Valencia 2 - Panathinaikos i

Valencia: Cañizares;Ayala, Djukic, Albelda (Aimar 65'); Angloma, Baraja, Deschamps (Björklund 28'), Vícente; Zahovic; Juan Sánchez , Diego Alonso (Carew 70'). 3-4-1-2.

Goals:
0-1. 26. Basinas (penalty). After Albelda brought down Nasiopoulos in area.
1-1. 39. Juan Sánchez. Headed over keeper after Zahovic free kick from right.
2-1. 74. Angloma. Following up after Nikopolidis parried Zahovic free kick.

Group A league table:
Valencia.................... 12 points
Manchester Utd...... 12 points
Sturm Graz ................. 6 points
Panathinaikos........... 2 points

Valencia made hard work of beating Panathinaikos, but came through in the end to finish top of their group, ahead of Manchester United thanks to the goal scored in Old Trafford a couple of weeks ago. They started off falling behind though, a fair result at the time after the Greeks created the best chances, with Karagounis shooting just wide and seeing another shot saved by Cañizares in the first quarter of an hour. Just before the half hour mark Albelda, acting as makeshift central defender in the absence of Pellegrino and Carboni, brought down Nasiopoulos in the penalty area, the forward holding off his marker long enough to fall inside the penalty box. Basinas made no mistake from the penalty spot, and the Valencia fans started to boo their own players for their lack of effort, the team clearly missing the inspiration of their suspended captain Mendieta. A minute after the goal Deschamps had to leave the field with an injury and one of their forgotten men Björklund came on, with Albelda moving back to his more normal midfield role.

Five minutes from half time Valencia were awarded a free kick wide on the right, and another forgotten man, Zahovic, took his rare opportunity to float the ball on to the head of Juan Sánchez for the equaliser. Sánchez went close again just before the break, but after half time Cañizares had to make a point blank save from Karagounis. The ex Valencia striker Vlaovic was applauded off the field as he was substituted, and Cúper decided that he too should make a change, bringing on two of his first choice players who he had rested at the start, Aimar and Carew. Aimar though aggravated an injury shortly after coming on, but with all three substitutions made he carried on valiantly and as it turned out foolishly, the problem likely now to keep him out for two or three weeks.

With a quarter of an hour to go Danish referee Knud Erik Fisker controversially awarded an indirect free kick to Valencia inside the penalty area after the Greek keeper Chalkias picked up the ball, the referee ruling that it had been a deliberate back pass. The free kick was driven wide, but Fisker made Valencia retake it, booking Seitaridis for moving towards the ball before the kick was taken. This time Zahovic's shot was parried by the keeper and Angloma standing nearby tapped the ball in to the net. It was more than they deserved, but gave them top spot in their group meaning they avoided the Spanish teams and Manchester United in the quarter final draw. Not that it did them much good: they drew the equally dangerous Arsenal anyway.