European Cup hots up as semi-finalists are settled
European Cup hots up as semi-finalists are settled
PARIS (AFP): Euro giants Barcelona and AC Milan were joined by one-time champions FC Porto and Monaco in the European Cup semi- finals on Wednesday as the continent's glamour event turned into the home straight.
Milan's goalless draw with Anderlecht and Porto's 5-0 crushing win at Werder Bremen ensured they both qualified from group B.
Rui Filipe, Bulgarian Emil Kostadinov, Secretario, Domingos and Romanian Ion Timofte's penalty secured the match for Porto coach Bobby Robson. It has been a remarkable change of fortune for the former England coach, who was sacked by Sporting Lisbon earlier in the season.
In group A, Galatasaray were overawed by 80,000 spectators at the Nou Camp to fall 3-0 to Barcelona. Guillermo Amor, Dutchman Ronald Koeman's penalty and Sacristan Eusebio settled the match for the 1992 champions.
Monaco, who only needed to lose by less than three goals to qualify, played out a goalless draw at Spartak Moscow. Monaco only joined the event at the last minute when Marseille were banned from defending the title because of match-rigging allegations.
However Monaco host Barcelona, and FC Porto entertain AC Milan in the last round of matches on April 13 for the group winners' right of a home tie on the April 27 semi-finals.
Barcelona coach Johann Cruyff said his side, who beat Monaco 2-0 in Barcelona, would go to the principality looking for a win to ensure a home fixture.
"It is very important for us to play that match at home. The supporters here are like a 12th man for us," Cruyff said.
On previous records, it should be Barcelona and Milan who contest the May 18 final in Athens as both go for their seventh European title. Barcelona has won one European Cup, two Fairs Cups, as the UEFA Cup was known before 1972, and three Cup Winners' Cups. Milan have won four European Cups and two Cup Winners' Cups.
Porto
Porto has just one win to its credit - the 1987 European Cup final under current Paris Saint Germain coach Artur Jorge. Monaco is the only club to have so far drawn a complete blank.
But it was Porto who hogged the limelight against forlorn German champions Bremen, who also languish in 12th place in their domestic championship.
Filipe only joined the match in the 10th minute as a replacement for injured Paulinho. Within a minute, he had opened the score with a 30-metre shot, deflected by the calf of a Bremen defender.
Bulgarian Emil Kostadinov, whose goal in the final seconds against France knocked them out of the World Cup, then scored a decisive second goal 11 minutes before the break.
And Bremen was simply not able to repeat its incredible comeback at home to Belgians Anderlecht. Bremen, led by an inspired Wynton Rufer, had come back from 3-0 down at half-time to win 5-3.
Secretario scored the third in the 70th minute, and Domingos struck home four minutes later, having come on moments earlier.
To add insult to injury, Andreas Herzog received his marching orders after blocking a shot on the line in the last minute. Timoft made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Barcelona began its 3-0 rout of Galatasaray with a 22nd minute opener through midfielder Guillermo Amor. A penalty from Dutch sweeper Ronald Koeman in the 70th minute and a strike by substitute Eusebio six minutes later sealed the Catalan club's convincing win.
Galatasaray, which eliminated Manchester United in the second round and held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in Istanbul, was no match for Johan Cruyff's side in front of their own supporters.
Amor put the Catalans ahead off a neat reverse pass from Aitor Berguistain that wrongfooted the Turkish back four. Amor finished with a low shot into the corner from 12 yards.
Milan
AC Milan failed to grab the fitting overwhelming victory which would have been the perfect celebration for club president Silvio Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia party won the Italian general election.
Under the eye of Berlusconi, AC Milan failed to impose themselves as group winners by winning the fixture.
Deprived of injured midfielders Zvonimir Boban of Croatia and Montenegrin Dejan Savicevic, Milan failed to provide sufficient service for Florin Raducioiu and Daniele Massaro up front.
In the Spartak Moscow/Monaco game, the best chance of the match fell to German international Jurgen Klinsmann, who was put clean through five minutes from half-time. He galloped round the keeper but his rising angled shot hit the crossbar.