UC Memories: 1 November 2001
By: Ian Rose | November 1st, 2007A little history for you. Six years ago today, one of the biggest upsets in UEFA Cup history took place in London, as Hapoel Tel Aviv managed a 1-1 draw with Chelsea to take the tie 3-1 on aggregate and eliminate the Blues from the tournament. Other than their 2004 Champions League semifinal, it would be the farthest that Chelsea would go in Europe under manager Claudio Ranieri.
Hapoel came into the match ranked #217 in UEFA, to Chelsea’s #12. They beat the Blues 2-0 in Israel in the first leg, a trip that six Chelsea players refused to make for safety reasons. But there were no missing players to blame the second leg on, just a dedicated and skillful Hapoel side. Star striker Milan Osterc netted their goal on 36 minutes, making a Chelsea comeback nearly impossible. They needed four goals to move on, and they managed only one, through Gianfranco Zola.
Hapoel advanced all the way to the quarterfinals, one of the great minnow runs in European football history. The Israeli side beat not only Chelsea, but also Locomotiv Moscow and Parma (Osterc scored against both), before losing 2-1 to AC Milan. Hapoel missed out on a home leg against Milan, as the match had to be played in Cyprus because of an alleged Hamas threat against the Milan team.
The quarterfinal run rose Hapoel Tel Aviv from #217 to #96 in the world rankings in a single season, and remains the best finish by an Israeli team ever in Europe.
Category: UEFA Cup Memories
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments
-
Do you seriously remember the date of that match?
Posted from
Germany
Comments are closed
Home 
