2008–09 UEFA Champions League

The 2008–09 UEFA Champions League was the 54th edition of Europe's premier club football tournament and the 17th edition under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27 May 2009.[1] It was the eighth time the European Cup final has been held in Italy and the fourth time it has been held at the Stadio Olimpico. The final was contested by the defending champions, Manchester United, and Barcelona, who had last won the tournament in 2006. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, securing The Treble in the process. In addition, both UEFA Cup finalists, Werder Bremen and Shakhtar Donetsk featured in the Champions League group stage.

2008–09 UEFA Champions League
Stadio Olimpico in Rome hosted the final.
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
15 July – 27 August 2008
Competition proper:
16 September 2008 – 27 May 2009
TeamsCompetition proper: 32
Total: 76
Final positions
Champions Barcelona (3rd title)
Runners-up Manchester United
Tournament statistics
Matches played125
Goals scored329 (2.63 per match)
Attendance5,004,467 (40,036 per match)
Top scorer(s)Lionel Messi (Barcelona, 9 goals)

Anorthosis of Cyprus and BATE Borisov of Belarus were the first teams from their respective countries to qualify for the group stage. Romanian side CFR Cluj and Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg also made their Champions League debuts.

Association team allocation

A total of 76 teams from 52 UEFA associations (Liechtenstein organises no domestic league competition) participated in the 2008–09 Champions League. Countries are allocated places according to the 2007 UEFA league co-efficient ranking.

Below is the qualification scheme for the 2008–09 Champions League:

  • Associations 1–3 each have four teams qualify.
  • Associations 4–6 each have three teams qualify.
  • Associations 7–15 each have two teams qualify.
  • Associations 16–53 (except Liechtenstein) each have one team qualify.

Association ranking

For the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2007 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2002–03 to 2006–07.[2]

Rank Association Coeff. Teams
1 Spain 76.891 4
2 England 68.540
3 Italy 66.088
4 France 53.656 3
5 Germany 44.364
6 Portugal 42.749
7 Romania 40.165 2
8 Netherlands 39.379
9 Russia 36.125
10 Scotland 30.500
11 Ukraine 29.475
12 Belgium 29.075
13 Czech Republic 26.825
14 Turkey 26.641
15 Greece 25.497
16 Bulgaria 24.582 1
17 Switzerland 23.850
18 Norway 19.725
Rank Association Coeff. Teams
19 Israel 19.208 1
20 Serbia 18.958
21 Denmark 18.575
22 Austria 18.500
23 Poland 17.000
24 Hungary 14.165
25 Slovakia 10.832
26 Croatia 10.708
27 Cyprus 10.582
28 Sweden 10.541
29 Slovenia 9.915
30 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.665
31 Latvia 8.664
32 Lithuania 7.332
33 Finland 7.331
34 Moldova 7.166
35 Republic of Ireland 6.498
36 Georgia 6.164
Rank Association Coeff. Teams
37 Liechtenstein 6.000 0
38 Macedonia 5.831 1
39 Iceland 4.999
40 Belarus 4.665
41 Albania 3.832
42 Estonia 3.665
43 Armenia 3.498
44 Azerbaijan 3.166
45 Kazakhstan 2.332
46 Northern Ireland 2.165
47 Wales 1.998
48 Faroe Islands 1.665
49 Luxembourg 1.665
50 Malta 1.665
51 San Marino 0.000
52 Andorra 0.000
53 Montenegro 0.000

Distribution

Since the title holders (Manchester United) qualified for the Champions League group stage through their domestic league, the group stage spot reserved for the title holders is vacated, and the following changes to the default access list are made:[3]

  • The champions of association 10 (Scotland) are promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage.
  • The champions of association 16 (Bulgaria) are promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round.
  • The champions of associations 23 (Poland) and 24 (Hungary) are promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round.
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round
First qualifying round
(28 teams)
  • 28 champions from associations 25–53
Second qualifying round
(28 teams)
  • 8 champions from associations 17–24
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
  • 14 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(32 teams)
  • 6 champions from associations 11–16
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 6 third-place finishers from associations 1–6
  • 3 fourth-place finishers from associations 1–3
  • 14 winners from the second qualifying round
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • 10 champions from associations 1–10
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
  • 16 winners from the third qualifying round
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from the group stage
  • 8 group runners-up from the group stage

