Jose Mourinho's Porto romped to an emphatic Champions League final win. Coach Mourinho is poised to move to the Premiership, and Carlos Alberto ensured it was a fond farewell by striking a powerful opener after 38 minutes. Monaco pressed forward but they were caught on the break as Deco scored a delightful second with 20 minutes left.
And Monaco, who lost captain Ludovic Giuly through injury in the first half, suffered more misery as substitute Dmitri Alenitchev added Porto's third. The scoreline was slightly harsh on Monaco, who pressed for much of the final in Gelsenkirchen, but were punished ruthlessly on the break. And the win only added to Mourinho's growing reputation, with Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon in attendance.
Monaco opened impressively, and Porto goalkeeper Vitor Baia was forced to make a well-timed challenge on Giuly as he raced into the area after two minutes. It was the influential Giuly's only notable contribution, as he was forced to limp off after 22 minutes with a groin injury.
KEY MOMENTS
22 mins: Monaco captain Ludovic Giuly limps off
38 mins: Carlos Alberto puts Porto ahead
70 mins: Deco doubles Porto's advantage
74 mins: Dmitri Alenitchev adds the third
Giuly was replaced by Dado Prso, the Croatian striker who will play for Rangers in Scotland next season. The first half was a disappointing, sterile affair with barely an attacking threat of note until Porto took the lead after 38 minutes. Brazilian teenager Carlos Alberto broke the deadlock with a rising right foot volley after the ball broke kindly 10 yards out. Prso had a fleeting chance to equalise after 56 minutes when he was just unable to take advantage of hesitation by Nuno Valente in the penalty area. Monaco continued to look the more threatening side, and Porto coach Mourinho made a crucial change after 55 minutes, replacing goalscorer Carlos Alberto with veteran Russian star Alenitchev. And Alenitchev played a pivotal role as Porto doubled their advantage with 20 minutes left.
Deco broke from just inside his own half and fed Alenitchev, who waited before delivering the perfect return pass for the Brazilian-born midfield man to chip over Flavio Roma. Alenitchev himself was on target four minutes later as Porto sealed the win. He raced on to Derlei Silva's deflected pass to fire an emphatic finish past Roma.
Monaco: Flavio Roma, Hugo Ibarra, Julien Rodriguez, Gael Givet, Patrice Evra, Lucas Bernardi, Andreas Zikos, Edouard Cisse, Jerome Rothen, Ludovic Giuly, Fernando Morientes.
Porto: Vitor Baia, Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Francisco Costinha, Maniche Ribeiro, Pedro Mendes, Deco Souza, Derlei Silva, Carlos Alberto.
Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark).
Marseille's Fabien Barthez was sent off as Valencia claimed the Uefa Cup with goals either side of the interval.
Former Manchester United keeper Barthez was dismissed for fouling Mista on the stroke of half-time, Vicente scoring from the resulting penalty. And Mista wrapped up Valencia's victory by rounding off a sweeping attack with a delightful finish past Barthez's replacement Jeremy Gavanon. Marseille made little impact after the dismissal, barely threatening Valencia. The Spanish champions deserved their victory, dominating what proved to be a very low-key encounter in Gothenburg.
David Albelda had the first chance for Valencia in the seventh minute, but his angled shot was well saved by Barthez. Valencia had dominated the early exchanges, but Marseille posed a threat once they had settled. Steve Marlet, on loan from Fulham, headed wide when well placed, then Camel Meriem was off target after Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares had been caught hopelessly out of position.
KEY MOMENTS
44 mins: Marseille's Fabien Barthez concedes a penalty and is sent off for fouling Mista
45 mins: Vicente puts Valencia ahead from the spot
57 mins: Mista doubles Valencia's lead
The game was of a disappointingly low quality, but it burst into life in the dying seconds of the first half. Mista was poised to score after rounding Barthez when he was upended by the former keeper. Referee Pieluigi Collina had no hesitation in awarding the penalty, then added insult to injury by sending Barthez off.
Reserve goalkeeper Gavanon replaced the influential Meriem, but he was powerless to stop Vicente scoring from the spot. It was a double blow to Marseille and Valencia put the game out of sight with a second after 57 minutes.
Mista finished a sweeping move with a delightful finish, beating Gavanon low into the bottom corner with the outside of his foot. Little had been seen of Marseille danger man Didier Drogba, but he gave a glimpse of his ability after 67 minutes when he fired in a free-kick which was punched away by Canizares.
