2003 UEFA Champions League Final

The 2003 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match that took place at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, England on 28 May 2003. The match pitted Italian clubs Juventus and A.C. Milan and was the first all Italian final in the competitions history. Milan won 3–2 on penalties, clinching their sixth European championship. The match itself was exciting in the first half with Conte hitting the post for Juventus and Pirlo hitting the bar for A.C. Milan. Later, Milan had an Andriy Shevchenko goal ruled out after Rui Costa blocked Buffon's line of view from an offside position. However, replays later showed Rui Costa moved out of Buffon's line of sight before the shot. In the second half both teams began to sit back and not create many chances. The penalty-shoot out which ensued has caused controversy among some fans as replays showed that Dida was off his goal line when saving penalties from Trezeguet, Zalayeta & Montero. Buffon was also off his goal line when saving a penalty from Seedorf. Andriy Shevchenko put away the final penalty to win the European Cup for A.C. Milan for the sixth time. Shevchenko becoming the first Ukrainian footballer to win a European Cup winner's medal. In the celebrations that followed Shevchenko was seen to be in tears, it was because a year earlier his former manager when he was at FC Dynamo Kyiv, Valeri Lobanovsky died of a stroke and was thinking about him at the time. A couple of days later Shevchenko flew back to Ukraine and put his winners medal on Lobanovsky's grave. It is said had it not been for Lobanovsky, Shevchenko would not have been as successful as he was.

Match details

footballbox
date = 2003-05-28
time = 20:45 WEST
team1 = flagicon|ITA Juventus
score = 0 – 0 (a.e.t.)
report = [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/history/season=2002/round=1640/match=1045288/report=rp.html (Report)]
team2 = AC Milan flagicon|ITA
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Old Trafford, Manchester
attendance = 63,215
referee = Markus Merk flagicon|GER |
valign="top" width="50%"

Match statistics

* [http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/ucl/2002/1045288_fr.pdf UEFA Full Time Report]
* [http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/ucl/2002/1045288_sps.pdf UEFA Player Statistics]

ee also

*UEFA Champions League 2002-03

External links

* [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/finals/index.html Official Champions League Finals Website]
* [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/history/season=2002/round=1640/match=1045288/index.html UEFA 2003 Champions League Final Page]