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fight to the end.......... 勒沃庫森雖敗猶榮.......



Bayer battle to the end but Zizou grabs glory

By Brian Scott

A moment of sheer brilliance from Zinedine Zidane at Hampden evoked wondrous memories of his illustrious Real Madrid forefathers in the most famous of all European Cup Finals.

Lucio celebrates his equaliser with his Leverkusen teammates
(GaryPrior/Allsport)
Zidane struck with a venomous volley immediately before the interval to signal the defeat of a brave Bayer Leverkusen and take his club career to its absolute zenith.

Glasgow fans who like to boast, 'Yes, I was there in 1960' will treasure the thought of having seen the Frenchman settle this Champions League Final in such stunning style at the same venue where Real tasted European glory 42 years ago.

But much sympathy is due the Germans who, with Lucio having quickly cancelled out an early goal by Raul, fought defiantly into stoppage time - all seven minutes of it - in an attempt to preserve their honour.

With the Swiss referee preparing to end a fascinating contest, goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt piled forward and almost scored with a header.

Hampden's captivated crowd - which included Spain's King Juan Carlos among its number - may have been less than half the size of that which celebrated Real's win 42 years ago - but Zidane's goal, coupled to gripping opening exchanges and a thrilling finale made for every bit as good a spectacle.

The Spaniards took the lead in circumstances that confounded the Germans and left them cursing their defensive awareness.

Having already troubled the Leverkusen defence with a throw-in, Roberto Carlos then directed another mammoth effort from near the halfway line to Raul, who had already set off on a sprint behind the Leverkusen defence

With any hint of a challenge well behind him, he simply rolled the ball past the bewildered and, it has to be said, leaden-footed, goal-keeper Butt.

Talk about being caught unawares? Leverkusen were made to look positively silly with only nine minutes on the clock and few would have been surprised if they had crumpled there and then.

Yet there was a commendable resilience about the German side, a fact they demonstrated just five minutes later when Roberto Carlos's fellow- Brazilian, Lucio, equalised from a free-kick near the touchline.

Bernd Schneider flighted the ball deep into the heart of Real's penalty box for the impressive Lucio, one of Berti Vogts' signings, to rise above all challengers and head the ball beyond Cesar.

It was time for Leverkusen coach Klaus Toppmoller to light up another cigarette and, more than likely, he puffed his way through a few more as the first half continued to unfold.

Butt did especially well at one point to race from his goal and, with an outstretched boot, nick the ball away from the feet of Morientes as the Real player threatened.

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The same Madrid player subsequently tested German nerves with a shot on the turn but Bayer had put too much effort into reaching this climactic stage of the tournament not to offer a good and fitting response.

So it was, that with 23 nerve-tingling minutes gone, Thomas Brdaric homed in on a ball which had eluded the back- tracking Roberto Carlos, only to see Cesar block his attempt at the near post.

Oliver Neuville soon spotted another opportunity from which the Germans might have edged in front, only the ball didn't bounce kindly enough for him and his effort presented Real's goalkeeper with no trouble.

Leverkusen, quite evidently, were keen to test the pace of their attacking players against the perceived slowness of the Real defence and, between then and the interval, spent a fair bit of their time going forward.

The loss of Brdaric, with Dimitar Berbatov coming on in his place, seemed not to upset them. But, with 45 minutes clocked, Zidane's brilliance brought the Hampden crowd to its feet and sent Leverkusen deflated to their dressing room.

Puskas or di Stefano, either of those icons from 1960, would have been proud to score the left- foot volley which Zidane unleashed after latching onto the end of Roberto Carlos's lofted cut-back to the edge of the penalty box.

Leverkusen, though, looked eager to claw their way back into it for a second time, but Real were wise enough to keep plenty of bodies back so that they wouldn't be so easily exposed again.

The pressure was mounting on Bayer to get Michael Ballack more involved if the night wasn't to end in gross disappointment for them. But Makelele, among others, kept a watchful eye on the midfielder.

The Germans then had something else to concern them: the appearance of Steve McManaman, in the 61st minute as a replacement for Luis Figo, who surely would have wanted to adorn the event more than he had done.

No sooner was the Englishman on the park than Cesar fell at the feet of Lucio as they vied for a cross and required a lengthly spell of treatment for what appeared to be an ankle twist. Leverkusen used that hiatus to send on the ageing Ulf Kirsten but the German fans, outnumbered 3-1 by their Madrid counterparts, urged the referee to get the game going again.

Cesar, though, wasn't faking injury to kill time and, having hobbled across his area to attempt a clearance, signalled that Iker Casillas should take over from him.

Toppmuller stamped out yet another cigarette as his players tried, in vain, to build up a decent momentum. Real looked so comfortable by comparison, knocking the ball around as they waited to catch Bayer off guard.

Zidane sought to inspire such a thrust, feeding the ball to McManaman, whose pass to Morientes resulted in the latter's low, angled drive which failed to bother Butt at the near post.

Could Real conjure something better and, in the process, further illuminate a contest that had lost just a bit of its shine? They were in no hurry to do so, not when they sensed being so close to a momentous victory.

But those final minutes turned out to be the most breathtaking as Bayer pushed for a late sucker punch. With Butt having charged up-field to register a despairing header that bounced over the bar, Berbatov then saw his effort from close range blocked on the line. That's how close Bayer were to denying Real their destiny.