SOCCER - EUROPA LEAGUE
2010/11
Group K - Napoli (1) @ (3) Liverpool - A young Liverpool team turned in a determined 2nd half to beat Napoli and claim top spot in the group. Napoli led 1-0 at the half thanks to a goal from Ezequiel Lavezzi but the introduction at half-time of captain Steven Gerrard from the subs bench turned the game and he scored all 3 goals in the 2nd half to give the Reds the win (10, 2 Discs, CH5 - Bower/Taylor, PAL)
Semi-Final, 1st Leg - Villarreal (1) @ (5) FC Porto - Porto sensationally put 1 foot into the Europa League final with a stunning 2nd half to beat Villareal. The vistors Villareal were the better team in the 1st half and led 1-0 at the half thanks to a Cani goal. But Porto dominated the 2nd half with goals from Falcao (4) and Fredy Guarin to take a big lead into the 2nd leg (10, 2 Discs, CH5 - Woods/Nevin, PAL)
Semi-Final, 2nd Leg - FC Porto (2) @ (3) Villareal - Despite a 2nd leg defeat, Porto booked their place in the Europa Cup Final. Villareal kept their unbeaten home record in the competition with a gutsy performance as goals from Cani, Joan Capdevila and Giuseppe Rossi did the damage but Porto goals from Hulk and Falcao made sure that the result was immaterial. With his goal, Falcao set a record for most goals in a European competition (16) beating Jurgen Klinsmann's 1996 record (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Drury/Beglin, PAL)
Final - FC Porto (1) v (0) Braga - In an all-Portuguese final, it was Porto that took the cup with a single goal, completing the 2nd leg of their treble-winning season. The goal came from Falcao just before the half, which Porto defended until the end despite Braga having the better chances in the 2nd half. The win meant that Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas became the youngest ever winner of a UEFA competition at 33 years of age (10, 2 Discs, CH5 - Woods/Taylor, PAL)