Uefa Cup: And then there was one…

By: Francesco | February 26th, 2009

There was a time when the UEFA Cup was “the” Italian team competition. An Italian team would win it or would at least get to the semi-final. Unfortunately in recent years when it switched to a group stage format Italian clubs haven’t been as successful, and see it as a nuisance or a second rate competition. Fiorentina came close last season, but realistically I didn’t see an Italian team winning this year. In the Round of 32, we had all 4 Italian teams still in fighting for UEFA Cup glory, but in the Round of 16 only one team, Udinese, will be flying the Italian flag. There was a point in time today when it looked as if all the Italian teams would qualify, but in the end only one made it.

Sampdoria were out early in the day as they fell 2-0 to Metalist away without Antonio Cassano and Angelo Palombo. Nobody in the Sampdoria camp will admit it, but they are pleased to have been knocked out as they no longer have another competition to worry about and can focus solely on doing well in Serie A (and the Coppa Italia semi-final vs. Inter).

Milan drew 1-1 away at Werder Bremen and needed to win or tie 0-0 to go through. A scoring draw more than 1-1 would’ve seen Milan eliminated. Milan went 2-0 up after Andrea Pirlo scored a penalty and Pato scored a beautiful effort from distance. However in the second half Milan gave up their lead on two similar goals. Both goals came from Claudio Pizarro, and both goals were scored on a header (Milan has had difficulty dealing with high balls all season). Milan tried to push for the win but it was too late and now they face the reality of going another season completely trophy-less, as they only have the Scudetto to aim for.

Fiorentina fell 1-0 at home at Ajax and needed to win at the Amsterdam Arena to go through. The Viola showed great spirit and attacked the Dutch side from the start, and found a breakthrough in the second half when Alberto Gilardino finished an Adrian Mutu assist. Fiorentina pressed forward for another, and just when it looked like the game would be going to extra time, a defensive error allowed Leonardo to score for Marco Van Basten’s side and triumph 2-1 on aggregate. I imagine Prandelli will have something to say to his defense about that late equalizer in the locker room. And again, no one will admit it, but this elimination could be another blessing in disguise for the Viola who can concentrate fully on snatching the 4th Champions League place from Roma and Genoa.

Udinese were up against Polish side Lech Poznan at home after drawing 2-2 away in Poland. The tie was in Udinese’s hands, as a simple 0-0 or a win or even a 1-1 would put them through. Lech scored first after 12 minutes and it wasn’t looking good for the Friuliani but they drew level in the second half with Simone Pepe. The 1-1 was enough to see them through, but Antonio Di Natale made sure of it in second half stoppage time with a goal to make it 2-1. Udinese will now face a tough task in the Round of 16, as they have to take on Champions League drop-outs and last year’s UEFA Cup winner Zenit St. Petersburg.