P W D L F A PTS
Barcelona 6 5 1 0 17 5 16
Porto 6 3 1 2 8 8 10
Sparta Prague 6 1 2 3 5 12 5
Hertha Berlin 6 0 2 4 3 8 2
Top two qualify for the Quarter Finals
21 MARCH 2000
HERTHA 0-1 PORTO
Clayton 70
Alves had Hertha's best chance, he picked up the ball on the half way line, beat
two players and fired wide. Clayton went one better mid way through the second
half, he picked up the ball on the left wing, cut inside, beat five players and toe
poked the ball past Kiraly. Fabulous goal, wretched match.
Hertha played some of the most uninspiring football in this competition. Good
riddance to bad rubbish.
Attendance : 30,506
SPARTA PRAGUE 1-2 BARCELONA
Svodoba 18 Gabri 52, 89
Svoboda gave Sparta the lead with a brilliantly placed shot inside the post.
Ronald de Boer picked out Dani on the edge of the box with a terrific pass,
as Dani was fouled the ball fell to Gabri, he touched the ball on with his right
foot and fired it past Postulka with his left, brilliant finish. Sparta Prague were
awarded a penalty when Lokvenc threw himself over Hesp but Happel's awful
penalty was easily saved. Gabri then scored his second of the night with crisp
strike inside the post, Ronald de Boer once again supplying the pass.
Gabri looked outstanding for Spain in various youth competitions and has shown
he is capable of performing on the big stage. Let's hope he isn't confined to the
bench.
Attendance : 20,224
15 MARCH 2000
BARCELONA 3-1 HERTHA BERLIN
Xavi 11 Alves 7
Gabri 49
Kluivert 83
Alves woke up the home crowd with a header from Covic's cross. Xavi equalised
with a deflected shot. Gabri stole a ball in his own half, got a lucky bounce
from a tackle, ran from the half way line and shot past Kiraly. Another lucky
bounce from Litmanen's shot left Kluivert with an easy chance.
Attendance : 48,000
PORTO 2-2 SPARTA PRAGUE
Costa 16 Lokvenc 74
Capucho 64 Fukal 90
The ball fell nicely to Costa from a free kick and he hooked the ball past
the 'keeper. Jardel missed an open goal early in the second half. Capucho
ran onto a loose ball in his own half, received a delicious return pass
from Deco, rounded Postulka and tapped into an empty net. Sparta Prague
broke from a corner, Rosicky released Lokvenc with a beautiful pass with
the outside of his foot and he ran 40yds before slotting under Baia's
legs. Jardel missed another open goal, old man Rui Barros (yes he's still
playing) wasted another great chance. Lokvenc almost snapped the post in
half with a fantastic volley. #99 Baia brilliantly saved Obajdin's
volley but weakly punched out the corner, Hornak crossed to the far
post and Fukal headed in.
Porto need a point from the last game to be sure of qualification. Sparta
need to beat Barca and hope Hertha beat Porto.
Attendance : 27,400
7 MARCH 2000
SPARTA PRAGUE 1-0 HERTHA BERLIN
Fukal 90
Bolf should have been sent off murderous foul on Veit. Daei's cross was deflected
to the far post and Blasek made a fabulous save as Veit steamed in. Out of
nowhere Fukal smashed a stunning first time shot past in off the post, Fiedler had
no chance. Preetz? headed across the face of the goal, Sanneh just failed to
connect at the far post.
Attendance : 9,101
PORTO 0-2 BARCELONA
Abelardo 38
Rivaldo 59
Kluivert missed an open goal with a header from Kluivert's cross, Kluivert heads
the ball like a girl. Figo shot straight at Hilaro following a great move and then
pathetically went down in the box after Peixe flicked his ear. Abelardo gave Barca
a deserved lead from Figo's corner. Jardel headed on a deep cross, Ruben's Junior,
with his back to goal, pulled down the ball and fired a shot at goal but Hesp tipped
over the bar.
Rivaldo passed it in a free kick, it was hit that slow. Hesp made an excellent save
from a fierce shot by Domingos, easily Porto's best chance of the match.
