Galatasaray is the team that brought the first UEFA Cup to Turkey

The 2000 UEFA Cup final was the match played on 17 May 2000 at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, to determine the champion of the 1999-2000 season of the UEFA Cup. Galatasaray won the match between the Turkish club Galatasaray and the English club Arsenal, which ended 0-0 in normal time, 4-1 as a result of penalty kicks, and took the cup to its museum. With this championship, a Turkish football club succeeded in winning the European cup for the first time. The match was watched by 38,919 ticketed spectators.

Arsenal, which played in the UEFA Cup final in 1970, took the cup to its museum for the first time. Arsenal won the cup, then known as the Inter-Cities Fair Cup, by eliminating Belgium's RSC Anderlecht. Arsenal, who lost 3-1 in Belgium in their first match, won 3-0 in England in their second match and took the cup to their museum. In 1994, they could not win the UEFA Super Cup match, drawing 0-0 with Milan in the first match and losing 2-0 in the rematch. It came to this final as third in Group B in the 1999-2000 UEFA Champions League season.

Galatasaray, which managed to take a Turkish team to the finals for the first time in its history, came third in Group H in the 1999-2000 UEFA Champions League season. After continuing its way in the UEFA Cup, it reached the final by eliminating Bologna, Borussia Dortmund, Mallorca and Leeds United respectively. Especially in the first match against Leeds United, Galatasaray fans w

ere not allowed into the away game as a result of the death of 2 English fans. Galatasaray, who beat Leeds United 2-0 in the first match at Ali Sami Yen stadium, and drew 2-2 in the rematch, advanced to the final.

Road to the final
Galatasaray
Galatasaray entered the UEFA Cup in the third round, where it qualified for the Champions League group H by placing third. In this round, Galatasaray faced Italy's strong team Bologna in the first match on November 23, 1999, and fell behind 1-0 with the goal of Giuseppe Signori in the 68th minute. However, in the 83rd minute, Hakan Şükür headed Ümit Davala's cross and made it 1-1, giving Galatasaray an advantage for the second match to be played in Istanbul.[1] Gaining an advantage for the second match on December 9, 1999, Galatasaray started the match quickly with the support of its fans. In the 4th minute, Hasan Şaş gave the ball a 1-0 lead by sending the ball past goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca. Four minutes later, Nicola Ventola tied the score 1-1. In the 29th minute, Ümit Davala evaluated Emre Belözoğlu's left-footed cross into the penalty area from 30 meters and put Galatasaray ah

ead
 once again. Bologna, who played more aggressively in the remaining minute, could not find the goal, the match ended with Galatasaray leading 2-1 and Galatasaray was the team that advanced to the next round.[2]

In the 4th round, Galatasaray's opponent was Germany's Borussia Dortmund team. Galatasaray, which played its first match at Westfalenstadion on March 2, 2000, benefited greatly from the support of expatriate fans. Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saved many of Galatasaray's attacks in the first half hour. In the 32nd minute, Hakan Şükür, who made good use of Arif Erdem's pass, caught Lehmann and put Galatasaray ahead 1-0. One minute before the end of the first half, Suat Kaya passed the ball to Gheorghe Hagi. Hagi surprised the Dortmund defense and sent the ball into the net with a beautiful shot, putting Galatasaray ahead 2-0. The 90 minutes of the match ended with a score of 2-0 in favor of Galatasaray, giving them an advantage for the quarter-finals.[3] The rematch, played at the Ali Sami Yen stadium on March 9, 2000, had plenty of positions. When the sides could not gain an advantage over each other after 90 minutes, Galatasaray became the team that went to the quarter-finals.[4]
Galatasaray's opponent in the quarter-finals was determined to be Mallorca, one of Spain's most formidable teams at the time. The first match on March 16, 2000 was played in Spain's famous coastal city of Mallorca. Mal

