The late 1990’s and early 2000’s was one of the best times to be a Leeds United fan. They were a very established Premier League and European side, featuring in both the Uefa Cup and the Champions League. In the 2000-01 season Leeds made it all the way to semi-final of the Champions league, as well as securing a fourth place finish in League.
Valencia were the semi final opponents – a team that are no strangers to European football. The first tie was at Elland Road, although Leeds were held to a 0-0 draw. The return leg in Valencia proved to be too much for them. They fell behind to a suspect handball after 15 minutes and couldn’t find a way back. There was no doubt about Sanchez’s second goal of the game after 47 minutes, an absolute rocket. The game was put to bed when Mendieta made it 3-0 after 52 minutes. More misery was piled on when Alan Smith was sent off for a reckless challenge late on.
This was certainly a very good European adventure for Leeds United fans. Although the result wasn’t a particularly memorable one, the occasion was.
Can you remember the starting XI from the second leg of that tie in just 2 minutes?