2007–08 UEFA Champions League

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2007–08 UEFA Champions League
The final was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
17 July – 29 August 2007
Competition proper:
18 September 2007 – 21 May 2008
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 76
Final positions
ChampionsEngland Manchester United (3rd title)
Runners-upEngland Chelsea
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored330 (2.64 per match)
Attendance5,380,947 (43,048 per match)
Top scorer(s)Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
8 goals

The 2007–08 UEFA Champions League was the 16th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded in 1992, and the 53rd tournament overall.

The final was played on 21 May 2008 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, where Manchester United played against Chelsea, making it an all-English final for the first time in the history of the European Cup. Manchester United won the match 6–5 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw after extra time.

Milan were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Arsenal in the first knockout round.

Qualification[edit]

76 teams participated in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League from 52 UEFA member associations (not including Liechtenstein). Each association enters a certain number of clubs to the Champions League based on its league coefficient which takes into account the performance of its clubs in European competitions from 2001–02 to 2005–06.;[1] associations with a higher league coefficients may enter more clubs than associations with a lower league coefficient, but no association may enter more than four teams. All UEFA associations are guaranteed to have at least one team qualify, with the exception of Liechtenstein, which competes in the Swiss league system, but has no team in the Swiss Super League. One new nation entered their league champion in this year's tournament: Montenegro, following the dissolution of Serbia and Montenegro. The champions from San Marino and Andorra also entered from this year onwards. Below is the qualification scheme for the 2007–08 Champions League:[2]

  • 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 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2006 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2001–02 to 2005–06.[3]

Rank Association Coeff. Teams
1 Spain Spain 72.748 4
2 Italy Italy 66.731
3 England England 63.486
4 France France 50.781 3
5 Germany Germany 48.364
6 Portugal Portugal 44.041
7 Netherlands Netherlands 41.331 2
8 Greece Greece 32.081
9 Russia Russia 31.833
10 Romania Romania 31.457
11 Scotland Scotland 30.375
12 Belgium Belgium 30.250
13 Ukraine Ukraine 26.600
14 Czech Republic Czech Republic 26.575
15 Turkey Turkey 26.166
16 Switzerland Switzerland 25.875 1
17 Bulgaria Bulgaria 24.290
18 Israel Israel 21.541
Rank Association Coeff. Teams
19 Norway Norway 20.975 1
20 Austria Austria 20.375
21 Serbia Serbia 19.999
22 Poland Poland 18.500
23 Denmark Denmark 16.950
24 Hungary Hungary 14.665
25 Croatia Croatia 14.083
26 Sweden Sweden 13.249
27 Slovakia Slovakia 12.332
28 Cyprus Cyprus 10.165
29 Slovenia Slovenia 10.165
30 Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.165
31 Finland Finland 7.373
32 Latvia Latvia 7.164
33 Moldova Moldova 6.832
34 Georgia (country) Georgia 6.331
35 Lithuania Lithuania 5.832
36 North Macedonia Macedonia 5.331
Rank Association Coeff. Teams
37 Iceland Iceland 4.832 1
38 Liechtenstein Liechtenstein 4.500 0
39 Belarus Belarus 4.415 1
40 Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 4.331
41 Albania Albania 3.665
42 Armenia Armenia 2.998
43 Estonia Estonia 2.665
44 Malta Malta 2.665
45 Wales Wales 2.332
46 Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2.332
47 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan 1.999
48 Luxembourg Luxembourg 1.832
49 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 1.666
50 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 1.665
51 San Marino San Marino 0.000
52 Andorra Andorra 0.000
53 Montenegro Montenegro 0.000

Distribution[edit]

Since the title holders (Milan) qualified for the Champions League third qualifying round through their domestic league and entered the group stage automatically, their spot in the third qualifying round is vacated, and the following changes to the default access list are made:[4]

