2003–04 UEFA Champions League explained

Tourney Name:UEFA Champions League
Year:2003–04
Size:275px
Dates:Qualifying:
16 July – 27 August 2003
Competition proper:
16 September 2003 – 26 May 2004
Num Teams:Competition proper: 32
Total: 72
Champion Other: Porto
Count:2
Second Other: Monaco
Matches:125
Goals:309
Attendance:4540677
Top Scorer:Fernando Morientes (Monaco)
9 goals
Prevseason:2002–03
Nextseason:2004–05

The 2003–04 UEFA Champions League was the 12th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding from the European Cup in 1992, and the 49th tournament overall. This was the first UEFA Champions League edition to feature a new format with a 16-team knockout round instead of a second group stage.[1]

The competition was won by Portugal's Porto, who defeated Monaco of France 3–0 at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. This was Portugal's first win since 1987, and Porto's second European trophy in two years, following their UEFA Cup success from the previous season. This was the second consecutive victory in a European cup for Porto coach José Mourinho, who beat Monaco coached by Didier Deschamps, a two-time winner of the competition as a player. As winners of the competition, Porto went on to represent UEFA in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup.

Milan were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Deportivo de La Coruña in the quarter-finals.

Qualification

A total of 72 teams from 48 UEFA member associations participated in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. Liechtenstein (who does not have their own domestic league) as well as Andorra and San Marino did not participate. Also not admitted was Azerbaijan, which was suspended by UEFA. Each association enters a certain number of clubs to the Champions League based on its league coefficient; associations with a higher league coefficient may enter more clubs than associations with a lower league coefficient, but no association may enter more than four teams.

Association ranking

For the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, the associations are allocated places according to their 2002 UEFA country coefficients, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 1997–98 to 2001–02.[2]

RankAssociationCoeff.Teams
168.467align=center rowspan=34
258.668
355.459
452.990align=center rowspan=33
542.352
636.116
734.165align=center rowspan=92
828.725
928.249
1027.291
1126.625
1226.125
1325.958
1425.525
1523.250
1622.625align=center rowspan=31
1721.475
1821.332
RankAssociationCoeff.Teams
1921.041align=center rowspan=171
2017.500
2117.375
2217.241
2316.331
2415.665
2515.165
2613.916
2713.749
2811.832
299.332
308.041
317.165
326.999
335.165
344.832
354.083
RankAssociationCoeff.Teams
363.831align=center rowspan=111
373.331
382.997
392.498
401.832
411.665
421.333
431.332
441.331
451.165
461.165
471.165align=center rowspan=20
481.000
490.832align=center rowspan=11
500.000align=center rowspan=20
510.000
520.000align=center rowspan=11

Distribution

Since the title holders (Milan) also qualified for the Champions League Third qualifying round through their domestic league, one Third qualifying round spot was vacated. Due to this, as well as due to suspension of Azerbaijan, the following changes to the default access list are made:

Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous round
First qualifying round
(20 teams)
  • 20 champions from associations 29–52
    (except Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino)
Second qualifying round
(28 teams)
  • 12 champions from associations 17–28
  • 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
  • 10 winners from the first qualifying round
Third qualifying round
(32 teams)
  • 7 champions from associations 10–16
  • 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
  • 5 third-place finishers from associations 1–6 (except Italy)
  • 3 fourth-place finishers from associations 1–3
  • 14 winners from the second qualifying round
Group stage
(32 teams)
  • 1 current Champions League title holder (Milan)
  • 9 champions from associations 1–9
  • 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
  • 16 winners from the third qualifying round
Knockout phase
(16 teams)
  • 8 group winners from the group stage
  • 8 group runners-up from the group stage

Teams

League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Champions League title holders).

Notes

Round and draw dates

The schedule of the competition is as follows (all draws are held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).[3]

PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond leg
QualifyingFirst qualifying round20 June 200316 July 200323 July 2003
Second qualifying round30 July 20036 August 2003
Third qualifying round25 July 200312–13 August 200326–27 August 2003
Group stageMatchday 128 August 2003
(Monaco)		16–17 September 2003
Matchday 230 September – 1 October 2003
Matchday 321–22 October 2003
Matchday 44–5 November 2003
Matchday 525–26 November 2003
Matchday 69–10 December 2003
Knockout phaseRound of 1612 December 200324–25 February 20049–10 March 2004
Quarter-finals12 March 200423–24 March 20046–7 April 2004
Semi-finals20–21 April 20044–5 May 2004
Final26 May 2004 at Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen

Qualifying rounds

See main article: 2003–04 UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.

Third qualifying round

Group stage

See main article: 2003–04 UEFA Champions League group stage.

Title holders, 16 winners from the third qualifying round, 9 champions from countries ranked 1–10, and six second-placed teams from countries ranked 1–6 were drawn into eight groups of four teams each. The top two teams in each group advanced to the Champions League play-offs, while the third-placed teams advanced to the Third Round of the UEFA Cup.

Tiebreakers, if necessary, were applied in the following order:

  1. Points earned in head-to-head matches between the tied teams.
  2. Total goals scored in head-to-head matches between the tied teams.
  3. Away goals scored in head-to-head matches between the tied teams.
  4. Cumulative goal difference in all group matches.
  5. Total goals scored in all group matches.
  6. Higher UEFA coefficient going into the competition.

Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, VfB Stuttgart and Partizan made their debut appearance in the group stage. This season became the first in the history of the Champions League in which three Greek clubs played in the group stage

Group H

Knockout phase

See main article: 2003–04 UEFA Champions League knockout stage.

Final

Statistics

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds.

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played
1 Fernando Morientes Monaco91026
2 Dado Pršo Monaco7512
3 Roy Makaay Bayern Munich6720
Walter Pandiani Deportivo La Coruña6773
5 Didier Drogba Marseille5515
Hakan Şükür Galatasaray5539
Juninho Lyon5799
Thierry Henry Arsenal5888
9 David Trezeguet Juventus4359
Wesley Sonck Ajax4401
Ruud van Nistelrooy Manchester United4596
Albert Luque Deportivo La Coruña4640
Benni McCarthy Porto4643
Ronaldo Real Madrid4729
Andriy Shevchenko Milan4765
Kaká Milan4780
Ludovic Giuly Monaco4783
Robert Pires Arsenal4852
Frank Lampard Chelsea41035

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UEFA.com . 2002-07-11 . New format for Champions League UEFA Champions League . 2023-10-26 . UEFA.com . en.
  2. Web site: UEFA Country Ranking 2002. Bert Kassies.
  3. Web site: UEFA European Football Calendar 2003/2004 . Bert Kassies.

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