Hamburg 1 - Deportivo 1

Deportivo: Molina; Manuel Pablo, Naybet, César, Capdevila; Emerson (Ramis 75'), Donato (César Sampaio 46'); Scaloni, Valerón, Fernando; Pandiani (Makaay 46'). 4-2-3-1.

Goals:
1-0. 10. Mahdavikia. Shot from left which hit Helder and spun over Molina.
1-1. 58. Makaay. Following up after Butt twice blocked efforts from Sampaio.

Final league positions (6 matches):
1. Deportivo La Coruña ........10 points
2. Panathinaikos .......................8 points
3. Hamburg .................................6 points
4. Juventus ..................................6 points

A draw in Hamburg assured Deportivo of the leadership of group E and, with two wins and four draws to their name, gave them the honour of being the only side not to lose a match in the first phase of the Champions League. The Coruña based side were already assured of a place in the next round, but with Juventus just three points behind they turned out with a strong starting line up. Looking for that point, Irureta started off with a more defensive 4-1-4-1 formation, with César coming in to the defence for his first game since recovering from injury, Donato playing just in front of the back four and Pandiani alone up front.

The plan was quite frankly a bit of a disaster, with Hamburg spending the first ten minutes almost entirely in Depor's penalty area. Molina saved four times before Mahdavikia put the Germans ahead with a shot which sprung up off Helder's leg and over the surprised keeper. The pressure continued up to the half hour mark, with Barbaréz missing an easy chance and Hoogma hitting a post before Fernando gave a first warning with a shot which Hertzsch cleared off the line. At the break Irureta decided to go back to his traditional 4-2-3-1 line up, bringing on César Sampaio for Donato, with Makaay making his debut in the Champions League in place of Pandiani. The two substitutes added an extra spark to the side, and after referee Anders Frisk ruled out a goal from Fernando for offside, Makaay followed up a double effort by Sampaio to beat Butt from close range.

Makaay almost gave his side the lead a few minutes later, but this time Butt blocked his shot. A victory for Deportivo would in any case have been a bit much after so much domination by the Germans, but as news came through from Greece that Panathinaikos were leading Juventus by 3-1, Hamburg slowed the game right down. The crowd booed their players, unaware that the 1-1 result meant that they went ahead of Juventus into third spot, thereby qualifying for the UEFA cup. Depor were happy to comply, and Ramis came on near the end for Emerson for his first appearance of the season. The Gallicians were unlucky in the draw for the next league phase however, being paired with Milan, Paris Saint Germain and Galatasaray in probably the hardest group. But then at this level every game is difficult, and Deportivo now have the squad and the confidence to cope with it. It all starts again in a couple of weeks.