lorca, which was shown to be more advantageous for the first match, was very disappointed at home. Taking the lead 1-0 with Arif Erdem's throw goal in the 44th minute, Galatasaray started to attack again in the second half. The Yellow-Reds scored 2-0 with Emre Belözoğlu's lob goal in the 48th minute, and scored again with Hakan Şükür's lob goal in the 58th minute. This goal also made Hakan Şükür the top scorer among the Turks who scored the most goals in Europe. In the 65th minute, Okan Buruk dribbled past Mallorca goalkeeper Leo Franco and made the score 4-0. After this goal, Mallorca fans started to evacuate the stadium and started to cause chaos. In the 79th minute, RCD Mallorca scored with Cameroonian playe
r Lauren Etame Mayer and made the score 4-1. As there was no other goal in the remaining time, Galatasaray gained a huge advantage for the second match with a score of 4-1.[5] In the rematch played on March 23, 2000, Ali Sami Yen stands were packed. In the 34th minute, Galatasaray took the lead 1-0 with the goal scored by Capone from behind the defense. In the 46th minute, Hakan Şükür missed the RCD Mallorca defenders and sent the ball into the net through the six-pass line, making the score 2-0. In the 63rd minute, when the Galatasaray defense could not block Alvarez's cross from the right side, Juan Carlos Valerón sent the ball into the net with a place kick with his right foot. As there was no other goal in the remaining time, Galatasaray advanced to the semi-finals with a total score of 6-2.



Galatasaray's opponent in the semi-finals was Leeds United, one of the strongest English teams at the time. The first match was played on 6 April 2000 at Ali Sami Yen stadium. Galatasaray players and fans, who prepared very well for this match in which the stands were completely filled, gave everyone a wonderful evening. The yellow-reds started the match very quickly and took the lead in the 13th minute with Hakan Şükür, who headed in Arif Erdem's cross and made the score 1-0. Leeds United, who were demoralized after this goal, continued their attacks. However, Cláudio Taffarel's high performance in the goal did not allow a goal. In the chaos that occurred in the penalty area in the 44th minute, Capone took the ball from the defense and hit it hard from the ground. The ball hit goalkeeper Martyn and reached the net, making it 2-0 for Galatasaray. The first half ended with this score. In the second half, when Leeds United and Galatasaray's attacks did not yield any results, the match ended with Galatasaray leading 2-0. Gaining a huge advantage for the final match, Galatasaray went to Leeds in high spirits. However, two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death in an incident that broke out before the UEFA Cup semi-final match in Istanbul. UEFA, considering the possibility of a counter-attack in the rematch; It was decided that no Galatasaray fans would be allowed into the match in Leeds.[7] During the rematch played at Elland Road stadium on 20 April 2000, a moment of silence was observed for the 2 fans who were stabbed to death in the previous match. All football players played the match wearing black bands on their arms. Galatasaray started the match very quickly, as in the previous matches, and won a penalty in the 5th minute when Hakan Şükür was knocked down in the penalty area. Taking charge of the ball, Gheorghe Hagi beat goalkeeper Martyn and put Galatasaray ahead 1-0.







Leeds United took a corner kick in the 16th minute and brought the score to 1-1 with a header from Norwegian striker Eirik Bakke. In the 42nd minute, Hakan Şükür made the score 2-1 with a magnificent goal he scored by getting away from 5 players. First half finished with this score. Leeds United, which was more aggre

ssive in the second half, made the score 2-2 with Eirik Bakke's header from a corner kick in the 67th minute. In the remaining periods, Emre Belözoğlu and Harry Kewell received consecutive red cards and were expelled from the game. With referee Lubos Michel's final whistle, Galatasaray advanced to the final with a score of 4-2 on aggregate.[8]

“ In November 1999, bettors in Europe calculated the odds of Galatasaray winning the UEFA 2000 cup as 250 to 1. Before the Leeds United match, the odds in Europe had dropped to 16 to 1. But here, for some, there was still only one possibility... „