But with Marseille reduced to 10 men, it was a comfortable victory for the newly-crowned La Liga champions.
Valencia: Canizares, Curro Torres, Ayala, Marchena, Carboni, Rufete, Albelda, Baraja, Vicente, Angulo, Mista. Subs: Rangel, Pellegrino, Sanchez, Garrido, Aimar, Xisco, Sissoko.
Marseille: Barthez, Meite, Hemdani, Beye, Dos Santos, Ferreira, N'Diaye, Flamini, Meriem, Marlet, Drogba. Subs: Gavanon, Christanval, Vachousek, Ecker, Batlles, Celestini, Cicut.
Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy)
Werder Bremen and Ajax finally held off stubborn opposition to win their respective league titles, while Valencia took advantage of bumbling Real Madrid to lift the Spanish crown on Sunday.
Valencia beat Sevilla, 2-0, to win its second league title in three years, while 2003 champion Real Madrid lost for the fourth time in five league matches.
Vicente Rodriguez and Ruben Baraja were the heroes for Valencia, which won its sixth league title. �The key to winning the title was that when Madrid was so far in front we didn�t lose hope,� Roberto Ayala said. Valencia can make it a double this season if it beats Marseille in the Union of European Football Associations Cup final on May 19. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona all but handed the title to Valencia as each lost Saturday.
Samuel Eto�o scored two goals to lead visiting Mallorca over Madrid, 3-2, while Celta de Vigo nipped third-place FC Barcelona, 1-0, on Edu Schmidt�s strike. Valencia won the league with 77 points and two rounds to spare. Real Madrid is next with 70 points, followed by Barcelona with 69 and Deportivo de la Coruna, which lost to Espanyol, 2-0, with 65. German champion Werder Bremen won its fourth Bundesliga title after stopping defending champion Bayern Munich, 3-1.
Ivan Klasnic, Johan Micoud and Ailton scored a goal each for Bremen, which ran its unbeaten streak to 23. Roy Makaay netted for trophyless Bayern. �We worked very hard for this,� Micoud said. �We�ve believed for a long time that we�d win the title, but we didn�t speak about it openly.� Bremen last won the title in 1993. Despite its loss, Bayern can still clinch direct qualification to the group stage of the Champions League by finishing second in the Bundesliga. Third-place Stuttgart gave the Munich team some room after losing to Hamburger SV, 2-1. Bremen won the league with 74 points. Bayern is still second with 65 points, followed by Stuttgart with 61. Bayer Leverkusen, which beat Cologne 2-0, in next with 59 points.
Stuttgart can cut the gap next week at home against Bayern. Ajax won its 29th Dutch league title by beating NAC Breda, 2-0. Wesley Sneijder and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were the goal scorers. �The best thing about this season is being champion. Our goal has been achieved but we still want to grow,� Ajax coach Ronald Koeman told Dutch television. PSV Eindhoven clinched second place in the Dutch league and spot in the Champions League�s qualifying round after beating ADO The Hague, 3-2. Park Ji Sung, Mateja Kezman and Johan Vonlanthen scored for PSV. Ajax won the title with 77 points and one match remaining, followed by PSV with 71 and Feyenoord, which will finish third after downing RBC Roosendaal, 4-1, with 65. In England, Premier League champion Arsenal increased its unbeaten run to 37 matches, and stands on the brink of going through an entire season without a loss.
Arsenal, which plays its last match against relegated Leicester on Saturday, topped Fulham, 1-0, on Jose Antonio Reyes�s ninth-minute strike. Chelsea clinched second place and a spot in the Champions League group stage after holding Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the English Premier League. Jesper Gronkjaer scored first for Chelsea, but Ruud van Nistelrooy equalized after the Blues were reduced to 10 men. Manchester United will play in the Champions League qualifying round, while Liverpool looks set to claim the fourth and final spot in Europe�s top club competition.
In Italy, Inter Milan claimed the fourth and final Champions League berth from Italy after nipping Parma, 1-0. Adriano scored the lone goal against his former team.Serie A champion AC Milan and runner-up AS Roma, which both lost, have already claimed spots in the group stage, while Juventus is guaranteed of finishing in third place. Milan lost to Reggina, 2-1, while Perugia topped Roma, 3-1. Juventus beat Sampdoria, 2-0. In France, Lyon stayed in first place in the French league after beating Metz, 2-1, while Champions Cup finalist Monaco got a late winner from Ludovic Giuly to beat Marseille, 1-0.
