1996–97 UEFA Champions League group stage

The group stage of the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League began on 11 September 1996 and ended on 4 December 1996. Eight teams qualified automatically for the group stage, while eight more qualified via a preliminary round. The 16 teams were divided into four groups of four, and the teams in each group played against each other on a home-and-away basis, meaning that each team played a total of six group matches. For each win, teams were awarded three points, with one point awarded for each draw. At the end of the group stage, the two teams in each group with the most points advanced to the quarter-finals.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 France Auxerre 6 4 0 2 8 7 +1 12 Advance to knockout stage
2 Netherlands Ajax 6 4 0 2 8 4 +4 12
3 Switzerland Grasshopper 6 3 0 3 8 5 +3 9
4 Scotland Rangers 6 1 0 5 5 13 −8 3
Source: UEFA
Auxerre France0–1Netherlands Ajax
Report Litmanen 4'
Attendance: 18,512
Referee: Piero Ceccarini (Italy)
Grasshopper Switzerland3–0Scotland Rangers
Yakin 18'
Türkyilmaz 28', 79'		 Report
Hardturm, Zürich
Attendance: 20,030
Rangers Scotland1–2France Auxerre
Gascoigne 71' Report Deniaud 55', 69'
Attendance: 37,344
Ajax Netherlands0–1Switzerland Grasshopper
Report Yakin 60'
Attendance: 43,134
Auxerre France1–0Switzerland Grasshopper
Deniaud 43' Report
Attendance: 17,000
Referee: Rune Pedersen (Norway)
Ajax Netherlands4–1Scotland Rangers
Dani 25', 41'
Babangida 83'
Wooter 90'		 Report Durrant 88'
Attendance: 48,467
Rangers Scotland0–1Netherlands Ajax
Report Scholten 39'
Attendance: 42,265
Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)
Grasshopper Switzerland3–1France Auxerre
Moldovan 17', 29'
Gren 59'		 Report Gren 48' (o.g.)
Attendance: 19,200
Referee: Vadim Zhuk (Belarus)
Rangers Scotland2–1Switzerland Grasshopper
McCoist 67', 73' Report Berger 77'
Attendance: 34,192
Ajax Netherlands1–2France Auxerre
Babangida 44' Report Diomède 11'
Marlet 56'
Attendance: 48,700
Auxerre France2–1Scotland Rangers
Laslandes 20'
Marlet 32'		 Report Gough 36'
Grasshopper Switzerland0–1Netherlands Ajax
Report Kluivert 32'
Attendance: 19,200

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Spain Atlético Madrid 6 4 1 1 12 4 +8 13 Advance to knockout stage
2 Germany Borussia Dortmund 6 4 1 1 14 8 +6 13
3 Poland Widzew Łódź 6 1 1 4 6 10 −4 4
4 Romania Steaua București 6 1 1 4 5 15 −10 4
Source: UEFA
Atlético Madrid Spain4–0Romania Steaua București
Esnáider 33', 45'
Simeone 64', 84'		 Report
Attendance: 47,000
Borussia Dortmund Germany2–1Poland Widzew Łódź
Herrlich 45', 68' Report Citko 84'
Attendance: 39,600
Widzew Łódź Poland1–4Spain Atlético Madrid
Citko 45' Report Pantić 25'
Simeone 32', 58'
Kiko 60'
Attendance: 15,450
Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)
Steaua București Romania0–3Germany Borussia Dortmund
Report Ricken 6'
Heinrich 37'
Chapuisat 77'
Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Paul Durkin (England)
Atlético Madrid Spain0–1Germany Borussia Dortmund
Report Reuter 51'
Attendance: 50,000
Steaua București Romania1–0Poland Widzew Łódź
Bogusz 82' (o.g.) Report
Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Giorgos Bikas (Greece)
Widzew Łódź Poland2–0Romania Steaua București
Majak 40'
Czerwiec 48'		 Report
Attendance: 4,900
Borussia Dortmund Germany1–2Spain Atlético Madrid
Herrlich 17' Report Fresnedoso 37'
Pantić 42'
Attendance: 45,000
Widzew Łódź Poland2–2Germany Borussia Dortmund
Dembiński 15', 20' Report Lambert 14'
Kohler 65'
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Rune Pedersen (Norway)
Steaua București Romania1–1Spain Atlético Madrid
Ilie 46' Report Pantić 24'
Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest
Attendance: 10,000
Atlético Madrid Spain1–0Poland Widzew Łódź
Pantić 83' Report
Borussia Dortmund Germany5–3Romania Steaua București
Chapuisat 13', 22'
Tretschok 43'
Riedle 63'
Zorc 65'		 Report Ilie 17'
Baciu 52'
Călin 79'
Attendance: 37,000

