Celtic

2-3

Porto

 

Larsson 47, 57

Derlei 45, 115
Alenichev 54

  

UEFA Cup Final
Estadio Olipico, Sevilla
21 May 2003

A scrappy goal five minutes from the end of extra time saw the end of Celtic's UEFA Cup dream as Porto, the Portuguese champions, beat them 3-2 after an entertaining, attacking match in Seville.

Celtic started the match as everyone expected. Deprived of striker John Hartson who picked up an injury which put him out of the match, Martin O'Neill played a front two of Sutton and Larsson, whilst José Mourinho brought in Nuno Capucho to play up with Derlei in attack.

The Bhoys were backed by a wonderful sea of green and white clad supporters who seemed to engulf virtually the entire stadium. In baking heat, pitch-side thermometers touched 32 degrees, the match got off to a no-quicker-than-pedestrian tempo.

Martin O'Neill's side started in controlled fashion but Porto always looked more comfortable with both the stifling heat and the ball.  The Portuguese, with superior technique, passed the ball better and held possession for longer periods thereby making the Celtic midfield work hard in the sun.

And it was a Porto player - Deco - who started to impose his skill on the match. Early on Rab Douglas had to make some sharp saves as the Portuguese came at the Celtic goal. Time after time the little wizard was fouled by late tackles which he invited on himself. In one sublime moment of trickery, Deco received the ball off a throw in and flicked the ball over his shoulder, turning away from Alan Thompson and Bobo Balde. He then cut away from Neil Lennon, ran beyond Balde again before firing a weak shot which Douglas held well.

Celtic at this point were struggling. Though the Porto midfield was narrow, affording wing backs Thompson and Didier Agathe plenty of space on the flanks, Celtic couldn't supply strikers Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton with the kind of service which they needed.

Derlei, lively upfront, exchanged a one-two with strike partner Capucho and shot right-footed from ten yards only for Douglas to save again. Ten minutes later, just past the half hour, Capucho shielded the ball off to Deco to run through and shoot. Thankfully for the Glasgow side, Balde managed to remain big and strong to force Deco wide. His shot was easy for Douglas to keep out. 

To the same level that Deco had been poetic and integral, so Stilian Petrov was ineffective. The Bulgarian just couldn't find any time or space in midfield to properly operate the key role just behind the forwards - and it was his inability to get into the game which was the main reason for Celtic not being able to carve out good goalscoring opportunities.

If there was going to be a goal, it was undoubtedly going to come for Porto. And indeed that is exactly what happened. However, the way in which they took the lead will really grate the Celtic players and management. A long, high, hanging ball upfield wasn't reached by Balde but nevertheless fell for Valgaeren, who should have cleared with ease. His rushed clearance hit Balde, though, and after another missed opportunity to clear, the ball came out to Deco five yards out of the area.

Deco's swung a ball to the Russian Alenichev in the inside left channel and he shot well with his left foot. Douglas, coming out to narrow the angle, saved well only to see his parry fly across the face of goal into the path of Derlei who, sprinting behind Balde, scored.

It was an awful time for Celtic to concede but no sooner had everyone settled into their seats for the second half, Henrik Larsson equalised. Petrov immediately looked a little more up for it, joining Sutton and Larsson in a three-pronged attack.

Didier Agathe was fed on the right and his little shuffle bought enough space for him to be able to knock in a cross to the far post where it was met by Larsson. Jumping high into the air, Larsson did brilliantly to get his head to the ball and even better to direct it back into the far right hand corner of the goal for a quite stunning equaliser. It was his 200th goal for the Glasgow giants and surely none had been more important.

Celtic suddenly had more men in midfield and were putting Porto under more and more pressure. Just as Celtic started to believe that they could take the game to their opponents that Porto look the lead for the second time. Deco, still playing sublime football, got the ball on the right side, turned away from Thompson and cut in towards the Celtic goal.

Mjallby, unsure whether to challenge or not, was caught too far forward and Deco placed the most perfect of passes through the defence for Alenichev to rush onto. The former Spartak Moscow and Roma man finished coolly under Douglas' body to re-establish Porto's lead.

No-one, however, should doubt the resolve of O'Neill's side. Just three minutes later, Englishman Thompson swung in a powerful, bending corner from the right which Larsson again connected brilliantly with to head past a flat-footed Vitor Baia in the Porto goal.

After that, the game became stretched as, with tiredness setting in, both teams left more space in midfield. Soon, though, afraid as they were to lose the game with a mistake in the last twenty minutes, any space was closed down as the two sides shrunk into their shells. But it was exactly that - a mistake - that nearly led to a winning goal.

Jackie McNamara came on for Paul Lambert on 77 minutes and it was he who with a poor pass in the very last minute, very nearly gifted a goal for Porto. Thankfully Alenichev shot high and wide from 25 yards and the game moved towards extra time.

Five minutes into the 'silver-goal' period, Bobo Balde was sent off for his second yellow card - a sliding challenge on Delei as the striker threatened to break away. There could have been few complaints from Balde and he was given a rousing send-off from the ranks of Celtic fans.

Few chances were created before the decisive goal was struck. Again it was a sloppy one for Celtic to concede as it came from another defensive mix-up. The ball was played into the Celtic penalty area which prompted Douglas to sprint out to collect the ball before Ferreira could reach it.

Unfortunately the big 'keeper spilled it and the ball fell conveniently for Derlei who intelligently stepped inside McNamara and shot into the goal despite Douglas, having recovered, getting a hand on the ball.

All that remained was enough time for a sudden rush of cards - including a red for Valente - and Porto had won the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history.


Teams

Celtic: Douglas, Valgaeren (Laursen 64), Balde, Mjällby, Agathe, Lennon, Lambert (McNamara 76), Stilian Petrov (Maloney 105), Thompson, Sutton, Larsson
Subs not used: Hedman, Sylla, Fernandez, Smith

Porto: Vítor Baía, Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa (Pedro Emanuel 71), Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Costinha (Ricardo Costa 9), Alenichev, Deco, Maniche, Capucho (Ferreira 98), Derlei
Subs not used: Nuno Simões, César Peixoto, Clayton, Tiago

Bookings: Valgaeren (5), Lennon (59), Nuno Valente (63), Balde (80), Petrov (102), Maniche (120), Ferreira (120)

Sendings Off: Balde (96), Nuno Valente (120)

Referee: Lubos Michel