  • The champions of association 16 (Switzerland) are promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
  • The champions of associations 23 and 24 (Denmark and 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 (except Liechtenstein)
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)
  • 7 champions from associations 10–16
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 6 third-place finishers from associations 1–6
  • 2 fourth-place finishers from associations 1–3 (except title holders Milan)
  • 14 winners from the second qualifying round
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • 1 current Champions League holder
  • 9 champions from associations 1–9
  • 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]

Group stage
Spain Real Madrid (1st) England Manchester United (1st) Germany Stuttgart (1st) Netherlands PSV Eindhoven (1st)
Spain Barcelona (2nd) England Chelsea (2nd) Germany Schalke 04 (2nd) Greece Olympiacos (1st)
Italy Internazionale (1st) France Lyon (1st) Portugal Porto (1st) Russia CSKA Moscow (1st)
Italy Roma (2nd) France Marseille (2nd) Portugal Sporting CP (2nd) Italy MilanTH(4th)
Third qualifying round
Spain Sevilla (3rd) France Toulouse (3rd) Russia Spartak Moscow (2nd) Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (1st)
Spain Valencia (4th) Germany Werder Bremen (3rd) Romania Dinamo București (1st) Czech Republic Sparta Prague (1st)
Italy Lazio (3rd) Portugal Benfica (3rd) Scotland Celtic (1st) Turkey Fenerbahçe (1st)
England Liverpool (3rd) Netherlands Ajax (PO) Belgium Anderlecht (1st) Switzerland Zürich (1st)
England Arsenal (4th) Greece AEK Athens (2nd)
Second qualifying round
Romania Steaua București (2nd) Czech Republic Slavia Prague (2nd) Norway Rosenborg (1st) Poland Zagłębie Lubin (1st)
Scotland Rangers (2nd) Turkey Beşiktaş (2nd) Austria Red Bull Salzburg (1st) Denmark Copenhagen (1st)
Belgium Genk (2nd) Bulgaria Levski Sofia (1st) Serbia Red Star Belgrade (1st) Hungary Debrecen (1st)
Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk (2nd) Israel Beitar Jerusalem (1st)
First qualifying round
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Latvia Ventspils (1st) Republic of Ireland Derry City (2nd)[Note IRL] Azerbaijan Khazar Lenkoran (1st)
Sweden Elfsborg (1st) Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Albania KF Tirana (1st) Luxembourg F91 Dudelange (1st)
Slovakia Žilina (1st) Georgia (country) Olimpi Rustavi (1st) Armenia Pyunik (1st) Kazakhstan Astana (1st)
Cyprus APOEL (1st) Lithuania FBK Kaunas (1st) Estonia Levadia Tallinn (1st) Faroe Islands HB (1st)
Slovenia Domžale (1st) North Macedonia Pobeda (1st) Malta Marsaxlokk (1st) Andorra Rànger's (1st)
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo (1st) Iceland FH (1st) Wales The New Saints (1st) San Marino Murata (1st)
Finland Tampere United (1st) Belarus BATE Borisov (1st) Northern Ireland Linfield (1st) Montenegro Zeta (1st)
Notes
  1. ^
    Republic of Ireland (IRL): Second-placed Derry City were admitted to Champions League after last year champions Shelbourne were denied a Premier Division license for 2007 due to financial violations.[5]

Round and draw dates[edit]

The calendar shows the dates of the rounds and draw.

Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying First qualifying round 29 June 2007 17–18 July 2007 24–25 July 2007
Second qualifying round 31 July–1 August 2007 7–8 August 2007
Third qualifying round 3 August 2007 14–15 August 2007 28–29 August 2007
Group stage Matchday 1 30 August 2007 18–19 September 2007
Matchday 2 2–3 October 2007
Matchday 3 23–24 October 2007
Matchday 4 6–7 November 2007
Matchday 5 27–28 November 2007
Matchday 6 11–12 December 20071
Knockout phase Round of 16 21 December 2007 19–20 February 2008 4–11 March 20082
Quarter-finals 14 March 2008 1–2 April 2008 8–9 April 2008
Semi-finals 22–23 April 2008 29–30 April 2008
Final 21 May 2008 at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow

1 Group D teams played their Matchday 6 fixtures on 4 December due to Milan's participation in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan on 13 and 16 December.