Attendance : 45,000
1 MARCH 2000
BARCELONA 4-2 PORTO
Rivaldo 16, 89 Jardel 5, 79
Frank De Boer 23
Kluivert 45
Jardel helped on a ball in midfield to Secretario and continued his run into the
box, Secretario played the ball wide to Esquerdinha and Jardel met his fabulous
cross with an awesome diving header, 1-0. Rivaldo equalised with a free kick,
maybe Baia could have saved it but Hilario had no chance. Frank de Boer
powered in a header from Figo's corner. Hesp made a phenomenal save from
Esquerdinha's wickedly dipping free kick. Domingos ran onto a brilliant ball from
Jardel, sent Gaurdiola on his arse and chipped horribly over from close range.
Frank De Boer picked out Kluivert with a huge pass over the top and he held
off Jorge Costa to bundle in Barca's third.
Figo's cross bounced off the inside of a post. Porto had claims for a penalty
turned down when Hesp collided with Jardel. Jardel back heeled for Esquerdinha,
broke into the box and once again headed in from Esquerdinha's perfect cross.
Domingos wasted another guilt edged chance, heading wide from a Drulovic
free kick. Rivaldo raced onto a Cocu through ball, humiliated Aloisio with an
quick change of feet, dumped Hilario on his arse with a fantastic dummy and
tapped into an empty net.
Kluivert came in for some fearful abuse from the Porto defenders who really
have had a man sent off, Aloisio in particular guilty of some criminal fouls.
Attendance : 68,000
8 DECEMBER 1999
BARCELONA 5-0 SPARTA PRAGUE
Kluivert 44, 63
Luis Enrique 45, 76
Guardiola 60
Hasek picked up yellow cards for fouls from behind on Cocu. Kluivert held off
a challenge from Bolf to blast Barcelona into the lead. Rosicky was booked
for diving in the box. A fantastic finish from Luis Enrique on the stroke of
half time, with his back to goal he spun and rolled the ball around to face
goal and poked his shot past Postulka. Hard to describe but a great goal.
Guardiola curled in a free kick awarded for a foul on Rivaldo. Kluivert
grabbed his second with a crisp finish from Frank de Boer's pass and
Luis Enrique was left with a gift thanks to fantastic juggling by Reiziger
(no, really) he lifted the ball over his held and then shamed the defender
with a header to the side and crossed into the box.
Red Card : Hasek 38 (Sparta Prague)
Attendance : 65,000
PORTO 1-0 HERTHA BERLIN
Drulovic 79
Duda flicked on a clearance from a corner to Drulovic who ran the length
of the pitch, avoided Thom's tackle and placed the ball into the bottom
corner of the net.
Red Card : Santos 90 (Porto)
Attendance : 30,000
23 NOVEMBER 1999
HERTHA BERLIN 1-1 BARCELONA
Michalke 33 Luis Enrique 14
To say the fog was thick is an understatement. This match was simply
un-watchable. Luis Enrique headed in from a corner. Michalke equalised with
a superb first time strike from Daei's pass. Hesp made two outstanding saves
from headers.
Attendance : 65,000
SPARTA PRAGUE 0-2 PORTO
Drulovic 77
Jardel 84
Sionko's cross clipped off Baranek's heels and Rosicky, typically after I had been
building him up all week, shot miserably wide with the goal begging. From a
thrown in Capucho's shot took a minor deflection off Garbriel's hands, off the
inside of the post and safely to the 'keeper. Another terrible miss from the home
side minutes later with Sionko blazed over the bar after the ball took a deflection
off Baranek. Yet another horrid miss, Deco from a beautifully weighted pass from
Jardel. They combined again, Deco ran from the half way line and made his way
to goal, waited for the 'keeper to come out and …… shot high and wide.
Deco finally got a shot on target but Postulka put it behind for a corner. Gabriel
made a fantastic goal saving tackle as Rubens Junior was about to pull the
trigger. Drulovic came on for Rubens Junior and turned the game in Porto's
favour but not before Hornak smashed a shot into the side netting. Drulovic
tapped in from close range after the Sparta defence failed to cut out a cross
and it was the same story for the second goal as Gabriel decided to back heel
a pass leaving Jardel with a tap-in. BTW, Baia's shirt number is 99, what's up
with that?
Attendance : 14,625
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