2008/2009
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
»
View Photos from all Champions League matches here «
First
knockout round
Atlético
- Porto
1st Leg - February 24, 2009
@ Atlético
2nd Leg - March 11, 2009
@ Porto
Sporting - Bayern
1st Leg - February 25, 2009
@ Sporting
2nd Leg - March 10, 2009
@ Bayern
Group Stage
| Group C | |||||||
| TEAMS | PLD | W | D | L | GF | GA | PTS |
| Barcelona | 6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
18 |
8 |
13 |
| Sporting CP | 6 |
4 |
- |
2 |
8 |
8 |
12 |
| Shakhtar | 6 |
3 |
- |
3 |
11 |
7 |
9 |
| Basel | 6 |
- |
1 |
5 |
2 |
16 |
1 |
| Matches Home - Away |
||
| Basel |
1-2 |
Shakhtar |
| Barcelona |
3-1 |
Sporting CP |
| Sporting
CP |
2-0 |
Basel |
| Shakhtar |
1-2 |
Barcelona |
| Shakhtar |
0-1 |
Sporting CP |
| Basel |
0-5 |
Barcelona |
| Sporting
CP |
1-0 |
Shakhtar |
| Barcelona |
1-1 |
Basel |
| Shakhtar |
5-0 |
Basel |
| Sporting
CP |
2-5 |
Barcelona |
| Basel |
0-1 |
Sporting CP |
| Barcelona |
2-3 |
Shakhtar |
| Group G | |||||||
| TEAMS | PLD | W | D | L | GF | GA | PTS |
| FC Porto | 6 |
4 |
- |
2 |
9 |
8 |
12 |
| Arsenal | 6 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
11 |
5 |
11 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
| Fenerbahçe | 6 |
- |
2 |
4 |
4 |
11 |
2 |
| Matches Home - Away |
||
| FC
Porto |
3-1 |
Fenerbahçe |
| Dynamo
Kyiv |
1-1 |
Arsenal |
| Arsenal |
4-0 |
FC Porto |
| Fenerbahçe |
0-0 |
Dynamo Kyiv |
| Fenerbahçe |
2-5 |
Arsenal |
| FC
Porto |
0-1 |
Dynamo Kyiv |
| Arsenal |
0-0 |
Fenerbahçe |
| Dynamo
Kyiv |
1-2 |
FC Porto |
| Fenerbahçe |
1-2 |
FC Porto |
| Arsenal |
1-0 |
Dynamo Kyiv |
| FC
Porto |
2-0 |
Arsenal |
| Dynamo
Kyiv |
1-0 |
Fenerbahçe |
3rd
Qualifying Round
Vitória
de Guimarães
- FC Basel
1st Leg - 0-0
2nd Leg - 1-2
FC Basel advances 2-1 on aggregate
COMPETITION INFORMATION
The
UEFA Champions League is UEFA's most prestigious club competition. It
was originally created as the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the 1955/56
season, before its format and name were changed in 1992. Real Madrid
CF and AC Milan have been the most successful sides in the UEFA Champions
League, winning the competition three times. Madrid are also the most
successful side overall with nine triumphs, followed by seven for Milan
and five for Liverpool FC.
Eligibility
The UEFA Champions League is open to each national association's domestic
champions, as well as clubs who finish just behind them in their respective
domestic championship. The number of clubs that can be entered by an
association and their entry point in the competition depends on the
association's position in UEFA's coefficient ranking list.
For more information on how many European competition
positions will be granted to the each country (based on UEFA Coefficient
Ranking) please visit the following website:
UEFA
Coefficient Rankings
Evolution
Since its inception in 1992/93, the UEFA Champions League has continued
to evolve, maintaining a mixture of round-robin group matches as well
as its traditional knockout format. The current format was introduced
in 2003/04. After three qualifying rounds, 32 teams contest the group
stage, divided into eight groups of four. The group winners and runners-up
advance to the knockout stages, the eight third-placed teams move into
the UEFA Cup third round, and the eight fourth-placed teams are eliminated.
Knockout rounds
A draw determines who each of the 16 clubs will play in the first knockout
stage, with ties decided over two matches on a home and away basis.
The club that scores the greater aggregate of goals advances, or in
the event of both teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which
scores more away goals. If the away-goals rule proves inconclusive,
extra time of two periods of 15 minutes is played after the second match.
If during extra time both teams score the same number of goals, away
goals count double (ie the visiting team advances). If no goals are
scored during extra time, the winner is decided by penalty kicks. The
two teams that advance from the knock-out round contest the final, held
as a single match in May.
Evolving format
The European Champion Clubs' Cup was a purely knockout competition until
the format was changed in 1992/93 with the inception of the UEFA Champions
League. That year the competition began with three knockout rounds with
the winners advancing to a group stage involving two sets of four clubs
playing home and away. The two group winners contested the final. A
similar format was used the following season, with the addition of a
two-legged semi-final stage involving the top two clubs from both groups.