2 As both Milan and Internazionale use the San Siro as their home pitch, and both teams were seeded and scheduled to host the second leg of the first knockout round at home, Internazionale's home leg against Liverpool was postponed by one week to 11 March 2008 to accommodate AC Milan, who were the title holders.

Qualifying rounds[edit]

First qualifying round[edit]

The draw was held on Friday, 29 June 2007 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and Michele Centenaro, UEFA's head of club competitions. The first leg matches were held on 17 July and 18 July, while the second legs were played on 24 July and 25 July 2007.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Khazar Lenkoran Azerbaijan 2–4 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 1–1 1–3 (aet)
APOEL Cyprus 2–3 Belarus BATE Borisov 2–0 0–3 (aet)
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova 5–0 Andorra Rànger's 2–0 3–0
FH Iceland 4–1 Faroe Islands HB 4–1 0–0
The New Saints Wales 4–4 (a) Latvia Ventspils 3–2 1–2
Pobeda North Macedonia 0–1 Estonia FC Levadia 0–1 0–0
Olimpi Rustavi Georgia (country) 0–3 Kazakhstan Astana 0–0 0–3
Zeta Montenegro 5–4 Lithuania FBK Kaunas 3–1 2–3
Murata San Marino 1–4 Finland Tampere United 1–2 0–2
F91 Dudelange Luxembourg 5–7 Slovakia Žilina 1–2 4–5
Linfield Northern Ireland 0–1 Sweden Elfsborg 0–0 0–1
Derry City[6] Republic of Ireland 0–2 Armenia Pyunik 0–0 0–2
Marsaxlokk Malta 1–9 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 0–6 1–3
Domžale Slovenia 3–1 Albania KF Tirana 1–0 2–1

Second qualifying round[edit]

The draw was held on Friday, 29 June 2007 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and Michele Centenaro, UEFA's head of club competitions. The first leg matches were played on 31 July and 1 August, while the second legs were played on 7 August and 8 August 2007.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Pyunik Armenia 1–4 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–2 1–2
Red Star Belgrade Serbia 2–2 (a) Estonia FC Levadia 1–0 1–2
Rangers Scotland 3–0 Montenegro Zeta 2–0 1–0
Debrecen Hungary 0–1 Sweden Elfsborg 0–1 0–0
Zagłębie Lubin Poland 1–3 Romania Steaua București 0–1 1–2
Genk Belgium 2–2 (a) Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 1–2 1–0
Ventspils Latvia 0–7 Austria Red Bull Salzburg 0–3 0–4
Astana Kazakhstan 2–10 Norway Rosenborg 1–3 1–7
FH Iceland 2–4 Belarus BATE Borisov 1–3 1–1
Copenhagen Denmark 2–1 Israel Beitar Jerusalem 1–0 1–1 (aet)
Žilina Slovakia 0–0 (3–4 p) Czech Republic Slavia Prague 0–0 0–0 (aet)
Tampere United Finland 2–0 Bulgaria Levski Sofia 1–0 1–0
Domžale Slovenia 2–5 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 1–2 1–3
Beşiktaş Turkey 4–0 Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 1–0 3–0

Third qualifying round[edit]

