UEFA Cup
Semi-Final, 2nd Leg: Thursday 20 April 2000
Leeds United 2 - 2 Galatasaray
(Half-time: 1 - 2)
Crowd: 38406
Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia)
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UEFA Cup Leeds United 2 - 2 Galatasaray(Half-time: 1 - 2) |
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| « Arsenal | Newcastle United » | |
| Match Facts | ||
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| Teams | Unused Subs | |
| Leeds United | Martyn, Mills, Radebe, Woodgate, Harte (Huckerby HT), Bowyer, Bakke, McPhail, Wilcox, Bridges, Kewell | Haaland, Hopkin, Smith, Jones, Duberry, Robinson |
| Galatasaray | Taffarel, Capone, Popescu, Bulent, Hagi, Okan (Hasan 87), K. Suat (Ahmet 81), Emre, Penbe, Erdem (Hakan 46), Sukur | Akyel, Davala, Inan, Marcio Santos |
| Scorers | Other Info | |
| Leeds United | Bakke 16, 68 | |
| Galatasaray | Hagi 5 pen, Sukur 42 | |
| Yellow Cards | Red Cards | |
| Leeds United | Woodgate, Harte, Wilcox | Kewell 42 |
| Galatasaray | Taffarel, K. Suat | Emre 43 |
| Match Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Leeds United | Galatasaray | |
| Corners won | ? | ? |
| Fouls committed | ? | ? |
| Hit woodwork | ? | ? |
| Offsides committed | ? | ? |
| Shirt numbers of goalscorers | 19, 19 | ? |
| Yellow cards | 3 | 2 |
| Red cards | 1 | 1 |
| Match Reports | |
|---|---|
| Fans' Reports | |
| Jabba | The Impossible Dream |
| Claire Warwick | We're proud of you |
| Alick Stott | Leeds Utd V Gala -- Match Report |
| Newspaper/Newswire/Net Reports | |
| The Guardian | Leeds exit with heads held high |
| The Electronic Telegraph | Leeds lose way on emotional night |
| The Times | Hagi closes darkest chapter for Leeds |
| Express Sport | A sorry end to a sorry episode |
| The Independent | Two sent off as Hagi confirms exit of Leeds |
| Yorkshire Evening Post | Euro rollercoaster finally hist the buffers |
| BBC | No Turkish delight for Leeds |
| Soccernet | Fixe minutes of chaos sinks Leeds |
| Carlingnet | Leeds United 2 - 2 Galatasaray |
Sang some of the koppites last night, and it was merited. I was proud of them last night, and just sorry that Huck managed to get in the way of the shot that would have won the game for us, they really did deserve it.
I have hope that this will have turned things around for us. I think they really were playing with fear until last night. It wasn't tiredness, or injury, but fear that has affected the last few games. They feared letting in a goal, and thus going out and they fear, in the league, not getting into Europe again. Well the first thing happened, and they stopped playing fearfully and remember how to play great football as we know they can.
For the record I really don't blame Woody for the penalty, Lucas was at fault for an awful clearance, which meant Woody and all the defence were set for an attack as the ball came out. There wasn't much they could do when it came back in. Early on they were all looking very rocky, but it was as if that goal liberated them somewhat. The second came from Kewell. If he'd shot at the other end, we might have had a goal, the worst that could have happened would have been a goal kick. As it was him mucking about lead to a break, and they took the shot very very well.
I think H knew he was at fault, and that may have lead to the 'exuberance' of the challenge,as he tried to make amends. But that was all it was, never a red card. I have to say I harboured thoughts of bribery as well, after the rest of their attitude, I would really not put it past Gala. Either that or UEFA f*cked up big style in not appointing a good senior ref, this one was either deliberately biased, or just shite. We have had some great refs in the competition, it seems such a coincidence that the only bad one should be against Gala....
All that apart I was impressed by the was we coped. Mills looked much better than I expected him to, I think he has really improved in the reserves. Kelly's not doing well at present. I would stick with Mills for a bit. I think Woody had his best match for a long time, although I agree with Sean, at the beginning of the game I would have picked Alfie as well. I know he could have done a great job. McPhail was fantastic, calm in the first half when almost everyone else began to panic, and pulling all the strings in the second half. Wilcox was immense- good corners, 2 goals, it's what we've missed all season, but to be honest I was proud of them all. They got back the determination and belief, they were determined not to lose, in the way they have not been of late. They became the team we saw mid -season again. Lets hope they keep it up and take that into the league matches.
