Translated material
From Lisbon to Lisbon
First match. February 17. Krasnodar. CSKA - Benfica - 2:0 (V. Berezutsky 12, Vagner Love 60) .
Giovanni Trapattoni, Benfica head coach: “Usually whoever creates the most chances wins. But today everything happened completely differently: Benfica created chances, and CSKA scored. The condition of the field influenced the result, especially considering that our forwards have excellent technique. But in any case, everything will be completely different in Lisbon.”
Second match. February 24. Lisbon. Benfica - CSKA - 1:1 (Karadas 63 - Ignashevich 49) .
Valery Gazzaev, head coach of CSKA: “I am pleased that we have reached the next round. But the way things developed, we should have beaten Benfica for the second time. After the break, when the opponents went forward, we were able to score more than once. Carvalho missed two one-on-one opportunities with the goalkeeper. In addition, the referee canceled two, in my opinion, correct goals against Benfica. I watched the video recording of these episodes - the goals were scored according to the rules."
1/8 finals.
First match . March 10. Belgrade. "Partizan" - CSKA - 1:1 (Aldonin 17 - Tomic 83) .
Evgeniy Aldonin, CSKA midfielder: “I’m very glad that I managed to score my first goal for CSKA. We expected that Partizan would try to immediately seize the initiative at home. It was not easy for us, especially in the second half. And yet I would not say that the game was dictated by the hosts. We tried to launch counterattacks at every opportunity. But the poor condition of the field had an impact, because of which the match could even be postponed.”
Second match. March 17. Krasnodar. CSKA - Partizan - 2:0 (Carvalho 68, Vagner Love 84 pen) .
Valery Gazzaev, head coach of CSKA: “I sincerely believe that Partizan is stronger than Benfica.” The more pleasant the final success. Today we had to keep our goal intact and achieve a result that would allow us to advance to the next round. The team prepared very carefully for this game. We even took into account the direction of the wind when choosing half of the field - we deliberately played against it in the first half. After the break it became a little easier for us, we gradually gained the advantage and eventually converted it.”
1/4 finals.
First match . April 7. Moscow. CSKA - Auxerre - 4:0 (Odia 21, Ignashevich 63 from pen., Vagner Love 71, Gusev 77) .
Guy Roux, head coach of Auxerre: “CSKA played an amazing match. The army team showed football of the highest quality, I did not see any weaknesses in their game. For them there is no middle ground. The main thing for this team is what happens near the opponents' and their own gates. But everything could have turned out differently if we had used our opportunity and equalized.”
Second match. April 14. Auxerre "Auxerre" - CSKA - 2:0 (Lachuer 9, Kalou 79 pen.) .
Valery Gazzaev, head coach of CSKA: “I am pleased with reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, but not with the game. We played poorly, and this is a lesson for young football players. Auxerre had a territorial advantage, but did not create any particular threats to our goal. There was pressure from the stands and pressure, but our defense and goalkeeper played brilliantly.”
1/2 finals.
First match. April 28. Parma. Parma - CSKA - 0:0.
Pietro Carmignani, Parma head coach: “I think we played with passion today, our opponents looked good but didn’t show anything special. We are capable of reaching the finals. Today we used a lot of young players whom I released because of our problems in Serie A. They once again proved that they can play well at this level. Now we have a game in Moscow. There we will be calm and reasonable, however, as always in the UEFA Cup matches this season.
Second match . May 5th. Moscow. CSKA - Parma - 3:0 (Carvalho 10, 53, V. Berezutsky 60) .
Daniel Carvalho, CSKA midfielder: “Even before the match we were confident that we would be able to make it to the final. It was one of the best matches of my entire career. Today I scored the most important goals of my life. Only one ball can be compared with them, which I played at the age of 18 - it was my first in my professional career.”