Het kan Feyenoord uiteraard niet kwalijk worden genomen dat het als enige Nederlandse club met succes ‘in the modern era’ een Europese finale afrondde. Daar kan via drogredenaties, kansloze sluiproutes en omwegen uiteraard geen afbreuk aan worden gedaan. Noblesse oblige!
Daarom, met terugwerkende kracht en met toestemming van mijn gewaardeerde ‘secondant’ gevegt een sneak preview uit mijn onvolprezen magnum opus. Gezellig!
Part One.
Feyenoord vs Borussia Dortmund
Where were you on Monday May 6, 2002?
Borussia Dortmund were third in the 2000/01 Bundesliga table, earning them a spot in the third qualifying round for the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League. The Germans cruised through to the group stage at the expense of FC Shakhtar Donetsk to meet opposition from Liverpool, Boavista and Dynamo Kyiv. Borussia Dortmund were outsmarted on goal difference by the Portuguese club, hence dropping down to the 3rd round of the 2001/02 UEFA Cup.
FC Kobenhavn from Denmark were no real test and Borussia Dortmund won 2–0 on aggregate. The entertainers of the world famous ‘Gelbe Wand’ – the ‘Yellow Wall’ – met Czech side Slovan Liberec in the quarter-finals after having won on away goals against Lille OSC from France in the 4th round. The ‘Yellow Wall’ witnessed a 4-0 rout at the Westfalenstadion.
Into the last four were Inter Milan, AC Milan, Feyenoord and ‘Die Borussen’. The semi-finals were denied an all Italian encounter when Feyenoord were drawn with Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund to AC Milan. The Germans ran riot at the ‘Westfalenstadion’ to leave Milan chasing a likely unassailable 0-4 deficit at the San Siro. In Italy, AC Milan got off to a flying start and reduced the aggregate deficit to just two goals inside 20 minutes. In the last minute of the second half a Serginho penalty brought the Italians to within just one goal of taking the game into extra time. However, Borussia’s Lars Ricken slotted home in time added on to complete the Germans’ road to De Kuip in Rotterdam.
Feyenoord earned their 2001/02 Champions League group berth after finishing runners-up in the 2000/01 Dutch Eredivisie behind PSV, who successfully defended their title. They were drawn to play 2000/01 holders FC Bayern Munich, Sparta Prague and Spartak Moscow. Feyenoord’s aspirations to progress to the knock-out stages were hopelessly dented with only two draws and not one single victory in any of their first five matches. With a last-ditch effort, however, the ‘Rotterdammers’ took the third spot in the group and a place in the 3rd round of the UEFA Cup by beating Spartak Moscow 2-1, leaving a glimmer of hope to go all the way to the final at their sacred home ground in Rotterdam.
With five of their first choice ineligible to play, Feyenoord managed to edge past SC Freiburg from Germany with a 1-0 victory at home, courtesy of a late goal by Japanese international Shinji Ono.
The Germans gave them a sincere fright at their ‘Dreisamenstadion’ when Feyenoord were trailing 2-0 on the night after 49 minutes of play. Had it not been for one of Pierre van Hooijdonk’s trademark free-kicks and Leonardo’s equaliser to restore parity, Feyenoord might have faced an early exit.
Feyenoord left Scotland after a 1-1 draw in a rainswept first leg of their UEFA Cup 4th round tie with Rangers from grim Glasgow. Coach Bert van Marwijk settled with a draw but was disappointed as he felt Feyenoord deserved all three points.
In Rotterdam, former Celtic’s striker Pierre van Hooijdonk put his spell on their arch rivals with two of his patented free-kicks in the first half. It was his vital contribution to earn Feyenoord a 3-2 win, sending them into the quarter-finals of the 2001/02 UEFA Cup. Pierre van Hooijdonk found the target after 37 minutes when he fired the leather over the Scottish wall into the right-hand side of the goal. He duplicated his art on the stroke of half-time.
Rangers had taken the lead against the run of play and, after van Hooijdonk’s intermezzo, Feyenoord scored within seconds of the restart to make it 3-1. The tie was opened up again in the 55th minute by Barry Ferguson who stepped up to successfully convert a penalty-kick after a foul on Dutch Ranger Michael Mols. It would be the last dent in the Feyenoord defence.
To be continued.