The Old European Cup survives - No Champions League (1991)

[carlosperezesp]

Unthinkable. Allowing more teams than the champions of each league? Impossible, it wouldn't be fair. The European Cup is a tournament meant for champions. Yes, the early rounds might be a bore for the big teams, facing little difficulty in qualifying, scoring heavily, and with few surprises. But at least they serve to warm up and reach the final rounds with the necessary competitive tension to win.

Introduction:

• During the last decade, due to the fact that I couldn't play as many videogames as much as I wanted, I 'created' a system using dices, probabilities and weighted factors to 'simulate' football matches, so the best teams are more likely to win. And I've been playing and running my own leagues in Google Sheets just for fun, creating narratives around those games, etc. I mostly used this system to fictional leagues where I 'play God', but I thought of running some 'scenarios' with real information from real life and I've been satisfied with the result, it feels real as there is a balance between realistic/expected outcomes and surprises. I would like to share this scenario here, let's see.
• The POD here is that UEFA keeps the European Cup format until the present day, and no Champions League is created. This means the format stays the same: only the winners of the national leagues can compete (and the defending champions if they didn't win their league) and there are no group stages: only KO rounds until the final. I'll start with the 1991/92 season, where I only had to simulate a couple rounds (so I respected the qualifying stage results, etc), but in future editions I've drawn the matches of the qualifying stage myself.
• The rules that I will apply will be:
  • I'll use legit Elo ratings of the clubs that were supposed to participate in my European Cup for each year, draw the matches and simulate them with my system.
  • I'm going to restrict my thread to only the European Cup. So no UEFA Cup, no Cup Winners Cup, etc. I know this limits a bit the narrative, because this means the UEFA Cup would have more prestige than nowadays and it'd affect the timeline. If you think that only the winners go to the European Cup, this would've mean that teams like Sevilla or West Ham would'nt have won European titles, because it's most likely to have Real Madrid or Manchester City or Liverpool winning some of them in recent years if they don't qualify for the Champions League. So I will avoid mentioning that.
  • I'm going to respect the original winners of the different leagues and try to justify via narrative some things that could sound weird. Basically everything stays the same as in real life, the only thing is that only one team per country qualifies for the European Cup. Then, the dice will dictate the fate of the teams.

I'll post two seasons now and I'll add more soon, as I have played until 2006 or so.


1991-92: Benfica

Sven-Göran Eriksson completes his magnum opus with Benfica at Wembley. In his second stint with the club, the Swedish coach leads the Lisbon team to win their third European Cup.

Says Wikipedia: "Eriksson had to rebuild the team after the departures of Ricardo Gomes and Valdo to PSG. After two seasons as a substitute, Paulo Madeira played a notable role alongside William. To replace Valdo, the Swedish coach opted for the young Rui Costa, 19 years old, who had just returned from a loan spell at Fafe. Benfica also signed the Soviet internationals Vasili Kulkov and Sergei Yuran." ​

With the experience of being continental runners-up in 1990 (and before, in 1988 under Toni Oliveira), Eriksson's Benfica reaches Wembley after eliminating Sampdoria in the semifinals. There, they face Johan Cruyff's Barcelona, who arrive optimistically after a comeback at Camp Nou against Dynamo Kiev. The final is a true spectacle, where Benfica levels a two-goal deficit to finish 3-3 at the end of regulation time and 4-4 after extra time. In the penalty shootout, Barcelona is haunted by the ghosts of Sevilla against Steaua. Neno becomes the hero by saving the first penalty of the shootout, taken by the Catalans, and Benfica wins 5-3 to break, finally, the curse of Bela Guttman.

1992-93: Milan
PSV Eindhoven, led by Romario, eliminates the reigning champion Benfica. The Dutch team is sent packing in the quarterfinals after suffering a scandalous defeat against Milan at San Siro, who look truly invincible. The Rossoneri are coached by Fabio Capello, who successfully completes the transition after the departure of Arrigo Sacchi and the arrival of high-profile signings such as Papin, Savicevic, or Lentini, along with Dutch trio of Van Basten, Rijkaard, and Gullit. In the semifinals, Milan easily fulfills expectations and defeats CSKA Moscow with a double 7-0, allowing them to go to the final in Munich as the favorite. The Russians, by the way, have eliminated Barcelona after a surprising victory at the Camp Nou in the previous round.

