2001/02 FC Barcelona 0-2 Real Madrid CF: Report

The Camp Nou was as intimidating a venue for visiting teams as ever at the turn of the millennium, but Real Madrid CF withstood a barrage of attacks in the semi-final first leg against FC Barcelona to secure a 2-0 win that left them within sight of the 2002 UEFA Champions League final.

This competition may have been Madrid's domain, but after two Liga titles in three years, Barcelona were slight favourites going into the tie. The Catalan giants had gone 19 years without a home defeat against their great rivals, but second-half goals from Zinédine Zidane and Steve McManaman were to bring that run to a dramatic conclusion.

Madrid were forced to toil for their rewards – can they have expected anything else? – as the hosts began with real intent. With Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and Javier Saviola combining well, they fashioned chance after chance in a dominant first-half performance, coming closest to a breakthrough when Luis Enrique headed Fábio Rochemback's corner against the bar.

The onslaught looked set to continue after the restart as Overmars screwed a shot just wide, but the response from Madrid, shorn of the suspended Luís Figo, was devastating. Raúl González carved the home defence wide open and Zidane raced clear, shaking off the attentions of Philip Cocu for the first time; as goalkeeper Roberto Bonano advanced the midfielder chipped into the gaping net.

It was a lesson in taking your chances further emphasised when Luis Enrique headed over moments later. Guti was just as culpable at the other end but his replacement, McManaman, ensured the miss did not prove costly, holding his nerve after good approach play by Raúl and Flavio Conceição. It left cavalier Barcelona with a mountain to climb in the second leg; even with Rivaldo back from injury it would prove insurmountable.