound of 1619 December 200824–25 February 200910–11 March 2009
Quarter-finals20 March 20097–8 April 200914–15 April 2009
Semi-finals28–29 April 20095–6 May 2009
Final27 May 2009 at Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Qualifying rounds

First qualifying round

The draw for the first and second qualifying rounds was held on 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 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Linfield 1–3 Dinamo Zagreb0–21–1
Valletta 0–3 Artmedia Petržalka0–20–1
Dinamo Tbilisi 3–1 NSÍ Runavík3–00–1
Santa Coloma 2–7 Kaunas1–41–3
Murata 0–9 IFK Göteborg0–50–4
Llanelli 1–4 Ventspils1–00–4
Anorthosis Famagusta 3–0 Pyunik Yerevan1–02–0
Inter Baku 1–1 (a) Rabotnički0–01–1
Tampere United 3–2 Budućnost2–11–1
F91 Dudelange 0–3 Domžale0–10–2
Dinamo Tirana 1–4 Modriča0–21–2
Aktobe 1–4 Sheriff Tiraspol1–00–4
Drogheda United 3–1 Levadia2–11–0
BATE Borisov 3–0 Valur2–01–0

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 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 and BATE Borisov. Each then finished in fourth place.

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 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Rangers 1–2 Kaunas0–01–2
Brann 2–2 (a) Ventspils1–01–2
Inter Baku 1–3 Partizan1–10–2
Tampere United 3–7 Artmedia Petržalka1–32–4
Anorthosis Famagusta 4–3 Rapid Wien3–01–3
Domžale 2–6 Dinamo Zagreb0–32–3
Panathinaikos 3–0 Dinamo Tbilisi3–00–0
IFK Göteborg 3–5 Basel1–12–4
Sheriff Tiraspol 0–3 Sparta Prague0–10–2
Drogheda United 3–4 Dynamo Kyiv1–2[A]2–2
Anderlecht 3–4 BATE Borisov1–22–2
Beitar Jerusalem 2–6 Wisła Kraków2–10–5
Fenerbahçe 7–0 MTK Hungária2–05–0
Aalborg BK 7–1 Modriča5–02–1

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 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.

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round took place on 1 August 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland.[10] 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 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round; while the winning teams advance into the UEFA Champions League 2008–09 group stage.

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Anorthosis Famagusta 3–1 Olympiacos3–00–1
Vitória de Guimarães 1–2 Basel0–01–2
Shakhtar Donetsk 5–1 Dinamo Zagreb2–03–1
Schalke 04 1–4 Atlético Madrid1–00–4
Aalborg BK 4–0 Kaunas2–02–0
Barcelona 4–1 Wisła Kraków4–00–1
Levski Sofia 1–2 BATE Borisov0–11–1
Standard Liège 0–1 Liverpool0–00–1 (a.e.t.)
Partizan 3–4 Fenerbahçe2–21–2
Twente 0–6 Arsenal0–20–4
Spartak Moscow 2–8 Dynamo Kyiv1–41–4
Juventus 5–1 Artmedia Petržalka4–01–1
Brann 1–3 Marseille0–11–2
Fiorentina 2–0 Slavia Prague2–00–0
Galatasaray 2–3 Steaua București2–20–1
Sparta Prague 1–3[B] Panathinaikos1–20–1

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 Borisov 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 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).

Group stage

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

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification ROM CHE BDX CFR
1 Roma6402126+612Advance to knockout phase3–12–01–2
2 Chelsea632195+4111–04–02–1
3 Bordeaux6213511−67Transfer to UEFA Cup1–31–11–0
4 CFR Cluj611459−441–30–01–2
Source: RSSSF

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification PAN INT BRM ANO
1 Panathinaikos631287+110Advance to knockout phase0–22–21–0
2 Internazionale622287+180–11–11–0
3 Werder Bremen614179−27Transfer to UEFA Cup0–32–10–0
4 Anorthosis Famagusta613288063–13–32–2
Source: RSSSF