ARSENAL


Arsenal, like Galatasaray, entered the UEFA Cup in the third round, where they qualified for third place in the Champions League B group. Playing against the French team Nantes in this tour, Arsenal won its first match in England on 25 November 1999, 3-0 with Marc Overmars' penalty goal in the 13th minute, Nigel Winterburn in the 81st minute and Dennis Bergkamp's goals in the 90th minute. and went to France with an advantage for the second match.[9] In the rematch played in Nantes, France on December 9, 1999, Nantes took the lead with Antoine Sibierski's goal in the 13th minute, but could not prevent Gilles Grimandi's goal in the 24th minute and Arsenal brought the score to 1-1. Arsenal scored the second goal with French striker Thierry Henry in the 31st minute, and made it 3-1 with Marc Overmars in the 42nd minute, and the first half ended with this score. Playing a more effective game in the second half, Nantes scored again with Antoine Sibierski in the 58th minute and made the score 3-2. Marama Vahirua's goal, which made it 3-3 in the 79th minute, was not enough for Nantes. As a result of the match, the side that advanced was Arsenal.[10]




In the 4th round, Arsenal's opponent was Spain's strong team, RC Deportivo de La Coruña. The first match was played at Arsenal Stadium in England on 2 March 2000. Arsenal started the match very quickly and scored with Lee Michael Dixon in the 5th minute. Arsenal made the score 2-0 with Thierry Henry in the 29th minute and entered the halftime with this advantage. Deportivo scored from the penalty kick with Djalminha in the 54th minute and made the score 2-1. Thierry Henry appeared on the stage once again in the 67th minute, Nigerian star Nwankwo Kanu scored in the 78th minute, and Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp scored in the 82nd minute, and the match ended 5-1 with Arsenal leading.[11] In the rematch in Spain on March 9, 2000, Arsenal scored a goal with Thierry Henry in the 62nd minute and made the score 1-0. In the 68th minute, Viktor Onopko brought the score to a 1-1 draw. Although Deportivo scored the goal with Iván Pérez in the 90th minute and won the match 2

-1, Arsenal achieved a 6-3 score advantage over its opponent in total scores and made its name into the quarter-finals.[12]

Arsenal's opponent in the quarter-finals was Germany's Werder Bremen. The two rivals, who played their first match in England on March 16, 2000, did not play anything more than perfect. Arsenal scored a goal from Thierry Henry in the 20th minute, and Swedish striker Fredrik Ljungberg made it 2-0 in the 76th minute, and the match ended with this score.[13] Arsenal had a better advantage than its opponent in the match played in Bremen, Germany on March 23, 2000, and scored early goals. Arsenal, who scored 2 goals from English striker Ray Parlour in the 8th and 25th minutes, could not prevent Werder Bremen striker Marco Bode's goal in the 41st minute. The first half ended with a score of 1-2, with Arsenal leading. In the second half, goals started coming back and forth. Arsenal made it 3-1 with Thierry Henry in the 59th minute. One minute later, Werder Bremen gained a little hope by making the score 3-2 with Rade Bogdanovic. Ray Parlour, who came on stage again in the 70th minute, scored his 3rd goal of the match and completed a hat trick. As there were no more goals in the remaining time, Arsenal advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-4 victory and a 6-2 aggregate score.[14]
Arsenal's opponent in the semi-finals was RC Lens, one of France's in-form teams. Arsenal, who played their first match in England on April 6, 2000, won the match 1-0 with a goal scored by Dennis Bergkamp in the 2nd minute and increased their hopes for the tour. Thus, all the first matches in the UEFA Cup were played at home.[15] In the rematch played on April 20, 2000, Arsenal scored with Thierry Henry in the 42nd minute, 3 minutes before the end of the first half, and made the score 1-1 with the goal scored by former Beşiktaş player Pascal Nouma in the 72nd minute. Nwankwo Kanu, who had the last word in the 87th minute, took Arsenal to the final.[16]







Problems before the match


Before this match, events broke out in Copenhagen's Tivoli square. After the incidents that broke out between Turkish and English fans the night before the final match, Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Square turned into a battlefield again, hours before the match. The events escalated when drunk English fans attacked Galatasaray fans. The Copenhagen police, who were completely ineffective despite the events of the previous night, came to the scene after the hooligans attacked the Turks and the events escalated. Police dispersed the crowd by firing tear gas while England fans attacked Turkish television crews




match ball



For this match, Adidas' Tricolore ball was preferred. This ball was also the ball model used in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.