Competition expansion
The competition expanded further for the 1994/95 season with one preliminary
round required before the clubs divided into four groups of four clubs.
The top two clubs in each group advanced to the knockout stage, which
this time began at the quarter-final stage. The 1997/98 season saw another
phase of expansion. Two qualifying rounds were introduced and the group
stage expanded to six groups of four clubs each. The six group winners
and the two best runners-up advanced to the knockout stages.
Additional
round
An additional qualifying round was introduced for the 1999/00 season
to generate two group stages, firstly with 32 teams - eight groups of
four - who played six matches apiece to reduce the competition to 16
teams for the second group stage, with the eight third-placed teams
moving to the UEFA Cup third round. At the end of the second group stage,
eight teams remained to contest the knockout phase.
Qualifying
In matches in the three qualifying rounds, clubs play two matches against
each other on a home and away basis, with the club scoring the greater
aggregate of goals qualifying for the next round. In the event of both
teams scoring the same number of goals, the team which scores more goals
away qualifies.
Group
stage
The 16 winners of the third qualifying round ties join a similar number
of automatic entrants in the 32-team group stage. The clubs are split
into eight groups of four teams, who play home and away against each
of their pool opponents between September and December to decide which
two teams from each pool advance to the first knockout round. The third-place
finishers in each pool enter the UEFA Cup Round of 32.
Knockout
phase
From the last 16 until 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, while from the quarter-finals
on the draw is free.
Final
The final is decided by a single match. Rome's Stadio Olimpico will
stage the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League final for
the fourth time this season as the UEFA Champions League reaches its
climax in the Italian capital on Wednesday 27 May 2009.
Tiebreaking
format
If in the group stage of the Champions
League two or more teams finish equal on points after all the group
matches have been played, the following criteria are applied to determine
the group rankings:
1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches between the teams
in question
2. Superior goal difference from the matches between the teams in question
3. Higher number of goals scored away from home in the matches between
the teams in question
4. Superior goal difference from all group matches played
5. Higher number of goals scored
6. Coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as
its association, over the previous five seasons
The UEFA Champions League comprises of three qualifying rounds, a group
stage, and four knockout rounds.
Regulations
The regulations for the UEFA Champions League are initially
drawn up by the UEFA Administration before being submitted to the Club
Competitions Committee. They are then forwarded upon that committee's
approval to the UEFA Executive Committee for ratification.
Current
regulations
The current regulations can be downloaded here.
(Adobe Acrobat required)
Previous Winners
2007 - 2008 Manchester United FC
2006 - 2007 AC Milan
2005 - 2006 FC Barcelona
2004 - 2005 Liverpool FC
2003 - 2004 FC Porto
2002 - 2003 AC Milan
2001 - 2002 Real Madrid CF
2000 - 2001 FC Bayern München
1999 - 2000 Real Madrid CF
1998 - 1999 Manchester United FC
1997 - 1998 Real Madrid CF
1996 - 1997 BV Borussia Dortmund
1995 - 1996 Juventus
1994 - 1995 AFC Ajax
1993 - 1994 AC Milan
1992 - 1993 Olympique de Marseille
1991 - 1992 FC Barcelona
1990 - 1991 FK Crvena Zvezda
1989 - 1990 AC Milan
1988 - 1989 AC Milan
1987 - 1988 PSV Eindhoven
1986 - 1987 FC Porto
1985 - 1986 FC Steaua Bucuresti
1984 - 1985 Juventus
1983 - 1984 Liverpool FC
1982 - 1983 Hamburger SV
1981 - 1982 Aston Villa FC
1980 - 1981 Liverpool FC
1979 - 1980 Nottingham Forest FC
1978 - 1979 Nottingham Forest FC
1977 - 1978 Liverpool FC
1976 - 1977 Liverpool FC
1975 - 1976 FC Bayern München
1974 - 1975 FC Bayern München
1973 - 1974 FC Bayern München
1972 - 1973 AFC Ajax
1971 - 1972 AFC Ajax
1970 - 1971 AFC Ajax
1969 - 1970 Feyenoord
1968 - 1969 AC Milan
1967 - 1968 Manchester United FC
1966 - 1967 Celtic FC
1965 - 1966 Real Madrid CF
1964 - 1965 FC Internazionale Milano
1963 - 1964 FC Internazionale Milano
1962 - 1963 AC Milan
1961 - 1962 SL Benfica
1960 - 1961 SL Benfica
1959 - 1960 Real Madrid CF
1958 - 1959 Real Madrid CF
1957 - 1958 Real Madrid CF
1956 - 1957 Real Madrid CF
1955 - 1956 Real Madrid CF
Official
Ball
The official UEFA Champions League match ball ("official ball")
must be usedfor all matches of the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League season
as from the first match of the group stage and for the official training
sessions prior to such matches.
The official Adidas Champions League ball has the same PSC - Texture
that was used on the Adidas Euro - Pass ball that was the official ball
of the 2008 Euros.
