![]() "There was so much going on behind the scenes. A second trial in 2001 returned a not-guilty verdict for Bowyer and convicted Woodgate of affray.Īlthough he feels his team never allowed it to negatively impact their Champions League efforts, O'Leary acknowledges that the rumbling court drama was an unwelcome sideshow. The public and protracted case hung as heavily over the campaign as the grey Yorkshire skies on the night of the Milan win. In the midst of the most productive season of his career, Bowyer, along with team-mate Jonathan Woodgate, was on trial after being charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray following a nightclub altercation in January. Following up on his late winner against the Italians, Bowyer was again the standout performer, scoring the first and last goals of the rout. But it just goes to show the character within the dressing room that we were capable of beating Besiktas and AC Milan."Īfter Milan were vanquished in the rain, Besiktas were hammered 6-0 at Elland Road. Of course, you're gutted that you're losing - not losing, being battered - by a top side like Barcelona. "It was probably a blessing that that happened to us," suggests Harte, who took advantage of the Nou Camp's tunnel-side chapel to appeal to the heavens before kick-off. "That match was good for everybody to see that European football was different to English in the style of play." ![]() "I think that was a wake-up call," Bakke says. The first round of fixtures delivered a humbling 4-0 defeat at the Nou Camp by a Barcelona side who, although far from a vintage crop, counted the talents of Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and former World Player of the Year Rivaldo among their number. "If somebody had said to me in August in Munich, after we won to go through, that we'd be in the semi-final in May time, no, I'd have found that very, very hard to believe," O'Leary says, remembering the mammoth task his team faced. These unlikely triumphs live long in the memory of many Leeds fans, but they are so distant now, separated from the present by such a long period of struggle in the second and third domestic tiers, that an entire generation of supporters can scarcely comprehend their club as a European force of the recent past.Īfter overcoming 1860 Munch in a qualifier - a 3-1 aggregate triumph complicated by seven first-team injuries and first-leg red cards for Eirik Bakke and Olivier Dacourt - the group-stage draw pitted Leeds, back in the Champions League for the first time since 1992-93, against Barcelona, Milan and Besiktas. And, the first of a series of highs, the Milan win breathed momentum into a campaign in which they repeatedly defied the odds to outlast many of the continent's most powerful and iconic clubs. Ultimately, their Champions League run in 2000-01 was the apex of the Yorkshire club's era of speculative spending. ![]() Little did they know, financial mismanagement would see most of these players - a blend of gifted, energetic youngsters and ready-made, expensively acquired stars - sold off and the club relegated three seasons later. The 35,000 Leeds fans exultant beneath the floodlit shower that night could have been forgiven for allowing themselves to believe the good times had arrived and were here to stay. They had unbelievable players in their team, but it was that little bit of luck that you need." After their thrashing by Barcelona, there had been fears Leeds' Champions League campaign might be an embarrassment but that changed when they stunned AC Milan Elland Road was packed, dancing," full-back Ian Harte says of the famous win against a Milan side containing Andriy Shevchenko, Paolo Maldini and Oliver Bierhoff. All day you could feel everybody couldn't wait to get to the stadium that night. They joined in with us, gave us brilliant support. ![]() "The city built up to look forward to the game. "The city was rocking," O'Leary tells BBC Sport. It was a fortunate climax to a dark and dreary Champions League night in September 2000, but it was a hard-earned and well-deserved victory for David O'Leary's vibrant young side.
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