Valencia 1-0 Villarreal
Valencia win 1-0 on aggregate
A first-half penalty from Mista Ferrer was enough for Valencia to see off Spanish rivals Villarreal and book a place in the Uefa Cup final. Valencia were awarded a spot-kick in the 16th minute when Mista fell under a challenge from Juliano Belletti. The striker dusted himself off to beat Villareal keeper Pepe Reina with a low shot and score the only goal of the tie after a first-leg stalemate. Valencia will now face Marseille in the final in Gothenburg on 19 May.
The penalty was a bit doubtful Villarreal coach Paquito Garcia
The Spanish league leaders were good value for their win at the Mestalla as their neighbours from the east coast rarely threatened to find the net. There was an immediate scare for Valencia after they had taken the lead when midfielder Mohamed Sissoko looped a header over his own crossbar. But defender Curro Torres should have doubled their advantage soon after, only to shoot over the bar when clean through.
We didn't take our chances as well as we'd have liked so it was good we defended well Valencia coach Rafa Benitez
Valencia had another chance to settle the tie just after the break when a move starting from a David Albelda throw ended with Xisco Munoz shooting straight at Reina. And Mista was guilty of another wasted opportunity when he side-footed an easy volley wide. The defeat ended Villarreal's dreams of a making the final on their debut season in Europe, after qualifying for the competition by winning the Intertoto Cup last summer.
Valencia: Canizares, Ayala, Marchena (Pellegrino 72), Garrido, Curro Torres, Albelda, Baraja, Sissoko (Vicente 60), Angulo, Xisco, Mista (Aimar 77). Subs Not Used: Rangel, Oliveira, Sanchez, Canobbio. Booked: Marchena, Baraja.
Villarreal: Reina, Belletti, Arruabarrena, Coloccini, Quique Alvarez, Josico (Guayre 85), Riquelme, Roger, Battaglia, Jose Mari, Anderson. Subs Not Used: Lopez Vallejo, Marti, Victor, Javi Venta, Arzo, Tena. Booked: Quique Alvarez, Coloccini.
Attendance: 52,000.
Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway).
Newcastle's Euro dream over Marseille win 2-0 on aggregate A Didier Drogba double ended Newcastle's Uefa Cup dream by giving Marseille a 2-0 aggregate win in the second leg of the semi-final. He cut inside Aaron Hughes and beat Shay Given after capitalising on an error following a Newcastle free-kick. Newcastle fans felt their side were denied two penalties, while Shola Ameobi curled an effort wide. But Drogba sealed the win - and a place in the final against Valencia - when he drove in Laurent Batlles' free-kick. Magpies boss Sir Bobby Robson won the Uefa Cup when he was in charge of Ipswich in 1981. But his side suffered an early blow when Andy O'Brien was booked in the 12th minute for a foul on Camel Meriem. He would have missed the final - if Newcastle had not been thwarted by the French side - but to his credit he showed little sign of disappointment and just carried on with his role. KEY MOMENTS 12 mins: Newcastle's O'Brien is booked 18 mins: Drogba scores for Marseille 21 mins: Pitchside fire holds up game 53 mins: Ameobi curls a shot wide 77 mins: Substitute Bowyer slices wide 82 mins: Drogba sidefoots home from a free-kick Six minutes later Newcastle found themselves a goal down - and it came after they had won a free-kick. Olivier Bernard and Laurent Robert's efforts from the dead-ball situation failed to pay off and the ball was hustled away. Hugo Viana then lost out in a duel with Meriem and when the ball eventually fell to Drogba via Matthieu Flamini, he cut inside Aaron Hughes and prodded it past Shay Given for his 10th Uefa Cup goal of the season. Newcastle had time to gather their thoughts when the game was briefly held up in the 21st minute. Stewards had to attend to a fire that broke out behind Marseille keeper Fabien Barthez's goal. It is believed that a flare led to the incident but the match was quickly restarted and the Magpies suffered a scare when Steve Marlet forced his way past Titus Bramble and sent over a cross, which was cleared by O'Brien. The visitors threatened when Shola Ameobi laid the ball off to Alan Shearer but after he had chested the ball down, Habib Beye blocked the former England captain as he tried to shape up to shoot. Marlet was thwarted by a tight angle and Given's efforts before Robert sent a 35-yard free-kick over Barthez's crossbar. Newcastle's players cast a glance towards the referee when Ameobi went down under a challenge in the box but no penalty was given. Robson's