Wednesday, April 2, 2008

UEFA Champions League - Quarterfinal Clubs from "Weaker" Leagues

With Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü reaching the Quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League this season, I thought I'd take a look at other clubs that are from outside of the "stronger" leagues in Europe that have made it as far as the QF stage since 92-93. (The year the competition became the "UEFA Champions League")

It should be mentioned that many of these clubs made it deeper in the tournament prior to 97-98, when the champions of the weaker leagues still received automatic Champions League spots. Since that year, the "weaker" league champions have been forced to qualify for the group stages.



Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
2008
QF - Opponent: Chelsea

Panathinaikos (Greece)
2002
QF - Lost to Barcelona 3-2 Agg.

Galatasaray (Turkey)
2001
QF - Lost to Real Madrid 5-3 Agg.

Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)
1999
SF - Lost to Bayern Munich 4-3 Agg.

Olympiakos (Greece)
1999
QF - Lost to Juventus 3-2 Agg.

Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)
1998
QF - Lost to Juventus 5-2 Agg.

Rosenborg (Norway)
1997
QF - Lost to Juventus 3-1 Agg.

Panathinaikos (Greece)
1996
SF - Lost to Ajax Amsterdam 3-1 Agg.

Spartak Moscow (Russia)
1996
QF - Lost to FC Nantes 4-2 Agg.

Legia Warsaw (Poland)
1996
QF - Lost to Panathanaikos 3-0 Agg.

IFK Göteborg (Sweden)
1995
QF - Lost to Bayern Munich 2-2 on away goals

Hajduk Split (Croatia)
1995
QF - Lost to Ajax 3-0 Agg.


Fenerbahçe definitely have their work cut out for them. Dynamo Kiev and Panathinaikos are the only two teams that have progressed to the semi final stage from the "weaker" leagues in the past 15 years.

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