Leeds United F.C. in European football

Leeds United first played European football with their appearance in the 1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a competition which they have won twice. Their first European Cup/Champions League appearance came in 1969–70. Leeds' first and last appearance in the Cup Winners' Cup came in 1972–73.

Leeds United F.C. in European football
ClubLeeds United
Seasons played18
First entry1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Latest entry2002–03 UEFA Cup
Titles
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup2 (1968, 1971)

Summary

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The club's debut in European competitions came in the 1965–66 season in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which they competed in for three consecutive seasons before winning the trophy in the 1967–68 season. They had been on the losing side in the same competition a year previously, and won it again in 1970–71, the final season of its existence before it was effectively replaced by the new UEFA Cup.

The club reached a further two European finals during the 1970s; the European Cup Winners' Cup final in 1973 and the European Cup final in 1975. However, they were beaten on both occasions. Their venture into the 1979–80 UEFA Cup would be their last in European competitions for more than a decade; it ended in the second round.

European competitions then became effectively out of the question for Leeds, who were relegated to the Second Division in 1982 and did not win promotion until 1990. League title glory in 1992 sealed their return to Europe after more than a decade as England's representatives in the European Cup, where they were eliminated in the second round by Scottish champions Rangers.

In 1999–2000, the club enjoyed its best run in European competitions for 25 years, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. They reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in the 2000–2001 season losing to Valencia (changes in qualification requirements meant that they could now qualify as the third placed team in their domestic league) a year later. Their most recent European campaign to date was in the 2002–03 season, where they competed in the UEFA Cup and reached the third round. By this stage, however, the club was deep in financial trouble and was starting to sell most of its key players, which contributed to relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2003–04. Sixteen years on, the club has regained its place in the top flight of English football.