Summary of the match


Until the final match, Galatasaray and Arsenal teams had two top scorers in the UEFA Cup 1999-2000 season. These titles were held by Hakan Şükür with 6 goals in Galatasaray and Thierry Henry with 7 goals in Arsenal.

For this match, Galatasaray chose the white jersey that it frequently uses in home matches. Arsenal, on the other hand, played the match wearing the yellow jersey they mostly use in away matches



First half






The first dangerous attack came from Galatasaray in the 3rd minute. In the attack from the left, Gheorghe Hagi centered the ball into the penalty area. Arif Erdem hit the ball returning from the Arsenal defense. The ball hit opponent player Tony Adams and went out for a corner. Galatasaray won a free kick on the right diagonally, and Hagi passed the ball to Arif Erdem, who was on his left. Arif's shot hit the Arsenal defense and went out for a corner. Arif received the ball on the right wing and sent it to Hakan Şükür on the penalty spot. Hakan, who was standing with his back to the goal, attempted a kick and the ball went over the top. In the attack from the right, Hakan Şükür, who was in front of the Arsenal penalty area, passed the ball to Ümit Davala. Ümit passed the ball to Arif on his left. Arif, who was left in an empty position while the Arsenal defense was expecting offside, made an incredible shot and sent the ball out. After this missed position, the first half ended in a goalless draw.






Second half






Hakan Şükür, who entered the penalty area after Okan Buruk's through pass, hit the goal hard as soon as he saw it, the ball returned to the side post. Capone, who received the ball last in the Galatasaray attack, headed towards the goal, and with his hard shot from long distance, the ball went out to the corner with the intervention of Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman. In the most important position of the match, Hakan Şükür received the ball given by Ümit Davala from the right. He passed Tony Adams, who was following him in the penalty area, but at that moment he slipped and could not make the shot, and goalkeeper Seaman took possession of the ball. Hakan Şükür took the free kick won by Galatasaray, diagonally to the right of the Arsenal penalty area, and the ball ended up in the side net. After the regular time ended goalless, extra time started. In the Arsenal attack, Thierry Henry went down to zero from the left wing, and Nwankwo Kanu could not hit the ball when he crossed the ball towards the goal area.



extension circuits



In the extra time, where the golden goal rule was applied and a great conflict took place, Tony Adams, whose fight turned into a fist fight in the 93rd minute, was punished with a yellow card and Gheorghe Hagi was punished with a red card. The first half ended in a 0-0 draw. In the danger in the Galatasaray goal, Ray Parlour crossed from the right wing, Thierry Henry rose from the corner of the goal area and headed the ball, Galatasaray goalkeeper Cláudio Taffarel did not allow the goal with a perfect save. Hakan Ünsal from the left went down to zero and centered it in front of the goal. As no one could touch the ball, Galatasaray missed an absolute chance to score. After the overtime of the match ended goalless, the penalty shootout started.



Penalties





Ergün Penbe, who took the first penalty on behalf of Galatasaray, sent the ball into the net. Then, in the penalty taken by Arsenal's Croatian star Davor Suker, the ball returned to the side post. National football player Hakan Şükür converted the second shot for Galatasaray into a goal. Arsenal made it 2-1 with English football player Ray Parlour. Ümit Davala put Galatasaray ahead 3-1 with his penalty kick. Arsenal's Patrick Vieira's penalty shot hit the crossbar. Romanian Gheorghe Popescu, who took the penalty kick for Galatasaray for the last time, sent the ball into the net right past goalkeeper David Seaman and scored the goal that won Galatasaray the cup. Thus, Galatasaray became the champion of the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup season with a score of 4-1.








trophy ceremony



The Arsenal team, consoled by the second place, came to the platform to receive their medals. Arsenal players congratulated Galatasaray players. The last person to arrive on the platform, captain Bülent Korkmaz, took the cup from the then UEFA president Lennart Johansson. Galatasaray football players started to celebrate the victory together with Bülent Korkmaz, who lifted the cup by kissing it with Hakan Şükür.