In Athens, the Italians face the best Rangers of all time. Walter Smith's players have eliminated Leeds, Göteborg, and Olympique de Marseille (via penalty shoot-out) on their way to the final. Englishman Trevor Steven, who played from Marseille the previous season, plays a vital role in the midfield alongside the goals of Ally McCoist. The Glasgow team has already conquered the league and the league cup, and they will win the Scottish Cup just a few days after the final against Milan.

Only Capello's team prevents Rangers from achieving a historic title sweep. The Scots take the lead in the 20th minute, but Milan comes from behind before halftime, and they score a third goal in the second half to culminate a great season, which they will cap off with a triumph in Serie A.

 

[carlosperezesp]

1993-94: Spartak
Milan is the clear favorite to conquer the European throne for the second consecutive year, but the Rossoneri fall just short of reaching the final. Capello's team, which secures Serie A with a superb defense, struggles more than expected against theoretically inferior opponents, such as Anderlecht (whom they defeat in extra time) and Spartak Moscow. The Russians cause a catastrophe at San Siro by thwarting Milan's comeback and qualifying for the grand final with a goal from Onopko. It is the first time that a Russian club reaches a European Cup final!

In Athens, Barcelona awaits them after a becoming sort of comeback specialists. Like last year, they again overcome Dynamo Kyiv at Camp Nou, a performance they repeat in the quarterfinals against Porto. These efforts contrast with the apparent ease shown by the Blaugranas against Monaco, whom they crush 6-1 in the first leg of the semifinals to have an easy second leg and secure a spot in the final. Cruyff's team had strengthened with Romario this season, and the attacking duo formed with Stoichkov propels Barcelona to also conquer the league.

But the Catalans struggle in the final, perhaps feeling the nerves from the lost final in 1992. The final is ugly and boring, and only a goal from Karpin in the 60th minute gives the victory to the team led by Oleg Romantsev, very solid in defense. The Moscow-based team celebrates four times in total during 1994: alongside victories in the national league and cup and the triumph in the European Cup, they also add the CIS Cup at the beginning of the year.

Oh, i don't have a TL. It's all on the Alternate Football Wikis Thread:

Alternate Football Wikis

A thread where anyone can make their own wiki of a specific football team or competition

www.alternatehistory.com

This looks nice Maybe I can add there some specific scenarios that I had in mind (like Spain playing in 1960 vs the URSS or the World Cup in 1954)

 

[carlosperezesp]

This will be interesting and very different from OTL. Most of the English winners IOTL were not national champions - Man Utd in 1999, Liverpool in 2005, Chelsea in 2012 , Liverpool in 2019 and Chelsea in 2021. Only Man Utd in 2008 and Man City in 2023 were Premier League champions at the time of their European wins.

Same with some of Spanish winners. Real Madrid won a couple of times IOTL after failing to win the league.

1994-95: Milan
In this edition, Legia Warszawa takes center stage as the great surprise of the season thanks to a mix of big upsets and easy matchups. In the second round, Pawel Janas's players shockingly eliminate PSG in two disastrous nights for the Parisians and some help from the referee. Capello's Milan, now without Van Basten, gets revenge against Spartak for their elimination the previous year, and destroys a Russian team that had already lost a few important players of the team after the summer. Barcelona throws away a 3-0 first-leg advantage to lose 3-0 at Old Trafford and ultimately falls in penalties, allowing Manchester United to advance to the semifinals. The Red Devils have a dreadful night in Poland, where no one seems capable of scoring even a single goal. In the return leg, Man United go all out at Old Trafford, but Legia holds firm: the overall result of 3-2 ensures that, for the first time, a Polish representative reaches the final of the European Cup. However, they prove no match for Milan. The Italian champions qualify for the final after brushing off a lackluster 0-0 at San Siro and winning 0-5 at Da Luz against Benfica. In Vienna, the Rossoneri rout Legia easily after scoring the first goal in the 12th minute. Milan's triumph this season allow them to equal the total titles (6) of Real Madrid.