Teams

League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Title holders).[4]

Group stage
Real Madrid (1st) Internazionale (1st) Bayern Munich (1st) CFR Cluj (1st)
Villarreal (2nd) Roma (2nd) Werder Bremen (2nd) PSV Eindhoven (1st)
Manchester United (1st)TH Lyon (1st) Porto (1st)[Note POR] Zenit Saint Petersburg (1st)
Chelsea (2nd) Bordeaux (2nd) Sporting CP (2nd) Celtic (1st)
Third qualifying round
Barcelona (3rd) Fiorentina (4th) Twente (PO) Slavia Prague (1st)
Atlético Madrid (4th) Marseille (3rd) Spartak Moscow (2nd) Galatasaray (1st)
Arsenal (3rd) Schalke 04 (3rd) Shakhtar Donetsk (1st) Olympiacos (1st)
Liverpool (4th) Vitória de Guimarães (3rd) Standard Liège (1st) Levski Sofia (2nd)[Note BUL]
Juventus (3rd) Steaua București (2nd)
Second qualifying round
Rangers (2nd) Fenerbahçe (2nd) Beitar Jerusalem (1st) Rapid Wien (1st)
Dynamo Kyiv (2nd) Panathinaikos (PO) Partizan (1st) Wisła Kraków (1st)
Anderlecht (2nd) Basel (1st) Aalborg BK (1st) MTK Budapest (1st)
Sparta Prague (2nd) Brann (1st)
First qualifying round
Artmedia Petržalka (1st) Kaunas (1st) BATE Borisov (1st) Llanelli (1st)
Dinamo Zagreb (1st) Tampere United (1st) Dinamo Tirana (1st) NSÍ Runavík (1st)
Anorthosis (1st) Sheriff Tiraspol (1st) Levadia (1st) F91 Dudelange (1st)
IFK Göteborg (1st) Drogheda United (1st) Pyunik Yerevan (1st) Valletta (1st)
Domžale (1st) Dinamo Tbilisi (1st) Inter Baku (1st) Santa Coloma (1st)
Modriča (1st) Rabotnički (1st) Aktobe (1st) Murata (1st)
Ventspils (1st) Valur (1st) Linfield (1st) Budućnost Podgorica (1st)
Notes
  1. ^
    Portugal (POR): On 4 June 2008, a decision was taken to exclude Portuguese champions Porto from this year's competition, after the club was found guilty of bribing referees in the Primeira Liga during the 2003–04 season.[5] As a result, Vitória de Guimarães were promoted from the third qualifying round to the group stage, and Benfica from the UEFA Cup into the third qualifying round. After Porto appealed the decision, however, it was referred by UEFA's Appeals Body back to the Control & Disciplinary Body for re-assessment.[6] The meeting to re-assess the situation took place on 16 June 2008, with the decision being reversed and Porto being allowed back into the 2008–09 Champions League. The decision was taken due to Porto's disciplinary process in Portugal not yet being complete.[7]
  2. ^
    Bulgaria (BUL): Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia failed to obtain UEFA license due to unpaid debts and were replaced by league runners-up Levski Sofia.[8][9]

Round and draw dates
Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying First qualifying round 1 July 2008 15–16 July 2008 22–23 July 2008
Second qualifying round 29–30 July 2008 5–6 August 2008
Third qualifying round 1 August 2008 12–13 August 2008 26–27 August 2008
Group stage Matchday 1 28 August 2008 16–17 September 2008
Matchday 2 30 September–1 October 2008
Matchday 3 21–22 October 2008
Matchday 4 4–5 November 2008
Matchday 5 25–26 November 2008
Matchday 6 9–10 December 2008
Knockout phase Round of 16 19 December 2008 24–25 February 2009 10–11 March 2009
Quarter-finals 20 March 2009 7–8 April 2009 14–15 April 2009
Semi-finals 28–29 April 2009 5–6 May 2009
Final 27 May 2009 at Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Qualifying rounds