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Italy Juventus 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 16 Advance to knockout stage
2 England Manchester United 6 3 0 3 6 3 +3 9
3 Turkey Fenerbahçe 6 2 1 3 3 6 −3 7
4 Austria Rapid Wien 6 0 2 4 2 12 −10 2
Source: UEFA
Rapid Wien Austria1–1Turkey Fenerbahçe
Stumpf 71' Report Bolić 30'
Attendance: 41,500
Juventus Italy1–0England Manchester United
Bokšić 34' Report
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)
Fenerbahçe Turkey0–1Italy Juventus
Report Bokšić 22'
Manchester United England2–0Austria Rapid Wien
Solskjær 20'
Beckham 27'		 Report
Attendance: 51,831
Referee: Rémi Harrel (France)
Rapid Wien Austria1–1Italy Juventus
Lesiak 20' Report Vieri 9'
Fenerbahçe Turkey0–2England Manchester United
Report Beckham 55'
Cantona 60'
Juventus Italy5–0Austria Rapid Wien
Bokšić 5', 61'
Montero 28'
Del Piero 29', 75'		 Report
Attendance: 26,143
Manchester United England0–1Turkey Fenerbahçe
Report Bolić 78'

Manchester United's defeat to Fenerbahce at Old Trafford was their first home defeat in European football.

Manchester United England0–1Italy Juventus
Report Del Piero 36' (pen.)
Fenerbahçe Turkey1–0Austria Rapid Wien
Høgh 76' Report
Juventus Italy2–0Turkey Fenerbahçe
Padovano 42'
Amoruso 85'		 Report
Attendance: 12,900
Rapid Wien Austria0–2England Manchester United
Report Giggs 24'
Cantona 72'
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Leif Sundell (Sweden)

Group D

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Portugal Porto 6 5 1 0 12 4 +8 16 Advance to knockout stage
2 Norway Rosenborg 6 3 0 3 7 11 −4 9
3 Italy Milan 6 2 1 3 13 11 +2 7
4 Sweden IFK Göteborg 6 1 0 5 7 13 −6 3
Source: UEFA
IFK Göteborg Sweden2–3Norway Rosenborg
Erlingmark 38', 49' Report Jakobsen 32'
Iversen 52'
Brattbakk 64'
Attendance: 23,682
Milan Italy2–3Portugal Porto
Simone 14'
Weah 69'		 Report Artur 52'
Jardel 75', 83'
Attendance: 24,024
Porto Portugal2–1Sweden IFK Göteborg
Artur 27', 51' Report Jorge Costa 71' (o.g.)
Rosenborg Norway1–4Italy Milan
Soltvedt 15' Report Simone 6', 21', 24'
Weah 55'
Attendance: 20,849
IFK Göteborg Sweden2–1Italy Milan
Wahlstedt 75'
Alexandersson 84'		 Report Weah 52'
Attendance: 42,450
Rosenborg Norway0–1Portugal Porto
Report Jardel 90'
Attendance: 20,412
Referee: Charles Agius (Malta)
Porto Portugal3–0Norway Rosenborg
Zahovič 32'
Drulović 41'
Artur 60'		 Report
Milan Italy4–2Sweden IFK Göteborg
Boban 4'
Albertini 14' (pen.)
Locatelli 44'
Baggio 90+2'		 Report Blomqvist 27'
A. Andersson 32'
Attendance: 29,803
Referee: Marc Batta (France)
Porto Portugal1–1Italy Milan
Edmilson 71' Report Davids 56'
Rosenborg Norway1–0Sweden IFK Göteborg
Skammelsrud 66' Report
Attendance: 19,849
Referee: Eric Blareau (Belgium)
IFK Göteborg Sweden0–2Portugal Porto
Report Jardel 64'
Edmilson 89'
Attendance: 19,448
Milan Italy1–2Norway Rosenborg
Dugarry 45' Report Brattbakk 29'
Heggem 70'
Attendance: 28,965
Referee: Giorgos Bikas (Greece)
  • v
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UEFA Champions League phases
Qualifying /
early roundsGroup stagesKnockout phases
  • Note: In 1991–92, the competition was still known as the European Cup, but is included as it was the first to use a group stage format. In that season and 1992–93, there was no knockout phase between the group stage and final.
  • v
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1996–97 in European football (UEFA)
Domestic leagues
Domestic cups
League cups
Supercups
UEFA competitions