WHEN COMPATRIOTS COLLIDE - ONE - NATION FINALS
LONDON: Today’s all-German Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will be the 13th time that two teams from the same country have met in the deciding match of a major European competition. AFP Sports looks back at some of the previous finals that have pitted compatriot clubs against each other:
1980 UEFA Cup: Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia M Such was West Germany’s dominance of the 197980 UEFA Cup that they supplied all four semi-finalists, with Moenchengladbach overcoming Stuttgart and Frankfurt seeing off Bayern Munich. The final proved a bitter experience for current Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes, whose Gladbach side lost out on away goals after winning the first leg 3-2 but losing 1-0 to a late goal by young substitute Fred Schaub in Frankfurt.
1998 UEFA Cup: Inter Milan v Lazio There were four all-Italian UEFA Cup finals in the 1990s, culminating in this clash between Luigi Simoni’s Inter and Sven Goran Eriksson’s Lazio in Paris. Ivan Zamorano put Inter ahead in the fifth minute, with Javier Zanetti adding a second goal on the hour before Brazilian superstar Ronaldo rounded Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani and rolled in Inter’s third to crown an exhilarating individual display.
2000 Champions League: Real Madrid v Valencia Two years on from Ronaldo’s masterclass at the Parc des Princes, Raul capped an emphatic performance by Madrid with a similar goal as his side overwhelmed La Liga counterparts Valencia up the road at the Stade de France. Following a first-half header by Fernando Morientes and a spectacular Steve McManaman volley, Raul struck in the 75th minute to settle the first one-country final in the history of the European Cup and seal Madrid’s eighth European crown.
2003 Champions League: AC Milan v Juventus The first all-Italian Champions League final was a tense, tactical affair in which Juventus substitute and future coach Antonio Conte come closest to breaking the deadlock with a second-half header that hit the crossbar. After 120 goalless minutes at Old Trafford in Manchester, Milan claimed a sixth European Cup when Andriy Shevchenko settled a penalty shoot-out that had seen Milan goalkeeper Dida save from David Trezeguet, Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero.
2008 Champions League: United v Chelsea The 2008 decider in Moscow was the highpoint of a period that saw English sides reach the final in five successive seasons. After Cristiano Ronaldo’s 26th-minute header was cancelled out by Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, John Terry spurned an opportunity to give the London club victory in the penalty shoot-out when he slipped on the slick turf and sent the ball against the post. Four penalties later, Edwin van der Sar saved from Nicolas Anelka, and United were European champions for the third time.