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification BAR SCP SHA BAS
1 Barcelona6411188+1013Advance to knockout phase3–12–31–1
2 Sporting CP6402880122–51–02–0
3 Shakhtar Donetsk6303117+49Transfer to UEFA Cup1–20–15–0
4 Basel6015216−1410–50–11–2
Source: RSSSF

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification LIV ATL OM PSV
1 Liverpool6420115+614Advance to knockout phase1–11–03–1
2 Atlético Madrid633094+5121–12–12–1
3 Marseille611457−24Transfer to UEFA Cup1–20–03–0
4 PSV6105514−931–30–32–0
Source: RSSSF

Group E

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification MU VIL AAB CEL
1 Manchester United624093+610Advance to knockout phase0–02–23–0
2 Villarreal623197+290–06–31–0
3 Aalborg BK6132914−56Transfer to UEFA Cup0–32–22–1
4 Celtic612347−351–12–00–0
Source: RSSSF

Group F

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification BAY OL FIO STE
1 Bayern Munich6420124+814Advance to knockout phase1–13–03–0
2 Lyon63211410+4112–32–22–0
3 Fiorentina613258−36Transfer to UEFA Cup1–11–20–0
4 Steaua București6015312−910–13–50–1
Source: RSSSF

Group G

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification POR ARS DK FEN
1 Porto640298+112Advance to knockout phase2–00–13–1
2 Arsenal6321115+6114–01–00–0
3 Dynamo Kyiv62224408Transfer to UEFA Cup1–21–11–0
4 Fenerbahçe6024411−721–22–50–0
Source: RSSSF

Group H

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification JUV RM ZEN BAT
1 Juventus633073+412Advance to knockout phase2–11–00–0
2 Real Madrid640295+4120–23–02–0
3 Zenit Saint Petersburg612347−35Transfer to UEFA Cup0–01–21–1
4 BATE Borisov603338−532–20–10–2
Source: RSSSF

Knockout phase

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 stage and round of 16 of the current season (eight matches).

The draw for the first knockout round was held on 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 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.

Bracket

Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
              
Lyon123
Barcelona156
Barcelona415
Bayern Munich011
Sporting CP011
Bayern Munich5712
Barcelona (a)011
Chelsea011
Real Madrid000
Liverpool145
Liverpool145
Chelsea347
Chelsea123
Juventus022
Barcelona2
Manchester United0
Internazionale000
Manchester United022
Manchester United213
Porto202
Atlético Madrid202
Porto (a)202
Manchester United134
Arsenal011
Villarreal123
Panathinaikos112
Villarreal101
Arsenal134
Arsenal (p)101 (7)
Roma011 (6)

Round of 16

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.

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 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Chelsea 3–2 Juventus1–02–2
Villarreal 3–2 Panathinaikos1–12–1
Sporting CP 1–12 Bayern Munich0–51–7
Atlético Madrid 2–2 (a) Porto2–20–0
Lyon 3–6 Barcelona1–12–5
Real Madrid 0–5 Liverpool0–10–4
Arsenal 1–1 (7–6 p) Roma1–00–1 (a.e.t.)
Internazionale 0–2 Manchester United0–00–2

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.[13]

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 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Villarreal 1–4 Arsenal1–10–3
Manchester United 3–2 Porto2–21–0
Liverpool 5–7 Chelsea1–34–4
Barcelona 5–1 Bayern Munich4–01–1

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.

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,[14] 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.[15]

Team 1Agg.Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Manchester United 4–1 Arsenal1–03–1
Barcelona 1–1 (a) Chelsea0–01–1

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. 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 2–0 Manchester United
Eto'o 10'
Messi 70'
Report
Attendance: 62,467

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds.

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 Lionel Messi Barcelona9982
2 Steven Gerrard Liverpool7580
Miroslav Klose Bayern Munich680
4 Lisandro López Porto6943
5 Emmanuel Adebayor Arsenal5627
Alessandro Del Piero Juventus688
Didier Drogba Chelsea702
Robin van Persie Arsenal716
Thierry Henry Barcelona717
Karim Benzema Lyon731

See also

Footnotes

A. ^ Match was played in Dublin.
B. ^ Order of legs reversed

References

External links