First qualifying round

The draw for the first and second qualifying rounds was held on 1 July 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland. The first leg matches were held on 15 July and 16 July, while the second legs were played on 22 July and 23 July 2008.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Linfield 1–3 Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 1–1
Valletta 0–3 Artmedia Petržalka 0–2 0–1
Dinamo Tbilisi 3–1 NSÍ Runavík 3–0 0–1
Santa Coloma 2–7 Kaunas 1–4 1–3
Murata 0–9 IFK Göteborg 0–5 0–4
Llanelli 1–4 Ventspils 1–0 0–4
Anorthosis 3–0 Pyunik Yerevan 1–0 2–0
Inter Baku 1–1 (a) Rabotnički 0–0 1–1
Tampere United 3–2 Budućnost 2–1 1–1
F91 Dudelange 0–3 Domžale 0–1 0–2
Dinamo Tirana 1–4 Modriča 0–2 1–2
Aktobe 1–4 Sheriff Tiraspol 1–0 0–4
Drogheda United 3–1 Levadia 2–1 1–0
BATE Borisov 3–0 Valur 2–0 1–0

In the draw for the first qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The lower pot contained the 14 teams from associations 40–53: none of these teams had a team ranking.

Two of the 14 ties were won by the lower ranked team: Inter Baku (Azerbaijan, country rank 42) beat Rabotnički (Macedonia, 36); and BATE Borisov (Belarus, 40) beat Valur (Iceland, 37).

Of the 28 teams in the first qualifying round, two survived as far as the group stage: Anorthosis and BATE Borisov. Each then finished in fourth place.

Second qualifying round

The first leg matches were played on 29 July and 30 July, while the second legs were played on 5 August and 6 August 2008.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Rangers 1–2 Kaunas 0–0 1–2
Brann 2–2 (a) Ventspils 1–0 1–2
Inter Baku 1–3 Partizan 1–1 0–2
Tampere United 3–7 Artmedia Petržalka 1–3 2–4
Anorthosis 4–3 Rapid Wien 3–0 1–3
Domžale 2–6 Dinamo Zagreb 0–3 2–3
Panathinaikos 3–0 Dinamo Tbilisi 3–0 0–0
IFK Göteborg 3–5 Basel 1–1 2–4
Sheriff Tiraspol 0–3 Sparta Prague 0–1 0–2
Drogheda United 3–4 Dynamo Kyiv 1–2[A] 2–2
Anderlecht 3–4 BATE Borisov 1–2 2–2
Beitar Jerusalem 2–6 Wisła Kraków 2–1 0–5
Fenerbahçe 7–0 MTK Hungária 2–0 5–0
Aalborg BK 7–1 Modriča 5–0 2–1

In the draw for the second qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The higher pot contained teams ranked 166 or higher: so each tie contained exactly one team ranked in the top 166.

Three of the 14 ties were won by the lower ranked team: Kaunas (unranked, coefficient 2.640) beat Rangers (ranked 24, coefficient 66.013); BATE Borisov (unranked, 1.760) beat Anderlecht (56, 41.810); and Anorthosis (ranked 193) beat Rapid Wien (ranked 166).

Of the 28 teams in the second qualifying round, Panathinaikos were the only one to qualify for the knockout phase of the competition.

Third qualifying round

The draw for the third qualifying round took place on 1 August 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland.[10] The first leg matches were played on 12 August and 13 August, while the second leg matches took place on 26 August and 27 August. The losing team of each match are being seeded into the 2008–09 UEFA Cup first round; while the winning teams advance into the UEFA Champions League 2008–09 group stage.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Anorthosis 3–1 Olympiacos 3–0 0–1
Vitória de Guimarães 1–2 Basel 0–0 1–2
Shakhtar Donetsk 5–1 Dinamo Zagreb 2–0 3–1
Schalke 04 1–4 Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–4
Aalborg BK 4–0 Kaunas 2–0 2–0
Barcelona 4–1 Wisła Kraków 4–0 0–1
Levski Sofia 1–2 BATE Borisov 0–1 1–1
Standard Liège 0–1 Liverpool 0–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Partizan 3–4 Fenerbahçe 2–2 1–2
Twente 0–6 Arsenal 0–2 0–4
Spartak Moscow 2–8 Dynamo Kyiv 1–4 1–4
Juventus 5–1 Artmedia Petržalka 4–0 1–1
Brann 1–3 Marseille 0–1 1–2
Fiorentina 2–0 Slavia Prague 2–0 0–0
Galatasaray 2–3 Steaua București 2–2 0–1
Sparta Prague 1–3[B] Panathinaikos 1–2 0–1

In the draw for the third qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis of UEFA coefficients. The higher pot contained teams ranked 61 or higher. However, the draw was held before the second qualifying round was played, which meant that Kaunas and BATE Borisov effectively moved into the higher pot, replacing the teams they eliminated.

