CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 3. QUALIFICATION ROUND, 2. LEG BYENS HOLD F.C. København vs Rangers FC Onsdag den 27. august kl. 20.05 i PARKEN. Portene åbnes kl. 18.30 F.C. København | onsdag den 27. august 2003 BYENS HOLD As good as it gets What a fantastic game we have to look forward It doesn’t get any bigger, and it to this evening. Two teams on the threshold of the doesn’t get any more intense.This is worlds most prestigious club tournament: the kind of game everyone dreams Champions League - but only one team can qualify. of, players, football leaders and fans – and tonight it happens. I invite public and I am sure it will be an Denmark – now we would like to you all to enjoy! intense atmosphere here in PAR- see if it can also bring success in KEN. I expect the majority of the Europe! The support of the fans 38.000 spectators to lift our team is so important to what will be our biggest interna- Respect… but not fear parts, and when the referee blows The project continues... ce of success on the pitch but we Two weeks ago 11 Copenhagen pla- tional performance to date. During our short stay in Glasgow we the whistle to start the match no matter what the are not financially dependent on yers ran onto the pitch at Ibrox to got to know the people behind the tonight it will be a battle between result is tonight CL-qualification or income from be met by a fantastic roar from the I am in no doubt that it will be a club Rangers FC, we found them to peers. One can detect – between the lines transfers. And no matter how the 46.000 scottish fans, but our players close match, where our Scottish be real gentlemen, friendly and the – that the game this evening means game ends this evening, we will kept cool and after a hectic start, we opponents will do everything in perfect hosts. It was also a fantastic Two years ago we were close to more to Rangers than to us – finan- continue to work with our existing worked our way into the game and their power to break up our playing experience to have dinner in the qualifying for the Champions cially at least. business model as we feel this will by the second half we were in the structure, while I hope that we can famous "Blue Room" at Ibrox, where League but lost out to Lazio in give us the best chance for growth driving seat. play our own game, keep possession one can really feel Rangers tradi- Rome. Since that game we have To us, qualification to Champions in the future. of the ball and control the play. Our tions and history. improved on and off the pitch and I League will first and foremost repre- Tonight I am sure our players will be Head Coach Hans Backe has, with We have great respect for Rangers feel we are closer to being one of sent our breakthrough as an inter- Finally a warm welcome met with the same enthusiasm and this playing concept, already FC, but we do not feel in any way the 32 best teams in Europe than national football club.The potential to our friends from vocal support from the Copenhagen brought success to our club here in inferior to our Scottish counter- ever before. revenues are a welcome consequen- Glasgow. level. That is the carrot that is hang- enough to enjoy his clubs scottish ing in front of every player this eve- hospitality in Glasgow 14 days ago ning. and on matchday Club Director The most important game this year? Campbell Ogilvie showed us round We have for a long time had good Rangers impressive training ground Copenhagen’s Director of Sports Niels-Christian A 2-1 home win over Italian Lazio, Our team coach Hans Backe has relations with Rangers and we often at Murray Park – an inspiration for Holmstrøm comes with a status report before the (which with a little luck could have given the team a basis organisation work together in the UEFA club the future planning of our own trai- big match against Rangers. been been 3-1 or 4-1) was followed to work from which gives the indivi- forum where we meet to discuss ning facilities. by a defeat in Rome, where we lac- dual players a feeling ked composure and routine at cruci- of safety and also We have no illusions in regard to Tonights return game in the third hed our position at the top of al stages of the game. room to show their this evenings match. Rangers have round of the Champions League Danish football. The last 3 years we individual skills. many fine players and we expect qualification against the Scottish have fought for the Danish cham- But already in 2001 the team sho- another