It was an amazing night last night. We were all united. How terrible that it took such a tragedy to do it. The noise at times made a scum game seem quiet. I thought it was a lovely gesture that many of the players threw their shirts into the crowd rather than have to swop them. If anything good comes out of this then it must be that we as fans have really learnt how to get behind the team in adversity, not just when we are winning (a thing we have always been bad at). The air crash made us realise how much we really did care about the payers as people and that their lives were more important that any game. I think the Turkish deaths have made the players realise the same about the fans, and the emotion that caused was almost tangible last night. The whole ground sang the whole lot of Marching on together before the game, and it was deafening. The whole ground (yes, the West Stand as well) 'stood up if you hate Turkey', it might sound a petty and vindictive thing to do, if you weren't there. But I think it was the only way of expressing our anger and pain, and believe me, for those of us there it was unbelievably impressive.
Sadly it wasn't a Stuttgart result, but this will for me remain a comparable event, not least because I think that unlike Stuttgart it will be the beginning of greater things.
The game had the expected hostile atmosphere. Before the game there was some trouble with Plod - strangely the turnstiles to the Kop didn't open til 7:15pm which led to a lot of tension outside the ground as the crowds built up.
Sadly the minutes silence was not impeccably observed.
Line-Up 1st half
Martyn
Mills Woody Radebe Harte
Bowyer Bakke McFrail Wilcox
Bridges Kewell
2nd Half (10 men)
Martyn
Mills Woody Radebe
Bowyer Bakke McFrail Wilcox
Bridges Hucks
We started poorly and gave ourselves a near impossible task when Woody recklessly gave away a penalty, which Hagi converted, leaving us with 4 goals to score.
Martyn 6 No chance with the goals but kept putting then defence
in the shit with his short passes
Mills 7
Surprised us all. Looked shaky at times at the back but
advanced well
Harte 4 Struggled, booked early which seemed to affect his game
Rads 6 Tough game against a very lively Gala attack
Woody 5 Gave away a penalty and generally looked uncomfortable
Bowyer 6 Battled but looked weary
Bakke 7 Two good headed goals, worked hard and got involved
McFrail x
Kewell 5 Had a quiet start and was very very unlucky to have been
sent off
Bridges 5 Needs a long, long holiday. Struggled to hold the ball
up.
Wilcox 7.5 Great 2nd half, we need a few more experienced players
like this
Subs
Hucks 3 4.5million quid down the drain.
Not used O'Leary is not a great fan of subs so it is not worth
mentioning them
Very good on the break, vulnerable at the back - especially at corners
Hagi has an influence over the team like Strachan used to for Leeds. A true genius.
The towering Sukur deservedly scored a fantastic goal after Hagi tricked Radebe.
Seemed to book any Leeds players for slightly mis-timed challenges, ignored all equivalent Galatasaray tackles.
Kewell should not even have been booked, let alone be sent off. The Gala man ordered off should have got a yellow.
Beaten by a more experienced and tactically sound team. We can only learn from this experience.
Mills should now be given a chance for the rest of the season. We actually played better with 3 at the back with Mills as one of them. He still found time and space to come forward. He's more physical than Kelly and looks to have a bit more of an idea when coming forward.
Harte again struggled. We know he can do better but Martyn did him no favours by needlessly putting pressure on him with silly short passes on a skiddy surface.
The midfield could certainly have done with either Hopkin of Haaland in there to kick some Turkish ass. McPhail did some nice stuff but again he only seems to play half the game. Bakke has had a superb first season at this level. Bowyer's form has dipped due to any one of a million reasons.
The big problem is up front. Neither Kewell nor Bridges can hold the ball up. Too many attacks breakdown as soon as its played into feet. If we do get out wide and cross it then we have nobody, like Chapman, who is willing to bust a gut to get on the end of it. We do at times play some lovely football around the box but the percentage of chances created from this type of football is simply not high enough.
Oh how we could do with a player like Sukur. Strong, tall, mobile and scores bags full of goals.
With a bit more concentration early on and with a bit more luck (their keeper made several fine saves) then I believe we could have progressed.
The turning point of the game, however, was not at Elland Road, but when Michael Bridges missed the chance to get us an away goal in Turkey 2 weeks ago.
We can now concentrate on the league and try and get some tangible reward from a thrilling season. For now our European hopes lie elsewhere....
Come on Arsenal !
Come on Real Madrid !
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Ultimately it was a night everyone associated with Leeds United will want to forget as quickly as possible. Their season disintegrating before their own eyes, the Yorkshire club added their name to the Premiership's list of European casualties after being weighed down by tired legs and heavy hearts amid a backdrop of overwhelming emotion.
Given the circumstances, Leeds emerged with a bucket load of credit, acquitting themselves manfully from start to finish. But their aspirations of a first European final in 25 years dissipated from the moment Gheorghe Hagi nonchalantly slotted a penalty past Nigel Martyn in the fifth minute.
After Eirik Bakke had equalised the Turks restored their lead courtesy of Hakan Sukur to leave David O'Leary's courageous team with the soul-destorying mission of needing five goals and the tie effectively over. Bakke responded midway through the second half with a carbon copy of his first-half goal but by then it was too little too late.
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