The draw was held on Friday, 3 August 2007 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's director of professional football. The first leg matches were played on 14 August and 15 August, while the second legs were played on 28 August and 29 August 2007. Winners in this round qualified for the group stage, while the losing clubs entered the first round of the UEFA Cup. Due to the death of Antonio Puerta, the second leg of Sevilla's game against AEK Athens was postponed until 3 September.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
BATE Borisov Belarus 2–4 Romania Steaua București 2–2 0–2
Tampere United Finland 0–5 Norway Rosenborg 0–3 0–2
Spartak Moscow Russia 2–2 (3–4 p) Scotland Celtic 1–1 1–1 (aet)
Werder Bremen Germany 5–3 Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 2–1 3–2
Red Bull Salzburg Austria 2–3 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 1–0 1–3
Ajax Netherlands 1–3 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 0–1 1–2
Valencia Spain 5–1 Sweden Elfsborg 3–0 2–1
Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina 0–4 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 0–1 0–3
Fenerbahçe Turkey 3–0 Belgium Anderlecht 1–0 2–0
Rangers Scotland 1–0 Serbia Red Star Belgrade 1–0 0–0
Toulouse France 0–5 England Liverpool 0–1 0–4
Benfica Portugal 3–1 Denmark Copenhagen 2–1 1–0
Lazio Italy 4–2 Romania Dinamo București 1–1 3–1
Sparta Prague Czech Republic 0–5 England Arsenal 0–2 0–3
Zürich Switzerland 1–3 Turkey Beşiktaş 1–1 0–2
Sevilla Spain 6–1 Greece AEK Athens 2–0 4–1

Group stage[edit]

Location of teams of the 2007–08 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 was held on Thursday, 30 August 2007 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The draw was hosted by Pedro Pinto and conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and Michele Centenaro, UEFA's head of club competitions. The matches were played between 18 September and 12 December 2007.

The top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout stage, 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.

Sevilla and Slavia Prague made their debut appearance in the group stage.[7]

In results tables, the home team is listed in the left-hand column.

Group A[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification POR LIV OM BJK
1 Portugal Porto 6 3 2 1 8 7 +1 11 Advance to knockout stage 1–1 2–1 2–0
2 England Liverpool 6 3 1 2 18 5 +13 10 4–1 0–1 8–0
3 France Marseille 6 2 1 3 6 9 −3 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–1 0–4 2–0
4 Turkey Beşiktaş 6 2 0 4 4 15 −11 6 0–1 2–1 2–1
Source: RSSSF

Group B[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification CHE SCH ROS VAL
1 England Chelsea 6 3 3 0 9 2 +7 12 Advance to knockout stage 2–0 1–1 0–0
2 Germany Schalke 04 6 2 2 2 5 4 +1 8 0–0 3–1 0–1
3 Norway Rosenborg 6 2 1 3 6 10 −4 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–4 0–2 2–0
4 Spain Valencia 6 1 2 3 2 6 −4 5 1–2 0–0 0–2
Source: RSSSF

Group C[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification RM OLY BRM LAZ
1 Spain Real Madrid 6 3 2 1 13 9 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage 4–2 2–1 3–1
2 Greece Olympiacos 6 3 2 1 11 7 +4 11 0–0 3–0 1–1
3 Germany Werder Bremen 6 2 0 4 8 13 −5 6 Transfer to UEFA Cup 3–2 1–3 2–1
4 Italy Lazio 6 1 2 3 8 11 −3 5 2–2 1–2 2–1
Source: RSSSF

Group D[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MIL CEL BEN SHA
1 Italy Milan 6 4 1 1 12 5 +7 13 Advance to knockout stage 1–0 2–1 4–1
2 Scotland Celtic 6 3 0 3 5 6 −1 9 2–1 1–0 2–1
3 Portugal Benfica 6 2 1 3 5 6 −1 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–1 1–0 0–1
4 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 6 2 0 4 6 11 −5 6 0–3 2–0 1–2
Source: RSSSF

Group E[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAR OL RAN STU
1 Spain Barcelona 6 4 2 0 12 3 +9 14 Advance to knockout stage 3–0 2–0 3–1
2 France Lyon 6 3 1 2 11 10 +1 10 2–2 0–3 4–2
3 Scotland Rangers 6 2 1 3 7 9 −2 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–0 0–3 2–1
4 Germany Stuttgart 6 1 0 5 7 15 −8 3 0–2 0–2 3–2
Source: RSSSF