A brief comparison:

Season	My TL	OTL
1991-92	Benfica (p.) 4-4 Barcelona	Barcelona 1-0 Sampdoria
1992-93	Milan 3-1 Rangers	Marseille 1-0 Milan
1993-94	Spartak 1-0 Barcelona	Milan 4-0 Barcelona
1994-95	Milan 5-0 Legia	Ajax 1-0 Milan

 

[carlosperezesp]

1995-96: Real Madrid
In a way, it was a dream final. But we'll get to that. Milan, the biggest favourites, sign George Weah and Roberto Baggio to create an even more menacing team. Capello guides the Rossoneri to their second European Cup final in a row through a relatively easy route, with one big exception: Juventus. The two Italian giants are drawn together in the second round, and after a 3-3 draw in Delle Alpi, Milan wins 4-2 to advance. In that same round, Ajax loses against Besiktas (who even reaches the semi-finals!) and Nantes kicks out Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, Real Madrid was having a hard time in Spain: they are having trouble to stay in European spots and are out of the Copa del Rey. It doesn't matter that they're still alive in Europe. By the time they reach the Quarter-Finals, manager Jorge Valdano is out and Arsenio Iglesias is taking over until the end of the season. But Madrid survives against Porto and Dynamo Kyiv to make it to the final. A couple of days before the big day, the Spanish press break the news: Fabio Capello, already Serie A champion with Milan, will join Los Blancos after the summer. Does this affect Milan's performance in any way? Who knows. Anyway, it's the 'match of the century' for one reason: the two most decorated teams of the European Cup (with 6 titles each) face in the Stadio Olimpico to claim their 7th trophy. Milan plays 'at home' in Rome, but fail to score a single goal, some say because of Capello's recent news of joining the rival team. Milan is indeed superior, but a goal by the young striker Raúl in the 70th minute seals the victory, the first for Real Madrid after 30 years!

 

[carlosperezesp]

1996-97: Milan

After a somewhat predictable first round (well, Ajax loses against Slavia Prague and Rosenborg beats Partizan), Milan and Real Madrid are paired together in the first round. San Siro wants revenge after what happened last year in the final. The Rossoneri are not performing good under Oscar Tabárez, Capello's replacement, but the team is really motivated against Real Madrid. With Capello now sitting in Los Blancos' bench, Milan destroys the current title holders with a 7-0 victory. The return match at the Bernabéu is pretty much meaningless. However, things don't go really smooth at the domestic competitions for Milan, so Tabarez is fired in December and is replaced with former legend Arrigo Sacchi. It's pretty much the same story as last year: an interim coach brings the eventual champions to the final after Milan beats Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals. There, Auxerre awaits. The French team won the double last year under Guy Roux, but it has sold some of its key figures. Despite this, they manage to make Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps a fortress, beating Manchester United on penalties and winning 5-1 against Atlético de Madrid. In the final, however, there is not much to say, as Milan scores quickly in the first half. The match ends 2-0 for the Rossoneri to become European champions for their seventh time (with Sacchi winning his third European Cup!)

 

[carlosperezesp]

1997-98: Juventus
Milan and Real Madrid face each other once again, this time in the quarter-finals. Milan, led by Capello after a mixed season in Madrid, struggles through a challenging Serie A campaign. Under Jupp Heynckes, Real Madrid secures a 2-0 victory at home, followed by a draw at San Siro, securing their spot in the semis. Capello faces dismissal due to Milan's poor Serie A performance, culminating in a Coppa final loss.

In the semifinals, Real Madrid confronts another Italian powerhouse, Juventus. Despite a 3-2 home win, a solitary goal by Del Piero in Delle Alpi ensures Juventus advances to the final, leading to Heynckes' removal. On the opposite side of the draw, FC Bayern, guided by Giovanni Trapattoni, easily triumphs over their opponents. Trapattoni has successfully rebuilt a team that collapsed despite winning the UEFA Cup in 1996. The final, held in Amsterdam, witnesses Juventus claiming their second European Cup with an exhilarating 3-2 victory. Despite winning by just one goal, Juventus manages to hold off Bayern for the majority of the game.

