FCBARCELONA.CAT

02.04.2008 13:15

High hopes for return

Jesús Carrillo

When Barça have won a European match 1-0 in the first leg playing away, they have almost always ended up qualifying for the semi finals.

The most recent case of that happening in the Champions League was in the 2005/06 season. FC Barcelona won at the San Siro against AC Milan, thanks to a Ludovic Giuly goal. The return at the Camp Nou ended scoreless, which meant Frank Rijkaard and his side were on their way to Paris. That was the only time this scoreline has arisen in Europe’s premier club competition.

Cup Winners Cup

In the now defunct Cup Winners Cup, FC Barcelona have been in this situation three times, and have always qualified. In 1969, Barça won away to Swiss side Lugano and added a 3-0 win at home in the round of sixteen. In 1980, Barça won 0-1 at Akranes in Iceland in the same round, and cruised home in the second leg by a resounding 5-0. In 1989, Barça started the quarter finals away to Aarhus of Denmark, and after a 1-0 win away they qualified thanks to a goalless draw at the Camp Nou.

Fairs and UEFA Cups

The first time this result occurred in the other major European competition was in the 70/71 season. In the round of 32, Barça beat Czech outfit Katowice 0-1, before winning the return leg at home 3-2. More recently, Barça won 1-0 away to AEK Athens and Danish club Brondby in 2001 and 2004 respectively, and sorted out both ties with a 5-0 win over the Greeks and a 2-1 victory against the Danes.