half-time discussion seemed to have had an impact because Newcastle started the second half strongly. Ameobi curled a shot wide, Barthez had to be on his toes to tip away a Robert effort and the former Manchester United keeper then saved from Shearer. Marlet saw a deflected volley fly over the bar at the other end, while Newcastle's fans felt they were denied another penalty following an apparent handball in the box. In the 77th minute, Ameobi got his head to the ball before Shearer but substitute Lee Bowyer failed to make a strong connection and sliced his shot wide of the post. Bowyer was then booked after a two-footed challenge on Sylvain N'Dyiaye, which led to some pushing and shoving from both sides. But Drogba sealed the win for Marseille when he was left unmarked as Batlles sent over a free-kick and he sidefooted in his 32nd goal of the season. He went close to a hat-trick in the closing stages but his effort was saved by Given. Marseille: Barthez, Beye, Hemdani, Meite, Ferreira, Dos Santos, Flamini, N'Diaye, Meriem, Marlet (Batlles 81), Drogba (Vachousek 90). Subs not used: Gavanon, Christanval, Ecker, Celestini, Merlin. Booked: Beye, Flamini. Newcastle: Given, Hughes, O'Brien, Bramble, Bernard, Ambrose, Viana (Bowyer 65), Speed, Robert, Shearer, Ameobi. Subs not used: Harper, Elliott, Bridges, Chopra, Brittain, Caldwell. Booked: O'Brien, Viana, Bowyer. Attendance: 57,500. Referee: M Lubos (Slovakia). MAY 2004
h2>Deportivo 0-1 Porto
Derlei Silva's second-half penalty sent Porto into the Champions League final at the expense of Deportivo. The Brazilian had earlier hit the post with a diving header, a chance that had been created by the inspirational Deco. It was the dimunitive midfielder who won the penalty, tempting Deportivo defender Cesar into a rash challenge.
Deportivo's task became even harder when Noureddine Naybet was sent off for a second yellow card, a dismissal that allowed Porto to close out the game. Jose Mourinho's side defended superbly, breaking up most of Deportivo's attacks before they reached the final third and through Deco's vision the Portuguese champions were always quick to utilise the ball well when they gained possession. Porto quickly settled to the pace of the pitch - sodden by heavy rain - and their own quick passing game. Deportivo were more edgy and the Spanish side suffered a blow in the 11th minute when Naybet picked up a yellow card for a rash challenge on Derlei. Despite dominating in those early exchanges, Porto struggled to create any clear-cut openings. Maniche Ribeiro did have a couple of shots, but his first went wide and he scuffed his second effort. Just before the half-hour Deco burst into the box, though he selfishly opted to shoot rather than pass. Having abjectly struggled to find any sort of rhythm, Deportivo edged their way back into the match.
Derlei's penalty ensured Porto's victory After a deflected free-kick, Aldo Duscher lobbed the ball to the unmarked Juan Carlos Valeron, who with only Vitor Baia to beat, volleyed wide. It was to prove a costly miss. A minute after the start of the second half Deco's whipped cross to the far post evaded the Deportivo defence, only for Derlei's header to come back off the upright. Soon afterwards Derlei scampered clear, though this time he was denied by Cesar's superb defensive play. Just before the hour Cesar's judgment fatally deserted him when he lunged at Deco to bring the attacking midfielder down in the box. Derlei hit his spot-kick low and hard to Jose Molina's right to give Porto the lead.
Deportivo's hopes of recovering took another dent on 70 minutes when Javier Irureta's side were reduced to ten men. Naybet was dismissed after being yellow-carded for a second time, this time for fouling Paulo Ferreira. Irureta threw on Deigo Tristan and the former Real Mallorca striker went close as he arced a free-kick narrowly wide. But Porto refused to buckle, ensuring their passage to their first European Cup final since 1987.
D Coruna: Molina, Manuel Pablo, Romero, Naybet, Cesar, Sergio (Tristan 67), Duscher, Victor (Scaloni 55), Valeron, Luque (Fran 73), Pandiani. Subs Not Used: Munua, Capdevila, Djalminha, Pablo Amo. Sent off: Naybet (70). Booked: Naybet, Tristan.
FC Porto: Vitor Baia, Nuno Valente, Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Costa, Ricardo Carvalho, Costinha, Maniche, Pedro Mendes (Bosingwa 87), Deco, Derlei (McCarthy 90), Carlos Alberto (Pedro Emanuel 68). Subs Not Used: Nuno, Ricardo Costa, Alenitchev, Jankauskas. Booked: Carlos Alberto, Pedro Mendes.
