The 1997/98 UEFA Champions League was the 6th season of the most important European competition for club teams in football under this name and the 43rd overall.
This season all registered national champions were again at the start , as last in the 1993/94 season , as due to the reorganization of the European club competitions, all member associations were again granted at least one starting place in the Champions League. Including defending champion Borussia Dortmund, the record number of 55 teams from 46 national associations took part in the competition, with the countries ranked 1–8 in the UEFA five-year ranking each being allowed to send their runner-up as a second representative for the first time in the history of the competition . Representatives from Armenia , Azerbaijan , Macedonia and Slovakia also took part in the most important European club competition for the first time .
The final took place on May 20, 1998 at the Amsterdam Arena and was won 1-0 by Real Madrid against Juventus Turin.
This season there were two changes compared to the previous season. The qualification for the group stage was played out in two knockout rounds instead of one before. This was followed by the group phase with six, instead of four, groups of four teams. For the group stage, the champions from the countries were placed 1 - 7 in the UEFA five-year ranking (Germany, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain). Only Turkey, 8th in this ranking, had to send their master Galatasaray Istanbul into the second qualifying round, as defending champion Borussia Dortmund was also set for the group stage. The six group winners and the two group runners-up with the highest points reach the quarter-finals.
qualification
1st qualifying round
The first leg took place on July 23rd, the second leg on July 30th, 1997.
The winners of the second qualifying round advanced to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, the losing teams advanced to the first round of the 1997/98 UEFA Cup .
The first leg took place on August 13th, the second leg on August 27th, 1997.
The meeting of the teams from Munich and Dortmund marked the first Bundesliga duel in the history of the Champions League. The decision in favor of Dortmund was made in the 109th minute by a goal from Chapuisat.
Semifinals
The first leg took place on April 1, the second leg on April 15, 1998.
1In the first leg in Madrid, one of the goal posts broke before the game began, which led to the kick-off being delayed by over an hour. TV presenter Günther Jauch commented on this with the words “The first goal has already been scored!”. The " Torfall von Madrid " achieved great popularity in Germany. There the interruption had more TV viewers than the game.
Real Madrid (7th title)
Alessandro Del Piero (10)
ÍA Akranes
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Croatia Zagreb
Riga discount
MTK Hungária FC
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Dinamo Tbilisi
Beitar Jerusalem
CSKA Sofia
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MPKZ Mazyr
FC Jazz Pori
Glasgow Rangers
Widzew Łódź
Barry Town United
Jeunesse Esch
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Kareda Šiauliai
NK Maribor
Sparta Prague
Paris Saint-Germain
Sporting Lisbon
Lierse SK
Spartak Moscow
Rosenborg Trondheim
1-0 Predrag Mijatović (67.)
Hierro, Roberto Carlos, Seedorf, Karembeu
Emerson
Victor Ikpeba
