2000 UEFA Cup Final

The 2000 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place on 17 May 2000 at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark to decide the winner of the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. The game event pitted Galatasaray of Turkey and Arsenal of England, and was the final match of the 1999–2000 season, the 29th final of Europe's second largest club football competition, the UEFA Cup. It was Galatasaray's first appearance in a final of a European tournament and Arsenal's first UEFA Cup final.

Both clubs competed in the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League; with each team finishing in third place of the first group stage, Galatasaray behind Chelsea and Hertha Berlin and Arsenal behind Barcelona and Fiorentina, thus exiting the competition, and qualifying for the third round of the UEFA Cup. From there, the two sides advanced through the fourth round, the quarter-finals and the semi-finals to progress to the final. Galatasaray overcame Bologna, Borussia Dortmund, Mallorca and Leeds United on their way, while Arsenal defeated Nantes, Deportivo La Coruña, Werder Bremen and Lens.

The match was attended by 38,919 spectators, as Galatasaray won 4–1 on penalties following extra time, making it the first time for a Turkish side to win a European honour. They also obtained a Treble, having also won the Turkish league championship and the Turkish domestic cup titles. As a result of their triumph, Galatasaray became the first UEFA Cup winner to compete for the UEFA Super Cup, following the dissolution of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and also initially qualified for the later-cancelled 2001 FIFA Club World Championship. The final was somewhat marred by the riots between supporters of the two sides.

Route to the final

Galatasaray

Galatasaray were required to qualify for the group stage, as Turkey's country coefficient only held qualifying places. The Turks entered the third qualifying round of the 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League, the final qualifying game of the competition, where they competed against Rapid Wien in two matches. Galatasaray won the first leg with 3–0 at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, and earned their spot in the first group stage following a 1–0 win at their home arena, Ali Sami Yen Stadium in the decisive leg. Galatasaray were scheduled to take part in Group G, containing Chelsea, Hertha BSC and Milan. Six matches were played, as they recorded a total two wins, one draw and three defeats, thus descending into the third round of the UEFA Cup.

Galatasaray faced Bologna in the competition's third round. The first game was played at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, which ended in a 1–1 draw; the Italian side took the lead after a Giuseppe Signori goal during the second half, before Hakan Şükür levelled the score, with eight minutes remaining. At home, the Turkish side scored twice during the first half, and conceded once, as they won the match 2–1, and the overall leg 3–2. Galatasaray were pitted against Borussia Dortmund in the fourth round. ''Gala'' won 2–0 away at Westfalenstadion, while a scoreless draw in the homecoming match was enough for Galatasaray to see them through.

In the quarter-finals, Galatasaray's opponents were Mallorca. They won the first match with 4–1, which was played at Son Moix. They booked their place in the next round by clinching a 2–1 home victory in the return leg, winning 6–2 on aggregate. Galatasaray were up against Leeds United in the semi-finals. The Istanbul side began their first game on home soil with a 2–0 win, following goals by Şükür and Capone. At Elland Road, their second match ended in a 2–2 stalemate, with Gheorghe Hagi and Şükür netting, thus winning the tie 4–2 and proceeding to the final.

Arsenal

Arsenal qualified automatically into the Champions League group stage because of England's country coefficient. They were drawn in Group B, along with AIK, Barcelona and Fiorentina. Each club played six matches, with Arsenal registering two victories, two draws and two defeats. This meant they finished in third place, one point behind second place holders Fiorentina, and hence entered the third round stage of the UEFA Cup.

Arsenal competed against Nantes in the third round of the contest. At their home venue, Arsenal Stadium, they defeated the French club 3–0, before recording a 3–3 draw at the Stade de la Beaujoire, ensuring ''the Gunners'' a 6–3 aggregate victory. They battled Deportivo La Coruña in the fourth round. Arsenal played at their home ground in the first match, and comprehensively beat the Spanish outfit by five goals to one, before suffering a 2–1 loss at Estadio Municipal de Riazor, which was still enough to take the English side to the next round on aggregate.

Werder Bremen were next up in the quarter-finals. Goals apiece by Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg helped them to a 2–0 victory at home. Arsenal sealed their place in the semi-finals in the second leg played at the Weserstadion, a match which they won 4–2 after Ray Parlour's hat-trick and a lone Henry goal to register a 6–2 aggregate win. In the semi-finals, Arsenal collided with Lens. The first leg took place at home, and ''the Gunners'' won by one goal to nil, through an early goal scored by Dennis Bergkamp. They advanced at Stade Félix-Bollaert with a 2–1 victory, overall winning 3–1 to reach the final.