Matches

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Season Competition Round Opposition Score
1965–66 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round   Torino 2–1 Elland Road
0–0 (A)
Second Round   Leipzig 2–1 (A)
0–0 Elland Road
Third Round   Valencia 1–1 Elland Road
1–0 (A)
Quarter-Final   Újpest 4–1 Elland Road
1–1 (A)
Semi-Final   Real Zaragoza 0–1 (A)
2–1 Elland Road
1–3 Elland Road
1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round Bye
Second Round   DWS 3–1 (A)
5–1 Elland Road
Third Round   Valencia 1–1 Elland Road
2–0 (A)
Quarter-Final   Bologna 0–1 (A)
1–0 Elland Road[1]
Semi-Final   Kilmarnock 4–2 Elland Road
0–0 (A)
Final   Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb
0–0 Elland Road
1967–68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round   Spora Luxembourg 9–0 (A)
7–0 Elland Road
Second Round   Partizan Belgrade 2–1 (A)
1–1 Elland Road
Third Round   Hibernian 1–0 Elland Road
1–1 (A)
Quarter-Final   Rangers[2] 0–0 (A)
2–0 Elland Road
Semi-Final   Dundee[3] 1–1 (A)
1–0 Elland Road
Final[4]   Ferencváros 1–0 Elland Road
0–0 Népstadion, Budapest
1968–69 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round   Standard Liège 0–0 (A)
3–2 Elland Road
Second Round   Napoli 2–0 Elland Road
0–2 (A)[1]
Third Round   Hannover 5–1 Elland Road
2–1 (A)
Quarter-Final   Újpest 0–1 Elland Road
0–2 (A)
1969–70 European Cup First Round   Lyn 10–0 Elland Road
6–0 (A)
Second Round   Ferencváros 3–0 Elland Road
3–0 (A)
Quarter-Final   Standard Liège 1–0 (A)
1–0 Elland Road
Semi-Final   Celtic 0–1 Elland Road
1–2 (A)
1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup First Round   Sarpsborg 1–0 (A)
5–0 Elland Road
Second Round   Dynamo Dresden 1–0 Elland Road
1–2 (A)[5]
Third Round   Sparta Prague 6–0 Elland Road
3–2 (A)
Quarter-Final   Vitória Setúbal 2–1 Elland Road
1–1 (A)
Semi-Final   Liverpool 1–0 (A)
0–0 Elland Road
Final   Juventus 2–2 Stadio Comunale, Turin
1–1 Elland Road[5]
Fairs Cup Play-off Final   Barcelona 1–2 Nou Camp
1971–72 UEFA Cup First Round   Lierse 0–4 Elland Road
2–0 (A)
1972–73 European Cup Winners' Cup First Round   Ankaragücü 1–1 (A)
1–0 Elland Road
Second Round   Carl Zeiss Jena 0–0 (A)
2–0 Elland Road
Quarter-Final   Rapid București 5–0 Elland Road
3–1 (A)
Semi-Final   Hajduk Split 1–0 Elland Road
0–0 (A)
Final   Milan 0–1 Kaftanzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki
1973–74 UEFA Cup First Round   Strømsgodset 1–1 (A)
6–1 Elland Road
Second Round   Hibernian 0–0 Elland Road
0–0 (A)[6]
Third Round   Vitória Setúbal 1–0 Elland Road
1–3 (A)
1974–75 European Cup First Round   Zürich 4–1 Elland Road
1–2 (A)
Second Round   Újpest 2–1 (A)
3–0 Elland Road
Quarter-Final   Anderlecht 3–0 Elland Road
1–0 (A)
Semi-Final   Barcelona 2–1 Elland Road
1–1 (A)
Final   Bayern Munich 0–2 Parc des Princes, Paris
1979–80 UEFA Cup First Round   Valletta 4–0 (A)
3–0 Elland Road
Second Round   Universitatea Craiova 0–2 (A)
0–2 Elland Road
1992–93 Champions League First Round   Stuttgart 0–3 (A)
4–1 Elland Round[7]
Second Round   Rangers 1–2 (A)
1–2 Elland Road
1995–96 UEFA Cup First Round   AS Monaco 3–0 (A)
0–1 Elland Road
Second Round   PSV Eindhoven 3–5 Elland Road
0–3
1998–99 UEFA Cup First Round   Marítimo 1–0 Elland Road
0–1 (A)[8]
Second Round   Roma 0–1 (A)
0–0 Elland Road
1999–2000 UEFA Cup First Round   Partizan Belgrade 3–1 (A)
1–0 Elland Road
Second Round   Lokomotiv Moscow 4–1 Elland Road
3–0 (A)
Third Round   Spartak Moscow 1–2 (A)
1–0 Elland Road[5]
Fourth Round   Roma 0–0 (A)
1–0 Elland Road
Quarter-Final   Slavia Prague 3–0 Elland Road
1–2 (A)
Semi-Final   Galatasaray 0–2 (A)
2–2 (H)
2000–01 Champions League Third qualifying round   1860 Munich 2–1 Elland Road
1–0 (A)
Group H   Barcelona 0–4 (A)
1–1 Elland Road
Group H   Milan 1–0 Elland Road
1–1 (A)
Group H   Beşiktaş 6–0 Elland Road
0–0 (A)
Second Group D   Real Madrid 0–2 Elland Road
2–3 (A)
Second Group D   Lazio 1–0 (A)
3–3 Elland Road
Second Group D   Anderlecht 2–1 Elland Road
4–1 (A)
Quarter-Final   Deportivo La Coruña 3–0 Elland Road
0–2 (A)
Semi-Final   Valencia 0–0 Elland Road
0–3 (A)
2001–02 UEFA Cup First Round   Marítimo 0–1 (A)
3–0 Elland Road
Second Round   Troyes 4–2 Elland Road
2–3 (A)
Third Round   Grasshopper 2–1 (A)
2–2 Elland Road
Fourth Round   PSV Eindhoven 0–0 (A)
0–1 Elland Road
2002–03 UEFA Cup First Round   Metalurh Zaporizhya 1–0 Elland Road
1–1 (A)
Second Round   Hapoel Tel Aviv 1–0 Elland Road
4–1 (A)
Third Round   Málaga 0–0 (A)
1–2 Elland Road

Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b Won on Coin flipping
  2. ^ "European Nights: Leeds United 2 Rangers 0 (report and contemporary newspaper scans)". Leeds United F.C. History. 9 April 1968. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. ^ "European Nights: Leeds United 1 Dundee 0 (report and contemporary newspaper scans)". Leeds United F.C. History. 15 May 1968. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Matches: 11 September 1968 – Ferencvaros 0 Leeds United 0". The Mighty Mighty Whites. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Won on Away goals rule
  6. ^ Won 5–4 on penalties
  7. ^ Stuttgart would have won on away goals; however, it was realised that in the second leg between Leeds United and Stuttgart, Stuttgart had substituted a fourth foreign player. At the time, a maximum of three foreign players was allowed. The game was awarded to Leeds United with a score of 3–0, making it 3–3 on aggregate with no difference in away goals. A play-off match in Barcelona was ordered, which Leeds United won 2–1.
  8. ^ Won 4–1 on penalties