 

[carlosperezesp]

1998-99: Ajax
Reigning champions Juventus have a turbulent season. Del Piero and Zidane get injured befored the winter, and as the Bianconeri underperform in Serie A, Lippi announces he'll leave Juve at the end of the season to coach Inter. But he'll be sacked in February, and Carlo Ancelotti replaces him. Under the new boss, Juve reaches the semifinals of the European Cup after beating lesser opponents. But in a historic first-leg match against Barcelona, Pippo Inzaghi scores four goals at Camp Nou, securing a remarkable 0-5 victory. Despite the adversities, Juventus earn a spot in the final for a second time in a row.

Their opponents, Ajax, have also overcome challenges, rebounding from a home defeat and beating Arsenal in Highbury. The Dutch giants are living a tough season. Louis Van Gaal is now in Barcelona, and most of the stars of previous seasons are also gone. Morten Olsen had guided the Amsterdam side to the Eredivisie title the year before, but this season things are going terribly bad for Ajax, so Olsen is sacked before the winter. Jan Wouters, the reserve-team coach, takes over and, despite unable to reverse the team's fortune in the league, leads Ajax to win the KNVB Cup and qualify for the European Cup final. At the Camp Nou, the underdogs conquer their fourth title thanks to a header by Shota Arveladze in the first half.

A brief comparison:

Season	My TL	OTL
1991-92	Benfica (p.) 4-4 Barcelona	Barcelona 1-0 Sampdoria
1992-93	Milan 3-1 Rangers	Marseille 1-0 Milan
1993-94	Spartak 1-0 Barcelona	Milan 4-0 Barcelona
1994-95	Milan 5-0 Legia	Ajax 1-0 Milan
1995-96	Real Madrid 1-0 Milan	Juventus (p.) 1-1 Ajax
1996-97	Milan 2-0 Auxerre	Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Juventus
1997-98	Juventus 3-2 Bayern Munich	Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus
1998-99	Ajax 1-0 Juventus	Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich

 

[carlosperezesp]

1999-00: Manchester United
This edition witness one of the biggest surprises of all time. Rosenborg, Norwegian champions for their 7th time in 1998, hires again Nils Arne Eggen in 1999 to see if the Trondheim can be more competitive in Europe. And what a ride. Rosenborg reaches the final after an amazing campaign, making Lerkendal Stadion a true fortress. They win there 4-0 against Steaua in the first round, 5-0 against Feyenoord in the second round, and they also beat Bayern 3-1 in the semifinals, not to mention a 0-0 draw against Ajax in the quarter-finals that was good enough to advance thanks to the away-goal rule.

However, the Cinderella story comes to an end in Paris. After years of success in England, Alex Ferguson finally makes Manchester United champions of Europe. More than the final itself, fans will remember forever their 5-2 victory against Milan at Old Trafford. In Paris, it's so easy for them: Gary Neville and Dwight Yorke make it 2-0 for United before half-time. In the second half, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer scores the third with 13 minutes to go, and despite John Carew's goal a few minutes later, Cole scores another one for the Red Devils. It's United's second European Cup ever in an unforgettable season where they also reclaim the Premier League title.

 

[carlosperezesp]

2000-01: Manchester United
Manchester United are the biggest favourites to win after last year triumph, but they don't have an easy path to defend their title. Lazio and FC Bayern are the two other big candidates, and coincidentally, the Red Devils face both of them. Same as last year, United lose the first leg in Italy but are able to come back at Old Trafford to secure a spot in the semis, where they deliver an excellent performance against the menacing German champions.

Their rivals in the big final are Deportivo de La Coruña. The 'Super Depor' won LaLiga for their first time ever the previous year, and have quite a successfull European campaign thanks to an easier route than Man United. Deportivo is a strong team despite their unknown players, with Djalminha, Diego Tristán and Juan Carlos Valerón among others, and have taken Spanish football by surprise. However, they succumb against Alex Ferguson's pupils right at the verge of half-time. Teddy Sheringham scores at the 43th minute and Andy Cole adds another goal in injury time, and Depor don't recover from the psychological blow in the second half. With their second triumph in a row, the Red Devils join the pantheon of top teams of all time as they achieve something that wasn't done since Sacchi's Milan in 1989 and 1990.