Pre-match

Background

Galatasaray and Arsenal met each other for the first time in a European football competition, though the Turkish outfit had faced English clubs formerly on eight occasions. Their first was against Manchester United, in the 1993–94 Champions League second round, which they won 3–3 on away goals in a two-legged match. Both teams were reunited in the following season of the group stage, which concluded in a goalless tie and a Galatasaray blow. Other meetings include against West Bromwich Albion in the commencing round of the 1978–79 UEFA Cup, and Chelsea in this year's Champions League campaign. Arsenal by contrast ran into Turkish opposition twice, both of them against Fenerbahçe in the 1979–80 European Cup Winners' Cup first round; the home game was won by the English side 2–0, while the away leg ended in a 0–0 draw.

Arsenal had a better European record, compared to Galatasaray going into the match; they defeated Anderlecht with a 4–3 aggregate winning result, in the final of the 1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The London-based club reached the Cup Winners' Cup finales three times, in 1980, where they suffered a 5–4 defeat in a penalty shoot-out to Valencia, following a 0–0 stalemate; Arsenal also reached the 1994 final, winning 1–0 over Parma, and the following edition, losing 2–1 at the hands of Real Zaragoza. Their 1994 success led to them qualifying for that year's European Super Cup, where they were beaten 2–0 by Milan on aggregate in two games. This was Arsenal's first UEFA Cup (sixth in total) European final. The club were considered favorites to win the match.

Galatasaray entered the final in search for a Treble. Their fourteenth and fourth successive Turkish league title was confirmed on the final matchday. The Turkish club added the domestic cup to their trophy cabinet, after Antalyaspor was defeated with a 5–3 victory in the 2000 Turkish Cup Final. The side participated in their first UEFA Cup and European competition final, while also becoming the first ever team from Turkey to make the final in a UEFA club football competition.

Ticketing

Before the final, both finalists were awarded 12,000 tickets. The Danish Football Union announced that 9,000 tickets would be offered, for sale to the public, while the remaining 3,000 were sold to other European countries. UEFA allocated another 3,000 tickets to their officials and VIP members. Problems ensued after it was revealed that Galatasaray had been charging the tickets more than the original price, in order to prevent some football hooligans from entering the ground. The Turkish club's secretary general however, denied this and insisted that the tickets were being sold at their original price and to support the stadium and the club's other sporting activities.

Venue

Parken Stadium was selected as the venue for the final, after a decision made by the UEFA Executive Committee. It is located in the Indre Østerbro territory in Copenhagen; the site was once known as Idrætsparken, with the opening premiere held in 1911. It was the home of the Denmark national football team and Kjøbenhavns Boldklub's (KB) matches, until 1990, when the venue underwent reconstruction by the Danish lending company Baltica Finans A/S, with the former scrapped in favour of the new name, Parken Stadium. The concept was supported by the Danish Football Union with a contract that all of Denmark's national games would take place at the stadium for fifteen years. The price of the renovation was DKK640 million (£740 million). It made its debut two years later, in 1992, and has since then been the home base for F.C. Copenhagen's fixtures.

This was the second occasion that a major European final had been staged at Parken. The venue also hosted the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup Final between Arsenal and Parma.

Match ball

Adidas Terrestra Silverstream was the official match ball used in the final. It was assembled and marketed by German sport firm Adidas, and was the ninth ball in the European Championship series, as well as part of the Adidas Finale. The ball's design was created by British independent brand specialist company Design Bridge, and influenced by the waters, in the Netherlands and Belgium. The ball contains synthetic foam layers, making it more comfortable to grip and smoother to control. The Terrestra Silverstream was later unveiled as the official match ball of the UEFA Euro 2000.

Match officials

Before the final, a match official team from the Royal Spanish Football Federation was appointed, with Antonio López Nieto as the main referee of the final, his second UEFA Cup final since 1998 between Inter Milan and Lazio. Nieto obtained his international referee badge in 1993, and had previously taken charge of 30 European tournament games – 15 UEFA Champions League and 15 UEFA Cup matches. The Spaniard made his European debut in the second leg of the first-round tie between Manchester United and Honvéd in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League. He was also present in the match referees squad during the UEFA Euro 1996 qualifiers and the main event, as well as at the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Nieto was joined by assistant referees Fernando Tresaco Gracia and Victoriano Giráldez Carrasco and fourth official Arturo Daudén Ibáñez.

Opening ceremony

An opening ceremony was held, prior to the match. At the start of the event, cheerleading girls dressed in pom-pom clothing stepped onto the football pitch to entertain the crowd; the routine also featured a small number of Danish–Turkish girls from a local school, performing a folk dance display containing Turkish elements. The act was succeeded by an appearance from Danish pop singer and actor Stig Rossen, who sang an alternative version of the notable song "Wonderful Copenhagen". Prince Joachim of Denmark, the youngest of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik's two children, welcomed the opening ceremony by making a short speech to all the seated spectators in the stadium.

Broadcasting

The final was made available on television, across 185 countries, with an estimated 500 million viewers. Danish television channel DR1 announced that they would use seventeen cameras, for the match coverage. In the United Kingdom, BBC One, the main channel of the public television corporation, the British Broadcasting Corporation
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