As
for the colors used on the ball itself, the indigo represents the sky,
the indigo metallic refers to the floodlight and the rave green stands
for the grass.
Since
1970, Adidas has provided the official matchball for major UEFA and
FIFA tournaments, including all UEFA Champions League matches since
2005. The UEFA Champions League final has been played with an Adidas
ball since 2000/01.
Official
Trophy
The European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply the European Cup, is a trophy
awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Champions
League. Prior to 1992, the competition in its older format shared its
name with the trophy, being also known as the European Cup. The trophy
is often, although erroneously, referred to as the Champions League
Trophy.
Several different physical trophies have had the name, as a club is
entitled to keep the cup after five wins or three consecutive wins,
with a new cup having to be forged for the following season. The UEFA
badge of honour is a badge awarded by UEFA to such clubs.
Champions League winners keep the real trophy for ten months after their
victory, and receive a scaled-down replica to keep forever. Winning
clubs are also permitted to make replicas of their own, however they
must be clearly marked as such and can be a maximum of eighty percent
the size of the actual trophy.
The original European Cup trophy was donated by L'Équipe, a French
sports newspaper. This trophy was awarded permanently to Real Madrid
in March 1967. At the time, they were the reigning champions, and had
won six titles altogether, including the first five competitions from
1956 to 1960.
The replacement trophy, with a somewhat different design from the original,
was commissioned by UEFA from Jörg Stadelmann, a jeweller from
Berne in Switzerland. At a cost of 10,000 Swiss Francs, it was silver,
74 cm high, weighing 8 kg. Subsequent replacement trophies have replicated
this design. In Spanish, it is nicknamed La Orejona ("big-ears")
because of the shape of the handles and for this reason Luis Omar Tapia
a long time ESPN ´S UCL announcer made the name "la Orejona"
popular on the American continents.
The rule to allow a club to keep the trophy after five wins or three
consecutive wins was introduced before the 1968-69 season. At that point,
Real Madrid were the only club meeting either qualification, and indeed
met both. Once a club has been awarded the trophy, its count is reset
to zero. For example, a club with no prior titles which won six titles
in a row would be permanently awarded trophies after the third and sixth
wins (each for three-in-a-row) but not after their fifth win.
UEFA Badge of Honor
Multiple
winners of the UEFA Champions League (three consecutive times or a minimum
of five times) may wear a “badge of honour”, subject to
a licence being granted by UEFA. UEFA will provide the clubs concerned
with sufficient badges to cover their needs (as determined by UEFA)
throughout the competition
The UEFA badge of honour was introduced for the
start of the 2000-01 competition. The badge itself adorns the left sleeve
of the team's shirt during Champions League and UEFA Cup matches. It
is a navy blue oval on which is an outline of the current trophy in
white, overlaid with part of the Champions League starball logo. Above
the trophy is the total number of titles held by the club.
Honoured clubs
Five clubs have kept the actual trophy, and so have been awarded
the badge of honour:
Real Madrid CF after six wins, 1956-60 and 1966. They have since won
it three more times, in 1998, 2000, and 2002.
AFC Ajax after their third consecutive win in 1973. They won a fourth
in 1995.
FC Bayern München, after their third consecutive win in 1976. They
won a fourth in 2001.
AC Milan, after their fifth title in 1994. They have since won it twice
more, in 2003 and 2007.
Liverpool FC, after their fifth title in 2005.
Title-holder logo
The reigning title-holder may wear the UEFA Champions League
title-holder logo badge, subject to a licence being granted by UEFA.
UEFA will provide the club concerned with sufficient badges to cover
its needs (as determined by UEFA) throughout the competition. The UEFA
Champions League title-holder logo may not be used in any other competition.
Competition logo badge
From the first match in the group stage, the UEFA Champions
League competition logo badge must appear on the right sleeve of the
shirt, between the shoulder seam and the elbow. UEFA will provide the
clubs concerned with sufficient badges to cover their needs (as determined
by UEFA) throughout the competition. The UEFA Champions League logo
may not be used in any other competition.
Official Song
2008/2009
Match Calendar
First
qualifying round
1st leg 15/16.07.2008
2nd leg 22/23.07.2008
Second qualifying round
1st leg 29/30.07.2008
2nd leg 05/06.08.2008
Third qualifying round
1st leg 12/13.08.2008
2nd leg 26/27.08.2008
Group stage
Matchday 1
16/17.09.2008
Matchday 2
30.09/01.10.2008
Matchday 3
21/22.10.2008
Matchday 4
04/05.11.2008
Matchday 5
25/26.11.2008
Matchday 6
09/10.12.2008
First knockout round
1st leg 24/25.02.2009
2nd leg 10/11.03.2009
Quarter-finals
1st leg 07/08.04.2009
2nd leg 14/15.04.2009
Semi-finals
1st leg 28/29.04.2009
2nd leg 05/06.05.2009
Final
27.05.2009
