Heartbreak for Hoops

Porto 3 Celtic 2 aet (90 minutes 2-2)

The Scottish champions lost the UEFA Cup final in the second half of extra time after being reduced to 10 men with the 102nd minute ordering-off of Bobo Balde for a second caution.

Derlei, the Porto's deadly Brazilian striker, matched the double completed earlier by the extraordinary Henrik Larsson the Swede having brought Celtic level twice after trailing to Derlei's first and another from Dmitri Alenichev with a low shot which the substitute, Ulrik Laursen, could not prevent from crossing the line.

It was an exasperating end to a final which had begun quietly and turned into one of unremitting commitment from both sides.

Until Derlei delivered that numbing goal so close to the interval, there had been reason for both encouragement and apprehension among the huge Celtic following, the protagonists taking it in turn to declare their ambition in the vicinity of the respective goal areas. If Jose Mourinho's side looked, by and large, the slicker and quicker in those moments when they opened up, there was also a liveliness about Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton assisted by the ever-mobile Didier Agathe and the prompting of Alan Thompson which hinted at possible trouble for the Portuguese defence.

But any player who felt nervous about an occasion that would certainly be among the loudest ever staged would have drawn some comfort from the realisation he was not alone. Until considerably into the match, when some semblance of settlement had taken place, tentativeness and anxiety seemed to course through both sets of players like serum from an injection.

In such circumstances, the truly gifted tend to overcome the apprehension the quicker, their natural talent invariably giving birth to a self-assurance the others have to develop gradually, through diligence, concentration and the avoidance of morale-crushing damage. In this regard, there was a predictability about the game, especially in a first half in which Porto's technically superior group Deco, Derlei, Maniche and Capucho could not be denied that assessment seemed capable of causing a few scares among the seemingly interminable rows of Celtic supporters occupying two-thirds of the great stadium.

But, having been frustrated by the attentive work of Bobo Balde, Johan Mjallby and Joos Valgaeren the big Belgian booked early for a foul on Deco and some admirable defensive midfield play from Neil Lennon and Paul Lambert, the Portuguese themselves were turned from hunter to prey as Celtic began to push forward with more conviction, and no little threat. There was no procession of surging thrusts towards Vitor Baia and no relentless aggressiveness nor would those have been expected against opponents of genuine quality but there were enough half-chances created to cause the Porto defenders to have small doubts, especially when their goalkeeper on occasion flapped at crosses he should either have gathered or left alone, needlessly conceding corner kicks and throw-ins.

It was Celtic's slight misfortune that, during those periods of swarming around Baia's area, they did not seriously test the goalkeeper. They were occasionally denied the opportunity by unkind bounces of the ball. Larsson did force one save from Baia with a well-struck, low free kick from outside the box on the left, but the goalkeeper flopped to his left and held the ball.

It was a wonderful piece of skill that allowed Larsson to take the ball out of the air and cause it to stick to his toe before feeding Agathe on the right. The wing-back's centre missed Sutton's head by inches in a moment that offered the promise of good things from the Scottish champions.

Instead, it was Porto who took the lead, at a stroke dispelling whatever uncertainty Celtic may have induced.

As Mjallby and Balde converged on the ball in the middle of their own penalty area, Dmitri Alenichev was left isolated and, when Deco took possession and chipped towards the Russian, he was looking straight at Douglas. The left-footed shot was low and true but Douglas dived left to push the ball wide. Derlei, as deadly in this tournament as Larsson himself, met it with his right foot and from an acute angle drove it over the line.

That Celtic should equalise so early in the second half, lose the lead again soon after and restore parity as the Portuguese fans were still celebrating was typical of the resilience they have shown throughout the competition.

The first of the great Swede's goals was extraordinary by any standards, including his own. Lennon rolled the ball to Agathe on the right and the winger sent the cross high to the far side. When Larsson outjumped the substitute, Ricardo Costa he had replaced the injured Costinha after only nine minutes he appeared to have only one option, to head the ball across to the waiting Sutton. Instead, he confounded everyone by directing the header from an impossible angle against the far post and over the line.

It was Balde's slack defensive work that led to Porto's second, the weak clearance leaving Deco in possession. The Brazilian-born midfielder played Alenichev in with a perfect pass, allowing the latter to beat Douglas in the chase and drive the ball low past the goalkeeper.

Larsson completed his double with the most orthodox of goals, meeting a corner kick from Thompson on the right and, unchallenged, forcing the header from eight yards past the right side of the vainly clawing Baia.

That pulsating burst of concentrated fire turned the match from shadow boxing into the real thing.

Having spent most of the first 45 minutes indulging in what may be termed a "searching" exercise, both sides suddenly appeared to have a clear sight of the target and a ferocious urge to pepper it.

The applause and the roars of acclaim which must have blistered the hands and chafed the throats of the capacity crowd were testimony to the efforts of two teams who made the UEFA Cup final such an exhilarating experience.

FC PORTO: Vitor Baia, Ferreira, Nuno Valente, Jorge Costa (Pedro Emanuel 71), Ricardo Carvalho, Costinha (Ricardo Costa 9), Alenichev, Maniche, Deco, Capucho (Marco Ferreira 98), Derlei.

CELTIC: Douglas, Balde, Mjallby, Valgaeren (Laursen 64), Agathe, Lennon, Lambert (McNamara 76), Petrov (Maloney 104), Thompson, Sutton, Larsson.

Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).