 

[carlosperezesp]

2001-02: Real Madrid
The 'Galácticos' live up to their name. With a stacked lineup, comprising legends such as Zidane, Figo or Roberto Carlos, Real Madrid faces a very complicated path to the final. They beat Red Star and FC Bayern before escaping alive from Munich. Then, a comeback against PSV in the quarter-finals and an agonic triumph against Roma in the semis allow 'Los Blancos' to seal their ticket to Scotland.

A match against Manchester United was what everybody wanted, but the dream final is 'ruined' by Tirol Innsbruck. The Austrian side, without stars but coached by a young Joachim Löw, achieves an amazing feat after great triumphs against Boavista and Sparta, but is outplayed by Real Madrid in Hampden Park. Everything was resolved in the first half. Figo opened the score at the 12th minute, but Radoslaw Gilewicz tied the match in the 32nd before Makélélé put Real leading again right before half-time. Madrid dominated the rest of the match easily and claimed la Octava.

Some unavoidable butterflies: IOTL, Tirol ceased to exist after this season despite winning the Austrian Bundesliga because of bankruptcy. I'll give them some cash after reaching the final, which will allow them to survive for a couple of years and participate in the next European Cup edition.

And a summary of winners from the POD:

 

[carlosperezesp]

2002-03: Real Madrid
If Real Madrid 'Galácticos' weren't scary enough, check this out: they also add Ronaldo in the summer transfer window. It's a team full of legendary players who only face real trouble in the quarter-finals, against Valencia, defending LaLiga champions. Los Blancos are superior at home, then they draw in Mestalla to advance to the semis, where they face Arsenal. At the Santiago Bernabéu, Real wins 2-0, but in Highbury the Gunners are able to come back and score three goals... before Guti scores a 94th minute screamer that sends Madrid to their second final in a row.

Del Bosque's pupils face a massive underdog, Slovan Liberec. The Czech champions miraculously beat Borussia Dortmund in Germany and benefit from an off-side goal at home to reach the final at Old Trafford. In Manchester, they prove no match for Madrid's powerful strikers: two goals from Ronaldo and another one from Raúl seal the victory and their 9th European Cup title. Despite winning LaLiga too, Del Bosque won't continue in the team, as tensions arise between him and Florentino Pérez.

These are all the champions:

 

[carlosperezesp]

2003-04: Manchester United
I was rooting for that dream final of Real Madrid vs Manchester United, but major forces deprive us of seeing it. Del Bosque is no longer with Real Madrid, who welcome David Beckham to their all-star roster. Things go fine for the Galácticos until they collapse in the later stages of the season: they lose the Copa del Rey final, run out of steam in LaLiga, and are kicked out of the European Cup against Juventus. The Bianconeri, featuring legends such as Buffon, Nedved, Del Piero or Trezeguet, showcase a 5-2 victory in Delle Alpi in the first leg. Real almost complete a comeback in Madrid, but only wins 2-0 and the Galácticos project suffers a major blow.

Once in Gelsenkirchen, Juve face Manchester United, who are back in the final two years later. They have been irregular at times, but their victory against FC Bayern in the semis make them favourites. Despite all the stars involved, the game is somewhat boring. Del Piero opens the score in the 25th minute and Juve parks the bus, but Cristiano Ronaldo manages to levels the score in the 64th and the game remains tied until the end. In the penalty shoot-out, Tim Howard becomes the hero of United as he saves the last two penalties to make Red Devils champions for their 4th time.

 

[carlosperezesp]

2004-05: Porto
Now this was a crazy season. Just look at the semi-finalists. Porto, Ajax, Valencia and Lyon. It's a golden opportunity for all of them to win the title. Where are the top dogs? Well, Lyon kicks Arsenal out in the second round after a Juninho Pernambucano master class in Highbury. Man United? Valencia destroyed them in Mestalla in the semis. Milan? A bad night in Amsterdam seals their fate. But Porto's case is strange. José Mourinho took them to the UEFA Cup final in 2003 ITTL (they lost), but last year suffered an upset against Partizan and never managed to win it. Nevertheless, the Portuguese manager is in Chelsea now, and Porto is underperforming in the domestic competitions. Luigi Delneri, Mou's replacement, is sacked in Summer, before coaching one single match. Then comes the Spaniard Víctor Fernández, who is laid off in January. José Couceiro comes to the rescue and, despite some key players who are with Mourinho at Chelsea, manages to keep the team alive in Europe and qualify for the final in Istanbul thanks to a somewhat benevolent path.