tough match. I personally champions Glasgow Rangers is wit- pionship, winning both in 2001 and wed that Copenhagen was ready to The game this eve- hope that we will see a well played hout comparison this seasons most this year and we now feel that it is "play ball" with the big teams in ning will therefore be and fair game. important game for our club. It is of natural for us to look to the larger Europe. That year we went on to an interesting test to course important for both clubs for European stage and lift our ambi- lose narrowly lose (2 x 1-0) to the see how far our team Welcome to our friends from so many reasons: sporting, economic, tions a level. The Danish league will UEFA-finalists Borussia Dortmund has developed. For Glasgow and our own fans to an historical and for pure prestige and no continue to be where we develop after beating Ajax in Amsterdam. some of our older evening of top football. one should be in doubt that we also our team and players, but we also players it will be their share Rangers burning desire to parti- feel that we are now ready to take Last years European adventure was last chance to shine on the the development of football in cipate in this great football tourna- the European challenge seriously. disappointing, we were eliminated European stage and for our younger Europe. It is always a pleasure to be ment – UEFA Champions League. over 2 legs by the Swedish team players it is a unique chance for in the company of Rangers Two years ago we were, depending Djurgården. But we have since then them to present themselves in front Executive Chairman John We feel that this game has also on your viewpoint, "very close, or continued to develop our team and of a larger audience. Every sports- McClelland – an intelligent and well come at the right time for us, we very far" from qualification to the I now consider our squad to be the person has a dream of being good informed football leader. I was lucky have in the last few years establis- Champions League group stage. strongest in our clubs short history. enough to contest at the highest Sportsdirektør Niels-Christian Holmstrøm Heine Fernandez lavede ravage i for- svaret hos Lazio. Trods forbindingen 3 Stærke Europa-resultater scorede han sejrsmålet til 2-1 . I de 10 år F.C. København har eksisteret har vi regelmæssigt deltaget i de vi kæmpet os tilbage i kampen, og europæiske turneringer, men først de senere år med rigtig gode og stabile Jacob Laursen udlignede på et "kor- resultater til følge. I aften kan vi skabe det foreløbig største – men her er rekt-men-ofte-ikke-dømt" straffe, først et tilbageblik på de 3 resultater, vi har kåret som de bedste hidtil: da en italiener hev Lønstrup i trøjen. af Torkil Fosdal Og 6 minutter før tid slog Heine 22. oktober 1998: kontrakt med klubben et par uger bevidste forventninger til den afgø- Fernandez til fra nært hold og ban- 1-1 ude mod Chelsea senere. På det tidspunkt havde rende Champions League-kvalifika- kede bolden i nettet til sejrscifrene Vi havde kvalificeret os via 4 sejre Chelsea endnu aldrig tabt en europ- tion mod Lazio i august 2001. 2-1. Heine kunne og burde endda over Karabakh Agdam og Levski æisk hjemmekamp! Det kom de Ganske vist havde guldtræneren have øget til 3-1 i slutminutterne, Sofia på tilsammen 16-1 – men løb desværre heller ikke til denne gang – Roy Hodgson forladt klubben i pau- men det ændrede ikke ved en jætte- alligevel ind på Stamford Bridge i fjerde minut af dommerens til- sen og overladt roret til Kent indsats af alle mand. Nu havde vi som underdogs, mod et stærkt lægstid fik Marcel Desailly skrabet Karlsson, men truppen var intakt, også vist, at vi i europæisk sammen- Chelsea-mandskab anført af en vis udligningen hjem efter et massivt stærk og optimistisk, mens italie- hæng kunne komme tilbage i kam- Brian Laudrup. Det blev et brag af en Chelsea-pres. Total nedtur lige her nerne så tidligt på efteråret var et pen og stå distancen fysisk. FCK-indsats – Michael Stensgaard og nu, men da kampen kom lidt på stykke fra optimal kampform. Vi var stod stærkt i målet, og alle fightede afstand kunne man glæde sig over godt med i kampen med en overdå- 1. november 2001: det bedste de havde lært. Som kam- en fantastisk indsats og et resultat, digt stærk Christian Poulsen på 1-0 ude mod Ajax pen skred frem sad man og gruede som vi inden kampen ville have midtbanen, men Lazio viste også i Efter 0-0 hjemme i den første kamp for, om 0-0 kunne holde – det ville i været ovenud lykkelige for.