Four of the 16 ties were won by the lower ranked team: Anorthosis (ranked 193) beat Olympiacos (ranked 44); BATE Borisov (unranked, coefficient 1.760) beat Levski Sofia (ranked 80, coefficient 32.644); Atlético Madrid (ranked 67) beat Schalke 04 (ranked 22) and Dynamo Kyiv (ranked 74) beat Spartak Moscow (ranked 61).

Group stage
Location of teams of the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Brown: Group A; Red: Group B; Orange: Group C; Yellow: Group D;
Green: Group E; Blue: Group F; Purple: Group G; Pink: Group H.

The draw for the group stage took place on 28 August 2008 at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, prior to the 2008 UEFA Super Cup the following day.[11]

The top two teams in each group advanced to the knockout phase, and the third-placed teams entered the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup. Based on paragraph 6.05 in the UEFA regulations for the current season, if two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings:

  1. higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  2. superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
  3. higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question;
  4. superior goal difference from all group matches played;
  5. higher number of goals scored in all group matches played;
  6. higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.

Zenit St. Petersburg, BATE Borisov, CFR Cluj and Anorthosis each made their debut appearance in the group stage.[12]

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ROM CHE BDX CFR
1 Roma 6 4 0 2 12 6 +6 12 Advance to knockout phase — 3–1 2–0 1–2
2 Chelsea 6 3 2 1 9 5 +4 11 1–0 — 4–0 2–1
3 Bordeaux 6 2 1 3 5 11 −6 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–3 1–1 — 1–0
4 CFR Cluj 6 1 1 4 5 9 −4 4 1–3 0–0 1–2 —
Source: RSSSF

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAN INT BRM ANO
1 Panathinaikos 6 3 1 2 8 7 +1 10 Advance to knockout phase — 0–2 2–2 1–0
2 Internazionale 6 2 2 2 8 7 +1 8 0–1 — 1–1 1–0
3 Werder Bremen 6 1 4 1 7 9 −2 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–3 2–1 — 0–0
4 Anorthosis 6 1 3 2 8 8 0 6 3–1 3–3 2–2 —
Source: RSSSF

Group C
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAR SCP SHA BAS
1 Barcelona 6 4 1 1 18 8 +10 13 Advance to knockout phase — 3–1 2–3 1–1
2 Sporting CP 6 4 0 2 8 8 0 12 2–5 — 1–0 2–0
3 Shakhtar Donetsk 6 3 0 3 11 7 +4 9 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–2 0–1 — 5–0
4 Basel 6 0 1 5 2 16 −14 1 0–5 0–1 1–2 —
Source: RSSSF

Group D
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification LIV ATL OM PSV
1 Liverpool 6 4 2 0 11 5 +6 14 Advance to knockout phase — 1–1 1–0 3–1
2 Atlético Madrid 6 3 3 0 9 4 +5 12 1–1 — 2–1 2–1
3 Marseille 6 1 1 4 5 7 −2 4 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–2 0–0 — 3–0
4 PSV 6 1 0 5 5 14 −9 3 1–3 0–3 2–0 —
Source: RSSSF

Group E
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MU VIL AAB CEL
1 Manchester United 6 2 4 0 9 3 +6 10 Advance to knockout phase — 0–0 2–2 3–0
2 Villarreal 6 2 3 1 9 7 +2 9 0–0 — 6–3 1–0
3 Aalborg BK 6 1 3 2 9 14 −5 6 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–3 2–2 — 2–1
4 Celtic 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5 1–1 2–0 0–0 —
Source: RSSSF

Group F
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification BAY OL FIO STE
1 Bayern Munich 6 4 2 0 12 4 +8 14 Advance to knockout phase — 1–1 3–0 3–0
2 Lyon 6 3 2 1 14 10 +4 11 2–3 — 2–2 2–0
3 Fiorentina 6 1 3 2 5 8 −3 6 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–1 1–2 — 0–0
4 Steaua București 6 0 1 5 3 12 −9 1 0–1 3–5 0–1 —
Source: RSSSF