Attendance: 34,600.
Referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy).
Chelsea go into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday knowing they face a difficult task to reach the final. The Blues lost 3-1 against Monaco in the away leg but, although the Kings Road billionaires are up against it, they are far from down and out. The Champions League has seen some remarkable comebacks in its time, including two in this season's quarter-finals.
Here is the six of the best recoveries in the history of club football's premier competition.
1. MAN UTD 2-1 BAYERN MUNICH, 26 MAY 1999
It may not have been the biggest comeback in Champions League history but it was surely the most dramatic as United scored twice in stoppage time to claim their second European Cup. As the clock ticked past 90 minutes Bayern were leading 1-0 courtesy of Mario Basler's sixth-minute free-kick and the Bayern ribbons were already tied to the cup's handles. The Germans had also hit the woodwork twice but United were renowned for their strong finishes to matches and astonishingly they first drew level through Teddy Sheringham, before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer unbelievably hit the winner. The United players and their fans celebrated the most unlikely finish to a major cup final ever while the Bayern players despaired - the image of centre back Sammy Kuffour thumping the ground in torment summed up the astonishing change in fortunes.
2. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA 4-0 AC MILAN, 7 APRIL 2004
When Deportivo welcomed reigning European champions Milan to Spain trailing 4-1 from the first leg only the most rabid of the hosts' fans thought they had any chance. But Deportivo have a history of comebacks and within 43 minutes they were level on aggregate and, crucially, ahead on away goals. Walter Pandiani scored the opener after just five minutes before Juan Carlos Valeron and Albert Luque also struck first-half goals. After the break substitute Gonzalez Fran added a fourth as Milan followed Real Madrid and Arsenal, who both lost the day before, in suffering shock defeats in this season's quarter-finals.
3. MONACO 3-1 REAL MADRID, 6 APRIL 2004
Real's defensive frailties finally caught up with them as Monaco fought back from a 4-2 first-leg deficit to clinch the semi-final against Chelsea. When Raul scored the first goal of the game to put Real 5-2 ahead on aggregate the Spanish aristocrats looked certainties to go through. But Ludivic Giuly's low volley gave Monaco hope before half-time and Fernando Morientes - on loan from Real - made it 2-1 on the night with a header. Giuly's clever back-heel made it 5-5 on aggregate and although Raul twice went close for Real, Monaco held on to go through on away goals.
4. JUVENTUS 2-3 MAN UTD, 21 APRIL 1999
United went into the game level on aggregate at 1-1 after Ryan Giggs hit a 90th-minute equaliser at Old Trafford, but within 11 minutes in Italy they found themselves 2-0 down. Both goals were scored by Filippo Inzaghi and Juve looked on course to reach their fourth successive final. But United's spirit, typified by captain Roy Keane, was one of their strongest suits and they hauled themselves back into the match when Keane headed home in the 24th minute. When Dwight Yorke levelled the game at 2-2 just before the break United were ahead on away goals and they made sure of the final - where they would famously go on to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 with those two late goals - when Andy Cole slotted in a late winner.
5. WERDER BREMEN 5-3 ANDERLECHT, 8 DECEMBER 1993
This Group B match is the most lop-sided in the history of the Champions League. At half-time the Werder fans stood stunned after watching Anderlecht storm into a 3-0 lead through goals from Philippe Albert and Danny Boffin, who grabbed a brace. It was not until just after the hour mark that New Zealander Wynton Rufer got Werder on the board, but with 10 minutes to go they were level after Rune Bratseth and Bernd Hobsch struck. Marco Bode put the Germans in front after 83 minutes and Rufer rounded things off with his second just before the final whistle.
6. DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA 4-3 PSG, 7 MARCH 2001
This too may only have been a group game but there can be little doubt about its status as one of the finest Champions League comebacks of all time. With 10 minutes of the second half played Paris St Germain were 3-0 up through goals from Jay-Jay Okocha and a Laurent Leroy brace. Not for the first time comeback kings Deportivo looked dead and buried, but within two minutes of Leroy making it 3-0, half-time substitute Pandiani (remember him?) powered home the first of his hat-trick of headers. Two minutes later Diego Tristan made it 3-2 before two more goals from Pandiani gave Deportivo, who eventually topped the group with PSG bottom, an unlikely victory.