Their rivals are Valencia, who are not anymore coached by Rafa Benítez. His substitute, Claudio Ranieri, only lasts until February, when youth coach Antonio López takes care of the team. The defending LaLiga champions can't recover and will finish out of the top 4, but in Europe is a different story: Albelda, Baraja, Cañizares, Vicente and especially Pablo Aimar give Los Ches reasons to dream, with stellar performances day after day. In Turkey, however, they experience a nightmare. First, Vicente misses a penalty in the first ten minutes of the game Then, Marchena is sent off in the 20th minute, and Diego opens the score from the spot. Twenty minutes later, Hélder Postiga scores the second for Porto after a defensive mistake in the midfield (Baraja is injured for this match). In the second half, Benny McCarthy adds the last nail to the coffin in a counter-attack to give the Dragoes their second European Cup ever.

 

[carlosperezesp]

2005-06: Chelsea
He came, he saw, he conquered. José Mourinho arrived in London and won the Premier League for Chelsea in 2005. And one year later, is an European Cup champion. The Blues only had trouble handling Juventus in the semifinals, a team that will be relegated to Serie B due to the Calciopoli scandal later on. Chelsea is a well-oiled machine, with Drogba, Robben, Lampard and Cech performing so well that they'll successfully defend their Premier League title.

The final is also easier than expected for the London side. PSV Eindhoven manage to eliminate Barcelona in the semis thanks to a late away goal by Jefferson Farfán. In the quarterfinals, Ronaldinho plays one of his best matches ever at the Allianz Arena to kick Bayern out, but his heroics are unsufficient against the Dutch side in the next round. In France, a hat-trick by Drogba (the first player to do so in a European Cup final!) and another goal by Robben make Chelsea the first London side to conquer the most prestigious trophy in the continent.

 

[carlosperezesp]

2006-07: Barcelona
'No hay quinto malo', they say in bullfighting. And fifth time was the charm for Barcelona. Finally, they are European champions. It's not easy, as they have a difficult time playing the away games: Valerenga in the first round, then Levski Sofia and then Anderlecht before facing Lyon in the semis. The French side has not taken advantage of a talented generation, but this season they look as one of the biggest candidates. But the Blaugranas win 2-0 at Camp Nou, and a 1-1 draw in Gerland gives Frank Rijkaard's team the ticket to their fifth European final, thanks to a young Lionel Messi who is performing really well along Iniesta, Xavi and Deco in the midfield.

In the other side of the draw, reigning champions Chelsea are cruising without any problem. In the semis, Mourinho visits his former club, Porto, who in fact defeat the Blues at Do Dragao. But another goal fest in Stamford Bridge makes Mou go crazy as he's leading Chelsea to its second European final in a row.

And what a spectacular final. It starts quietly, though. Chelsea makes the first at the 29th minute thanks to a combination between Lampard and Drogba that the Ivorian sends in. Everything is in control for Mourinho's pupils until the 56th minute, when Zambrotta occupies a space created by Messi and the right back beats Cech to put the 1-1 in the scoreboard. Only a couple minutes later, in the 63rd, Ronaldinho dribbles a couple defenders and cross it with beauty to put the Blaugranas ahead. Mourinho makes some changes, and Robben manages to send it to the net after Joe Cole crosses it while Valdés and the defenders do nothing.

It's fifteen minutes to go, and the Blues look happy taking the match to over time. But Ashley Cole sees a second yellow card with ten minutes to go, making Mourinho go crazy (he'll criticise the referee after the match). Things get worse for Chelsea when, after Barcelona passing the ball in one corner, Eto'o shoots and the ball gets deflected by Terry to go inside. It's 3-2 and Chelsea are with 10 men and trailing by 1. In injury time, it's delirium for Barcelona when, after a comeback, Etoo and Messi play 1-2 to make the Cameroonian score the fourth. La Copa ja está aquí!, sing the Catalans, who concentrated in the European campaign and let Real take LaLiga.