Group G
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification POR ARS DK FEN
1 Porto 6 4 0 2 9 8 +1 12 Advance to knockout phase — 2–0 0–1 3–1
2 Arsenal 6 3 2 1 11 5 +6 11 4–0 — 1–0 0–0
3 Dynamo Kyiv 6 2 2 2 4 4 0 8 Transfer to UEFA Cup 1–2 1–1 — 1–0
4 Fenerbahçe 6 0 2 4 4 11 −7 2 1–2 2–5 0–0 —
Source: RSSSF

Group H
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV RM ZEN BAT
1 Juventus 6 3 3 0 7 3 +4 12 Advance to knockout phase — 2–1 1–0 0–0
2 Real Madrid 6 4 0 2 9 5 +4 12 0–2 — 3–0 2–0
3 Zenit Saint Petersburg 6 1 2 3 4 7 −3 5 Transfer to UEFA Cup 0–0 1–2 — 1–1
4 BATE Borisov 6 0 3 3 3 8 −5 3 2–2 0–1 0–2 —
Source: RSSSF

Knockout phase

From the first knockout round through to the semi-finals, clubs play two matches against each other on a home and away basis with the same rules as the qualifying rounds applied. In the last 16, group winners play runners-up other than teams from their own pool or nation. For the draw of the quarter-finals and semi-finals clubs are seeded based on the results in the group stage and round of 16 of the current season (eight matches).

The draw for the first knockout round was held on 19 December 2008 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by UEFA General Secretary David Taylor, Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's director of professional football and Bruno Conti, the ambassador for the final in Rome.

The draws for the quarter-finals and semi-finals were both held on 20 March 2009 in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw was conducted by David Taylor and Bruno Conti. Unlike the first knockout round, teams from the same group or country may be drawn together from the quarter-finals onwards.

Bracket
Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                  
1 Lyon 1 2 3
16 Barcelona 1 5 6
Barcelona 4 1 5
Bayern Munich 0 1 1
8 Sporting CP 0 1 1
9 Bayern Munich 5 7 12
Barcelona (a) 0 1 1
Chelsea 0 1 1
5 Real Madrid 0 0 0
12 Liverpool 1 4 5
Liverpool 1 4 5
Chelsea 3 4 7
4 Chelsea 1 2 3
13 Juventus 0 2 2
Barcelona 2
Manchester United 0
6 Internazionale 0 0 0
11 Manchester United 0 2 2
Manchester United 2 1 3
Porto 2 0 2
3 Atlético Madrid 2 0 2
14 Porto (a) 2 0 2
Manchester United 1 3 4
Arsenal 0 1 1
7 Villarreal 1 2 3
10 Panathinaikos 1 1 2
Villarreal 1 0 1
Arsenal 1 3 4
2 Arsenal (p) 1 0 1(7)
15 Roma 0 1 1(6)

Round of 16

The first legs of the first knockout round were played on 24 and 25 February 2009, and the second legs were played on 10 and 11 March.

Bayern Munich defeated Sporting CP by 12–1 on aggregate in the first knockout round; the biggest two-leg win in Champions League era.

Manchester United's 2–0 victory against Internazionale in the first knockout round was their 21st consecutive undefeated match, a record surpassing Ajax's 20 undefeated matches, set between 1985–86 and 1995–96. The record was extended to 25 matches, ending with a 2–0 defeat to Barcelona in the final.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Chelsea 3–2 Juventus 1–0 2–2
Villarreal 3–2 Panathinaikos 1–1 2–1
Sporting CP 1–12 Bayern Munich 0–5 1–7
Atlético Madrid 2–2 (a) Porto 2–2 0–0
Lyon 3–6 Barcelona 1–1 2–5
Real Madrid 0–5 Liverpool 0–1 0–4
Arsenal 1–1 (7–6 p) Roma 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Internazionale 0–2 Manchester United 0–0 0–2

Quarter-finals

The first leg matches were played on 7 April and 8 April, with the second leg matches being played on 14 April and 15 April 2009. Due to the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough Disaster, Liverpool were granted their request that their return leg not be played on 15 April; the match was played on 14 April.[13]

Porto's 1–0 loss to Manchester United in the second leg of the quarter-finals was the club's first ever home defeat to English opposition.

