THE RAPID RISE OF EASTERN EUROPE

The UEFA Cup ( and later, Europa League) featured winners from further afield during the noughties. Galatasaray defeated Arsenal in 2000 to become the first Eastern champs, preceding triumphs for CSKA Moscow ( 2005), Zenit ( 2008) and Shakhtar Donetsk ( 2009). Financial and political chaos spelled the end of such success – but this was Eastern Europe’s decade in UEFA’S secondary competition.