Next, I'll check the winners of the other competitions and update the graphic, also with information about the current European Cup winners so far.

 

[carlosperezesp]

Extra info:

All European Cup finals since 1991-92:

Other winners fixed table:

 

[carlosperezesp]

2007-08: Barcelona
After conquering Europe for their first time, Barcelona brings in Thierry Henry to defend their continental title and win LaLiga again. But things don't go as planned, with Frank Rijkaard being constantly critisiced after throwing away last year's league in favor of Real Madrid and not being able to follow los Blancos' pace this season either. They will finish third in the regular season behind Villarreal, but in Europe the team seems to be focused, progressing without conceding goals and scoring a lot of them at the Camp Nou against weaker teams. Then, spring arrives. The biggest test so far for Barcelona: a semi-final match up against Inter and El Clásico in LaLiga.

Inter is enyojing some success of their own. They have been on top of the Serie A after the Calciopoli scandal and Roberto Mancini has built a formidable team. After last season fiasco against Porto, this year the team takes revenge and beats them in Do Dragao in the quarter-finals. Against Barcelona, in the semis, they quickly put themselves ahead 2-0 in the first half, but Barcelona fights and in the end it's only a 3-2 win for the Nerazzurri in San Siro. In Catalonia, Inter open the score 21 minutes into the game thanks to Julio Cruz. But in the 63rd minute, Barcelona starts a comeback that will end with three more goals, resulting in a 4-1 delirium for the Blaugranas and a spot in their second consecutive final. This will seal Mancini's fate at Inter, because despite winning the Serie A he'll be sacked following also a defeat in the Coppa Italia final.

Two weeks later, Barcelona visit the home of already LaLiga champions Real Madrid. They pay tribute to Los Blancos with a traditional guard of honor before losing 4-1. Rijkaard knows he'll be out of Barça next season but he knows he still can leave making history with another European Cup title in Moscow, where they'll see their biggest foes again. Things for Real Madrid are apparently good in Bernd Schuster's first year. But it is been a bumpy road to the final, with more tension than expected against Fenerbahce and Stuttgart. The most memorable matchup happens in the Round of 16, when Ronaldo scores a brace in a match that ends 0-3 at the Bernabéu. Things look easy for United at Old Trafford in the second leg, but a quick goal by Real sparks an unforgettable night for the Spanish side that only is decided in the penalty shoot-out in favour.

In Moscow, in the first European Cup final with both teams from the same country, the Blaugranas throw the first blow in the 16th minute with a Henry goal after a pass from Deco that caughts Real Madrid defenders off-guard. Trouble for Madrid continues as, six minutes later, Abidal caughts a loose ball after a set piece and makes it 2-0. Los Blancos reduce the deficit at the 30-minute mark, with Raúl finding the net with a header. The match maintains a tense calm for most of the time until there are twenty minutes left, at which point the atmosphere intensifies as Madrid urgently seeks another goal. In the last fifteen minutes of the match, relief arrives for them as Ruud van Nistelrooy, connecting seamlessly with Sneijder, levels the score at 2-2. The game concludes in a draw, yet six minutes into extra time, Iniesta manages to locate Eto'o in the box, and the Cameroonian secures a goal with a powerful shot. The game ends 3-2 for Barcelona, who savour this victory after a nightmare season, and the Blaugranas say goodbye to Frank Rijkaard for making history with them.

 

[carlosperezesp]

A nice extra: I wanted to imagine how Uefa's web would look like that day:

These are all the finals up to date:

*Blue: penalty shoot-out
†Orange: extra time

 

[carlosperezesp]

2008-09: FC Bayern
Barcelona has new faces this season. Newcomer and club icon Pep Guardiola is leading a team from the bench that upgrades its playing style to take the most out of Messi into the passing style of Iniesta and Xavi, with Ronaldinho and Deco gone. The team performs like a machine, practically winning every single game until they face Real Madrid in the second round of the European Cup. Last final's rematch comes a bit early, as it's only November, but that's the luck of the draw. The Blaugranas destroy a weakened Los Blancos at the Bernabéu and, although Real shows some spirit in the second leg, Barça make it to the quarter-finals. It will be a nightmare season for Madrid, as when spring comes they'll lose 2-6 against their biggest rivals in LaLiga. After knocking out the Spanish champions, Barcelona keeps beating all their rivals without much trouble (including the last grand Lyon, a team who fails to crown a splendid generation) and qualifies for their third final in a row mastering their tiki-taka style.