Group F[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MU ROM SCP DK
1 England Manchester United 6 5 1 0 13 4 +9 16 Advance to knockout stage 1–0 2–1 4–0
2 Italy Roma 6 3 2 1 11 6 +5 11 1–1 2–1 2–0
3 Portugal Sporting CP 6 2 1 3 9 8 +1 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–1 2–2 3–0
4 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 6 0 0 6 4 19 −15 0 2–4 1–4 1–2
Source: RSSSF

Group G[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification INT FEN PSV CSK
1 Italy Internazionale 6 5 0 1 12 4 +8 15 Advance to knockout stage 3–0 2–0 4–2
2 Turkey Fenerbahçe 6 3 2 1 8 6 +2 11 1–0 2–0 3–1
3 Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 6 2 1 3 3 6 −3 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–1 0–0 2–1
4 Russia CSKA Moscow 6 0 1 5 7 14 −7 1 1–2 2–2 0–1
Source: RSSSF

Group H[edit]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SEV ARS SLV STE
1 Spain Sevilla 6 5 0 1 14 7 +7 15 Advance to knockout stage 3–1 4–2 2–1
2 England Arsenal 6 4 1 1 14 4 +10 13 3–0 7–0 2–1
3 Czech Republic Slavia Prague 6 1 2 3 5 16 −11 5 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–3 0–0 2–1
4 Romania Steaua București 6 0 1 5 4 10 −6 1 0–2 0–1 1–1
Source: RSSSF

Knockout phase[edit]

From the last 16 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.

The draw for the first knockout round was held on Friday, 21 December 2007 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's director of professional football.

The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were both held on Friday, 14 March 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor and Rinat Dasayev, the ambassador for the final in Moscow. Unlike the first knockout round, teams from the same group or country may be drawn together from the quarter-finals onwards.

Bracket[edit]

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
              
Germany Schalke 04 (p) 1 0 1 (4)
Portugal Porto 0 1 1 (1)
Germany Schalke 04 0 0 0
Spain Barcelona 1 1 2
Scotland Celtic 2 0 2
Spain Barcelona 3 1 4
Spain Barcelona 0 0 0
England Manchester United 0 1 1
Italy Roma 2 2 4
Spain Real Madrid 1 1 2
Italy Roma 0 0 0
England Manchester United 2 1 3
France Lyon 1 0 1
England Manchester United 1 1 2
England Manchester United (p) 1 (6)
England Chelsea 1 (5)
England Arsenal 0 2 2
Italy Milan 0 0 0
England Arsenal 1 2 3
England Liverpool 1 4 5
England Liverpool 2 1 3
Italy Internazionale 0 0 0
England Liverpool 1 2 3
England Chelsea (aet) 1 3 4
Turkey Fenerbahçe (p) 3 2 5 (3)
Spain Sevilla 2 3 5 (2)
Turkey Fenerbahçe 2 0 2
England Chelsea 1 2 3
Greece Olympiacos 0 0 0
England Chelsea 0 3 3

Round of 16[edit]

The first leg matches were played on 19 February and 20 February, while the second legs were played on 4 March and 5 March 2008. Due to a stadium clash with Milan, the second leg of Internazionale's game against Liverpool was held on 11 March.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Celtic Scotland 2–4 Spain Barcelona 2–3 0–1
Lyon France 1–2 England Manchester United 1–1 0–1
Schalke 04 Germany 1–1 (4–1 p) Portugal Porto 1–0 0–1 (aet)
Liverpool England 3–0 Italy Internazionale 2–0 1–0
Roma Italy 4–2 Spain Real Madrid 2–1 2–1
Arsenal England 2–0 Italy Milan 0–0 2–0
Olympiacos Greece 0–3 England Chelsea 0–0 0–3
Fenerbahçe Turkey 5–5 (3–2 p) Spain Sevilla 3–2 2–3 (aet)

Quarter-finals[edit]

The first leg matches were played on 1 April and 2 April, while the second leg matches were played on 8 April and 9 April 2008.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Arsenal England 3–5 England Liverpool 1–1 2–4
Roma Italy 0–3 England Manchester United 0–2 0–1
Schalke 04 Germany 0–2 Spain Barcelona 0–1 0–1
Fenerbahçe Turkey 2–3 England Chelsea 2–1 0–2

Semi-finals[edit]

The first leg matches were played on 22 April and 23 April, while the second leg matches were played on 29 April and 30 April 2008.

