2002–03 UEFA Cup facts for kids
The 2002–03 UEFA Cup was an exciting football tournament! It was won by Porto, a team from Portugal. They played against Celtic, a team from Scotland, in the final match. Porto won the game 3-2 after playing extra time, which means the game went on longer than usual because the score was tied.
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How the Tournament Worked
The UEFA Cup was a big football competition for clubs in Europe. Teams played against each other in matches to see who was the best. The tournament had several stages, starting with qualifying rounds and moving through different rounds until the final.
Qualifying for the Main Event
Before the main part of the tournament, many teams had to play in a special "qualifying round." This was like a try-out to see which teams were good enough to join the bigger competition. Teams played two matches against each other, one at home and one away. The team that scored more goals in total over both matches moved on. Many teams from different countries, like Litex Lovech from Bulgaria and Zenit St. Petersburg from Russia, played in these early games.
The Main Rounds Begin
After the qualifying stage, the tournament moved into the "first round." More famous teams joined at this point, like Paris Saint-Germain from France and Chelsea from England. Just like in the qualifying round, teams played two matches against each other. The team with the higher total score after both games moved to the next round. This continued through the second, third, and fourth rounds. Each round saw fewer and fewer teams as only the winners kept going.
Some big teams played in these rounds, including Liverpool and Leeds United from England, Lazio from Italy, and VfB Stuttgart from Germany. The competition got tougher with each step!
The Final Stages
The tournament then reached the "quarter-finals," where only eight teams were left. These were some of the best teams in Europe! After that came the "semi-finals," with just four teams remaining. In these crucial matches, Porto played against Lazio, and Celtic played against Boavista. Both Porto and Celtic won their semi-final matches, setting up an exciting final!
The Grand Final
The final match of the 2002–03 UEFA Cup was played on May 21, 2003, in Seville, Spain. It was a thrilling game between Celtic and Porto.
| 2003-05-21 20:45 CET |
 Celtic |
2 – 3 | Porto  |
Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla, Sevilla Attendance: 52,972 Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Larsson  47' 57' |
(Report) | Derlei 45' 115' Alenichev 54' |
The game was very close! Porto scored first just before half-time with a goal from Derlei. But Celtic's star player, Henrik Larsson, quickly scored two goals in the second half, putting Celtic ahead. However, Porto fought back, and Alenichev scored to make it 2-2.
The score was tied at the end of regular time, so the game went into extra time. Both teams played hard, but it was Derlei from Porto who scored again in the 115th minute, just before the end of the game. This goal made the score 3-2 for Porto, and they won the UEFA Cup!
The Champion
Porto became the champions of the 2002–03 UEFA Cup. This was their first time winning this important European trophy!
| Winner of UEFA Cup 2002–03 |
|---|
 |
| F.C. Porto First Title |
See also
In Spanish: Copa de la UEFA 2002-03 para niños
