AC Milan 1 - Deportivo 1

Deportivo: Molina; Manuel Pablo, Naybet, Donato, Romero; Mauro Silva (Helder 22'), Emerson; Víctor, Djalminha, Fran (Capdevila 67'); Makaay (Pandiani 80'). 4-2-3-1.

Goals:
0-1. 74. Djalminha (penalty). After Helveg and Ba blocked Romero inside area.
1-1. 86. Shevchenko (penalty). After Molina ruled to have brought down Bierhoff.

Group B league table:
Galatasaray.............. 10 points
Deportivo................... 10 points
AC Milan....................... 7 points
Paris St. Germain...... 5 points

Deportivo La Coruña went through to the quarter final stage in style, picking up the point they needed with a well earned draw in the San Siro stadium. Only three games ago Depor appeared to be virtually out of the competition having lost two of their first three matches, but two home victories in a row kept them in with a chance. Knowing the importance of this one, Irureta rested key players at the weekend and put out his best starting line up against the Italians, although he was to lose his midfield general Mauro Silva early on with a groin strain.

The first few minutes were nervy with some heavy tackling by both sides, with Albertini finally getting booked after going in hard once to often. Milan gradually got into gear around half time, and Scottish referee Hugh Dallas ruled out a goal by Shevchenko for offside just before the break. Both he and Spanish under 21 international José Mari gave Molina a few frights in the first quarter of an hour of the second half, but Depor held on for dear life. Then with a quarter of an hour to go Capdevila, who had substituted the injured Fran, went down in the area under a challenge from Helveg. Djalminha stepped up to take a cheeky penalty, chipping the ball into the net in what is known in Spain as the Panenka style, and that was about it.

With Milan reeling Makaay brushed the post with a shot, and Emerson put the ball over the bar when it was easier to score. But Milan still have some class players, and after Dallas ruled out another goal for offside, this time from substitute Bierhoff, the German international fell over the scrambling Molina to win himself a controversial penalty. Shevchenko tucked it away and for the last few minutes the 200 or so Depor fans who had made the journey couldn't watch. But this is not Italy's year, and their last representative in the European competitions fell to Spanish opposition just weeks after their neighbours Inter Milan lost to Alavés in the same stadium. As in that game police had to protect their own directors from assault by the fans, and the Milan manager Zaccheroni was sacked the day after. With Galatasaray losing Depor ended up as group champions, thereby avoiding the other two Spanish teams. Later in the week they were paired with Leeds United, who qualified second to Real Madrid in their group.