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Villarreal 1–4 Arsenal 1–1 0–3
Manchester United 3–2 Porto 2–2 1–0
Liverpool 5–7 Chelsea 1–3 4–4
Barcelona 5–1 Bayern Munich 4–0 1–1

Semi-finals

The first leg matches were played on 28 April and 29 April, while the second leg matches were played on 5 May and 6 May 2009. As in 2007–08, the semi-final teams consisted of three Premier League sides and Barcelona. This was the third consecutive season in which three of the four semi-final teams were English.

Manchester United were the first defending champions to reach the semi-finals since the introduction of the first knockout round in the 2003–04 season.

Chelsea were knocked out by Barcelona after a highly controversial performance by referee Tom Henning Øvrebø,[14] while Arsenal's 3–1 loss to Manchester United in the second leg of the semi-finals was the club's first defeat at the Emirates Stadium in a European competition.[15]

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Manchester United 4–1 Arsenal 1–0 3–1
Barcelona 1–1 (a) Chelsea 0–0 1–1

Final
Main article: 2009 UEFA Champions League Final

The 2009 UEFA Champions League Final was played at 20:45 CEST on 27 May 2009 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. Barcelona won the match 2–0, with goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi. Barcelona's victory also meant that they became the first Spanish team to win the Treble. Manchester United were the first defending champions to reach the final of the competition since Juventus in 1997, but they failed to become the first club to defend the European Cup since Milan in 1990.

Barcelona 2–0 Manchester United
Eto'o 10'
Messi 70'		 Report
Attendance: 62,467
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds.

Top goalscorers
Rank Player Team Goals Minutes played
1 Lionel Messi Barcelona 9 982
2 Steven Gerrard Liverpool 7 580
Miroslav Klose Bayern Munich 680
4 Lisandro López Porto 6 943
5 Emmanuel Adebayor Arsenal 5 627
Alessandro Del Piero Juventus 688
Didier Drogba Chelsea 702
Robin van Persie Arsenal 716
Thierry Henry Barcelona 717
Karim Benzema Lyon 731

Top assists
Rank Player Team Assists Minutes played
1 Xavi Barcelona 7 971
2 Franck Ribéry Bayern Munich 6 712
3 Cesc Fàbregas Arsenal 5 810
Lionel Messi Barcelona 927
Frank Lampard Chelsea 967
6 Anders Due Aalborg BK 4 266
Juninho Lyon 613
Raul Meireles Porto 840
9 Sávio Anorthosis 3 333
Mesut Özil Werder Bremen 532
Ryan Giggs Manchester United 645
Miroslav Klose Bayern Munich 654
Luca Toni Bayern Munich 679
Thierry Henry Barcelona 702
Wayne Rooney Manchester United 954

Source:[16]

See also
  • 2008–09 UEFA Cup
  • 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • 2009 UEFA Super Cup
  • 2009 FIFA Club World Cup
  • 2008–09 UEFA Women's Cup

Footnotes
A. ^ Match was played in Dublin.
B. ^ Order of legs reversed

References
  1. Ravdin, Eugene; Menicucci, Paolo (5 October 2006). "Moscow and Rome feast on finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  2. "UEFA Country Ranking 2007". Bert Kassies.
  3. "2008/09 UEFA Champions League access list and calendar". UEFA.com. 22 December 2008.
  4. "Qualification for European Cup Football 2007/2008". Bert Kassies.
  5. "Porto lose Champions League place". BBC Sport. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  6. "FC Porto case deferred" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  7. "Porto admission confirmed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  8. CSKA without UEFA license, Tomov takes the guilt
  9. "CSKA Sofia banned from Champions League over unpaid debts". 5 June 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  10. "Draws for UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  11. "UEFA sets Monaco agenda". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 29 August 2008. Retrieved 13 August 2008.
  12. "Europe's finest set for group stage draw". UEFA.com. 28 August 2008.
  13. "Reds won't play on Hillsborough date". liverpoolfc.tv. Liverpool FC. 20 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009.
  14. "Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona (agg 1-1)". BBC Sport. 6 May 2009.
  15. "Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United (agg 1-4)". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 May 2009.
  16. "Statistics — Tournament phase — Assists". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
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