Magical Mourinho: Porto’s 2003-04 journey to UEFA Champions League glory
Two matchdays into the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League, FC Porto and their new dynamic coach Jose Mourinho looked in a spot of bother. After opening the campaign with a 1-1 draw away to Partizan Belgrade, they slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to Real Madrid. But their fortunes changed on matchday three when they got the best of Didier Drogba’s Marseille in a dramatic five-goal thriller. Subsequent home wins over Partizan and the French club saw them stroll into the last 16.
The Last 16 saw Porto face Manchester United as Europe’s bright new coach, Jose Mourinho, went up against ‘the boss’ Sir Alex Ferguson. After two goals from Benni McCarthy gave the Portuguese a 2-1 victory at the Dragao, Porto went to Old Trafford for a night that would provide one of the defining images of their young coach’s transformation into the Special One. A goal down, and heading out on away goals, as the game ticked into stoppage time, Costinha pounced on a mistake by United goalkeeper Tim Howard to grab a dramatic tie-winner. Mourinho set off down the touchline to join the celebrations in the corner, much to the annoyance of the home crowd.
Next up for Mou and his merry men was a quarter-final clash with now UEFA Champions League stalwarts Lyon. Goals from Deco and Ricardo Carvalho gave Porto a 2-0 home victory in the first leg. The return leg in France saw midfielder Maniche become the star of the show, as the Portugal international netted twice to secure Porto their first European Cup/Champions League semi-final in a decade.
The other quarter-finals had seen the likes of Arsenal, Milan and Real Madrid suffer surprise eliminations from the tournament, leaving Mourinho’s future club, big-spending Chelsea, as the favourites. Porto met Deportivo La Coruna in the final four, after the Spanish club had made UCL history by overturning a 4-1 first-leg defeat to Milan. After a goalless draw in Portugal, a Derlei penalty in Spain sent Super Depor packing and booked Porto’s place in the final.
A season of UCL shocks ended up pitting Porto against Monaco in the final, after Chelsea had been dumped out in the Principality. But the Ligue 1 side were simply no match for Mourinho’s side in Gelsenkirchen. Brazilian forward Carlos Alberto opened the scoring five minutes before half time, and second-half goals from Deco and Dmitri Alenichev completed a comprehensive 3-0 victory to secure an unlikely title for Mourinho, who would go on to become of one of Europe’s greatest ever coaches.
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