Champions League Semi-Final 2002

Lore & Background

Leverkusen appeared in the final for the first time, whereas Real Madrid appeared in their 12th final. Each club needed to progress through two group stages, and two knockout rounds to reach the final. Real Madrid won their group and moved into the second group stage, which they also won, before facing the defending champions Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the knockout stage. Bayer Leverkusen finished second in their group behind Barcelona and progressed to the second group stage. There, they won their group, before beating Liverpool and then Manchester United on away goals in the semi-finals to progress to the final.

In Their Own Story

The BayArena glowed under the floodlights as the second leg of the semi-final began. The air was thick with a mixture of hope and dread; the first leg's victory had given them a lifeline, but Real Madrid possessed a lethality that few could match. As the clock ticked down in Madrid, every pass felt heavy, every tackle desperate. When Raúl finally found the net to level the aggregate score, the silence from the traveling Leverkusen fans was deafening, a stark contrast to the roar of the Spanish crowd. It was not just a defeat; it was the moment history almost bent, only to snap back with cruel precision.

Reader's Guide

Before the match, a minute of silence was held in honour of Ukrainian manager Valeriy Lobanovskyi, who died two days earlier. Real Madrid were regarded as favourites before the match and took the lead in the eighth minute through Raúl. Lúcio equalised five minutes later, before Zinedine Zidane scored the winning goal on the stroke of half-time, a left-footed volley into the top corner, to secure Real Madrid's ninth European Cup.

Did You Know?

• Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga and lost in the 2002 DFB-Pokal Final in the same season.
• Five Leverkusen players (Michael Ballack, Hans-Jörg Butt, Oliver Neuville, Carsten Ramelow, and Bernd Schneider) went on to add a fourth silver medal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
• The gold medal-winning Brazil squad included a Leverkusen player in Lúcio.