Sion's Champions League dreams dashed in Porto

memorable

4 November 1992: Two weeks after the 2-2 draw at home, Sion faced Porto again in the league qualifying round. The Valais side need a win or a draw and at least three goals to knock out the Portuguese favorites. Half of it looked good, and then there was applause.

follow me

As Swiss champions, Sion attempted to qualify for the newly formed UEFA Champions League in the autumn of 1992. For the first time this season, the original National Champions Cup will be replaced by a group stage. A record number of 36 clubs (all champions at the time(!)) took part in the most important European club competition.

In 1992, Sion became Swiss champion for the first time.Image: KEYSTONE

In order to advance to the group stage, the Swiss team must first advance to two knockout rounds. In the first round, Ukrainian representative Tavriya Simferopol easily won with a total score of 7:2.

The first round ended in a draw…

After that, a bigger piece awaited the Valais with the famous FC Porto. On October 21, coach Jean-Paul Brigger's team will face the favorites in the Tourbillon. After a goalless first half, Sion's David Orlando (No. 54) and Roberto Assis (No. 59) beat Porto goalkeeper Vito Baia twice in 5 minutes to score. 2-0 lead.

But the visitors struck a quicker double shortly before the end: Jose Semedo (78th) and Fernando Couto (81st) gave Porto a deserved 2-2 equalizer.

Two weeks after the draw, the Valais will face Porto again in the second leg. On November 4, 40,000 spectators will be in attendance at the Antas Stadium, a rather sparse crowd for a major Portuguese club. Porto fans are awaiting next Sunday's match, when arch-rivals Benfica Lisbon visit.

Antas Stadium was demolished in 2004 and had a capacity of 51,211 spectators.Picture: Douban

Sion will need a win or a draw and at least three goals in the second leg to knock out the favorites. Sion had a strong first half, at least in terms of results, and went into the break with a score of 0-0.

…The second leg was slapped

In the second half, however, all dams were broken for the Valais when Portuguese Jorge Costa (54th) scored the first goal. Domingos (55th), Kostadinov (63rd) and Magalas (87th) ensured a well-deserved 4-0 victory. After the game, “NZZ” gave a devastating description in its match report: “A goalkeeper's authority is barely enough in the five-yard box; the libero only crossed the midfield line on his way to the dressing room, and the midfielder Without confidence, the forward has no motivation…»

Only Ronaldinho's brother Roberto Assis is at international level. As the only player in Sion's attack, the Brazilian was unable to prevent a clear defeat. Porto never had to hit the limits of their performance, which was too high a hurdle for the Swiss champions.

Roberto Assis: one of the best technicians in the history of football on Swiss soil.Image: KEYSTONE

Due to this game, the Valais will miss the opportunity to face AC Milan in the group stage. At this time, the finalists include well-known players such as Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten.

At least it's a consolation for Sion player Tulio, who played a total of 117 minutes against Porto. The striker ranks sixth on the scorer's list with 4 goals. However, the Brazilian did not score against Porto, but in the previous round against Taurija Simferopol.

November 3, 2002: Swiss television has one of the best ideas in its history. Thun coach Hanspeter Latour recorded the song during an NLA game against Servette, instantly turning him into a cult figure.

ServetteGeneva was a guest of Thun Football Club. Here is the 17-time Swiss champion, over there is the newcomer from the Bernese Oberland. Center: TV journalist Regula Späni.