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

Final[edit]

The 2008 UEFA Champions League Final was played on 21 May 2008 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. The final was contested by Manchester United and Chelsea, representing the first time the final had been contested by two teams from England.

United won the match 6–5 on penalties after the game had ended in a 1–1 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo had given the eventual victors the lead after 26 minutes, only for Frank Lampard to equalise immediately before half-time. Ryan Giggs came on as a substitute late in the second half to make his 759th appearance for Manchester United, a new club record. Early in extra time, Giggs had a shot cleared off the Chelsea goal-line by John Terry, whilst Chelsea twice hit the Manchester United woodwork. A melée involving most of the 22 players ensued midway through the second half of extra time, with Didier Drogba being sent off for a slap on Nemanja Vidić right in front of the referee.

The scores level at full-time, the match went to penalties. Chelsea took the upper hand in the third round of the shoot-out as Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty was saved by Petr Čech, handing John Terry the chance to win the cup with Chelsea's fifth penalty. However, Chelsea's captain lost his footing as he went to kick the ball,[8] and his shot hit the post. Ryan Giggs stepped up for United's seventh penalty, and scored, before Edwin van der Sar saved the following kick from Nicolas Anelka to crown Manchester United as the champions of Europe for the third time.

As winners of the competition, Manchester United went on to represent Europe at the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup.

Statistics[edit]

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds.

Top goalscorers[edit]

Rank Player Team Goals Minutes played
1 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo England Manchester United 8 1,062
2 Argentina Lionel Messi Spain Barcelona 6 755
Spain Fernando Torres England Liverpool 905
Ivory Coast Didier Drogba England Chelsea 1,071
England Steven Gerrard England Liverpool 1,144
6 Netherlands Ryan Babel England Liverpool 5 619
Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimović Italy Internazionale 625
Mali Frédéric Kanouté Spain Sevilla 714
Spain Raúl Spain Real Madrid 715
Brazil Deivid Turkey Fenerbahçe 844
Netherlands Dirk Kuyt England Liverpool 892

Source: UEFA Champions League Press Release - Top Scorers - Final - Wednesday 21 May 2008 (after match)

Top assists[edit]

Rank Player Team Assists Minutes played
1 Brazil Alex Turkey Fenerbahçe 6 848
2 Brazil Robinho Spain Real Madrid 4 404
Serbia Predrag Đorđević Greece Olympiacos 583
Belarus Alexander Hleb England Arsenal 603
Italy Andrea Pirlo Italy Milan 704
England Steven Gerrard England Liverpool 1,093

Source:[10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Country coefficients 2005/06". UEFA.
  2. ^ Kassies, Bert (February 2007). "The access list from UEFA European Cup Football". UEFA European Cup Football. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  3. ^ "UEFA Country Ranking 2007". Bert Kassies.
  4. ^ "2007/08 UEFA Champions League access list". UEFA. 17 August 2007.
  5. ^ "Shels relinquish Champions League place". Raidió Teilifís Éireann.
  6. ^ Shelbourne won the League of Ireland but did not apply for a UEFA License to take part in the UEFA Champions League. "Shels relinquish Champions League place". RTÉ Sport. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
  7. ^ "Excitement builds as draw nears". UEFA. 30 August 2007.
  8. ^ McNulty, Phil (22 May 2008). "Champions League final". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008. He slipped in his run-up on turf made treacherous by a torrential downpour and sent his kick against the upright.
  9. ^ "Referee appointed for UEFA Champions League final" (PDF). UEFA. 19 May 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  10. ^ "Statistics – Tournament phase – Assists". UEFA. Retrieved 14 April 2016.

External links[edit]