What about other teams? Well, Manchester United, the other big favourites, are eliminated by Lyon in the quarter-finals only by away goals. Inter, led by José Mourinho, faces Porto for their third consecutive year, but it's the Portuguese team that prevails this time. The Dragoes won't be able to beat FC Bayern in the semis, though, a team which is enjoying some success in Europe despite a roller-coaster campaign in Germany. The Bavarians start the season coached by Jürgen Klinsmann, but he is sacked in April following a 5-1 defeat against eventual champions Wolfsburg. Jupp Heynckes comes back from retirement to aim at least to secure a European spot next season. But despite not being able to win the Bundesliga, a late goal by Podolski allows the German squad to qualify for their first final since 1998, when they lost to Juve.

Barcelona are massive favourites in Rome, and the game plan is easy, they've conquered already LaLiga and the Copa del Rey and are just 90 minutes away of a Triplete. The possession game goes as planned as Messi opens the score in the 38th minute. Barcelona are in full control of the game, but they miss plenty of chances as Bayern navigates the storm. The Bavarians are firm in defence and give Barça some scares here and there, knowing they need just one chance to tie the game. And suddenly it happens. In an apparently calmed offensive in the 78th minute, Ribéry shoots with power and Valdés saves it, but Luca Toni is able to head the rebound inside. The game remains tied and goes to the penalty shoot-out, where both teams miss twice before Butt (not Oliver Kahn, retired in 2008) saves Pique's do-or-die penalty to make Bayern champions for the first time since the 1970s.

 

[carlosperezesp]

2009-10: Manchester United
What a tough side of the draw. The champions of England, Spain, Italy and title holders Bayern end up in the same side of the competition, meaning there are important casualties along the way. The first matchup between these major forces takes place in the second round, where Mourinho's Inter face Barcelona. Barça has added Zlatan Ibrahimovic from the Serie A champions in exchange of Samuel Eto'o, and under the direction of Pep Guardiola, the Blaugranas tiki-taka machine remains unbeatable in Spain, losing only one match and defending their LaLiga title with 3 points ahead of Real Madrid.

But Europe is a road with many obstacles. It's never easy, but Barcelona suprisingly beats Inter 3-0 after an explosive first half at the Camp Nou, in which they score all goals inside the first 30 minutes. Despite losing in Milano in the secon, they get into the next round, this time against Bayern, the team who beat them in last year's final. Messi guides the Culers' revenge, and leads them to victory both at home and in Germany before facing another tough foe, Manchester United. The Red Devils are no longer with Cristiano Ronaldo, now at Real Madrid, but they prove they're still a very dangerous side, with Rooney and Berbatov goal-scoring instintcs carrying the Mancunians to the semis without much trouble. At Old Trafford, both strikers score in the first half of the match to give the English champions a comfortable lead ahead of the return match. But it's a battle in Barcelona. A quick goal in the 3rd minute by Messi and another in the 84th by Bojan carry the game into extra time before reaching the penalty-shoot out. There, luck evades the Catalans for a second consecutive season and United reaches its fifth final.

If that side of the draw was full of giants, the other was loaded with cinderellas. Wolfsburg, after a shocking campaing in Germany last season, is not enjoying the same feeling in the Bundesliga this year, but in Europe, Dzeko and Grafite are having a fun time beating weaker rivals to reach the semis. After drawing in the Volkswagen Arena, the Wölfe beat an incredibly tough Porto side at Do Dragao to qualify for their first European final. Once in Madrid, Makoto Hasebe takes advantage of a silly defensive mistake by United in a corner to open the score for Wolfsburg in the 6th minute. But United turns the score around before half-time. In the 33rd, Nani levels the score following a run down the right flank, and just four minutes later Giggs caughts a loose ball outside of the box and scores a marvelous goal. The Santiago Bernabéu doesn't see any more goals, and ManU conquers Europe for their fifth time in history, meaning Alex Ferguson is Mr. European Cup with 4 trophies himself!