2002–03 Valencia CF season

Valencia CF

2002–03 season
President	Jaime Ortí
Manager	Rafael Benítez
Stadium	Mestalla
La Liga	5th
Copa del Rey	Second round
Supercopa de España	Runners-up
UEFA Champions League	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Pablo Aimar Fábio Aurélio John Carew (8 each) All: John Carew (13)
Home colours Away colours
← 2001–02 2003–04 →

Valencia CF did not succeed in defending their La Liga title, finishing in slumped 5th place. Los Che also got to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where former coach Héctor Cúper and Inter got the upper hand over Valencia and Rafael Benítez. The main player during the season was Pablo Aimar, who was the only player making waves in the season, where the previously solid defense did not perform as previously.

Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ESP Santiago Cañizares 2 DF  ARG Mauricio Pellegrino 3 DF  BRA Fábio Aurélio 4 DF  ARG Roberto Ayala 5 DF  SCG Miroslav Đukić 6 MF  ESP David Albelda 7 FW  NOR John Carew 8 MF  ESP Rubén Baraja 9 FW  ESP Salva 10 MF  ESP Angulo 11 FW  ESP Juan Sánchez 12 DF  ESP Carlos Marchena 13 GK  ESP Andrés Palop 14 MF  ESP Vicente 15 DF  ITA Amedeo Carboni 16 MF  ROU Dennis Șerban 17 MF  FRA Anthony Réveillère

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  ARG Kily González 19 MF  ESP Francisco Rufete 20 FW  ESP Mista 21 MF  ARG Pablo Aimar 22 MF  URU Gonzalo de los Santos 23 DF  ESP Curro Torres 27 DF  ESP David Navarro 28 GK  ESP David Rángel 30 FW  ESP Borja 31 DF  ESP Miguel Albiol 34 MF  ESP Javier Garrido 36 DF  FRA Dorothée 37 MF  ESP Redondo 39 MF  ESP Gavilan 40 DF  ESP Soriano — DF  PAR Ángel Amarilla

Transfers

Competitions

La Liga

League table

Results by round

Matches

Mallorca v Valencia

1 September 2002 1	Mallorca	0-2	Valencia
			Gonzalo de los Santos 11' Rubén Baraja 57'

Valencia v Recreativo

14 September 2002 2	Valencia	3-0	Recreativo	Valencia
	Vicente 10' John Carew 88' John Carew 90'			Stadium: Mestalla

Málaga v Valencia

22 September 2002 3	Málaga	2-2	Valencia
	Manu 26' Mikel Roteta 30'		Mista 47' Angulo 90'

Valencia v Rayo Vallecano

29 September 2002 4	Valencia	3-0	Rayo Vallecano	Valencia
	Mista 34' Rubén Baraja 45' (pen.) Angulo 86'			Stadium: Mestalla

Valencia v Celta Vigo

6 October 2002 5	Valencia	0-1	Celta Vigo	Valencia
			Vágner 90'	Stadium: Mestalla

Atlético Madrid v Valencia

19 October 2002 6	Atlético Madrid	1-1	Valencia
	Javi Moreno 75'	Report	Mauricio Pellegrino 40'

Valencia v Athletic Bilbao

26 October 2002 7	Valencia	5-1	Athletic Bilbao	Valencia
	Pablo Aimar 5' John Carew 7' Pablo Aimar 28' Pablo Aimar 43' Fábio Aurélio 48' (pen.)	Report	Tiko 81'	Stadium: Mestalla

Espanyol v Valencia

3 November 2002 8	Espanyol	0-1	Valencia
		Report	Fábio Aurélio 74'

Valencia v Betis

9 November 2002 9	Valencia	1-1	Betis	Valencia
	Pablo Aimar 81'	Report	Marcos Assunção 70'	Stadium: Mestalla

Osasuna v Valencia

17 November 2002 10	Osasuna	1-0	Valencia	Pamplona
	Iván Rosado 6'	Report

Valencia v Valladolid

24 November 2002 11	Valencia	2-0	Valladolid	Valencia
	Mista 10' Mista 30'	Report		Stadium: Mestalla

Copa del Rey

Round of 64

Round of 32

UEFA Champions League

First group stage

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Valencia	6	5	1	0	17	4	+13	16	Advance to second group stage
2	Basel	6	2	3	1	12	12	0	9
3	Liverpool	6	2	2	2	12	8	+4	8	Transfer to UEFA Cup
4	Spartak Moscow	6	0	0	6	1	18	−17	0

Valencia v Liverpool

17 September 2002	Valencia	2–0	Liverpool	Valencia
20:45 (20:45 UTC+2)	Aimar 20' Baraja 38'	Report		Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 35,333 Referee: Herbert Fandel

Spartak Moscow v Valencia

25 September 2002	Spartak Moscow	0–3	Valencia	Moscow
18:00 (20:00 UTC+4)		Report	Angulo 6' Mista 71' Juan Sánchez 85'	Stadium: Dynamo Stadium Attendance: 10,500 Referee: Stéphane Bré

Valencia v Basel

2 October 2002	Valencia	6–2	Basel	Valencia
20:45 (20:45 UTC+2)	Carew 10', 13' Aurélio 17' Baraja 28' Aimar 58' Mista 60'	Report	Rossi 46' H. Yakin 90'	Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 27,394 Referee: Cosimo Bolognino

Basel v Valencia

22 October 2002	Basel	2–2	Valencia	Basel
20:45 (20:45 UTC+2)	Ergić 32', 90'	Report	Baraja 36' Curro Torres 72'	Stadium: St. Jakob-Park Attendance: 29,500 Referee: Helmut Fleischer

Liverpool v Valencia

30 October 2002	Liverpool	0–1	Valencia	Liverpool
20:45 (19:45 UTC±0)		Report	Rufete 34'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 41,831 Referee: Terje Hauge

Valencia v Spartak Moscow

12 November 2002	Valencia	3–0	Spartak Moscow	Valencia
20:45 (20:45 UTC+1)	Juan Sánchez 38', 46' Aurélio 78'	Report		Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 27,000 Referee: Georgios Kasnaferis

Second group stage

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Valencia	6	2	3	1	5	6	−1	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Ajax	6	1	5	0	6	5	+1	8
3	Arsenal	6	1	4	1	6	5	+1	7
4	Roma	6	1	2	3	7	8	−1	5

Valencia v Ajax

27 November 2002	Valencia	1–1	Ajax	Valencia
20:45 (20:45 UTC+1)	Angulo 90'	Report	Ibrahimović 89'	Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 32,164 Referee: Gilles Veissière (France)

Arsenal v Valencia

10 December 2002	Arsenal	0–0	Valencia	London
20:45 (19:45 UTC±0)		Report		Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 34,793 Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen

Roma v Valencia

18 February 2003	Roma	0–1	Valencia	Rome
20:45 (20:45 UTC+1)		Report	Carew 78'	Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Attendance: 30,599 Referee: Wolfgang Stark

Valencia v Roma

26 February 2003	Valencia	0–3	Roma	Valencia
20:45 (20:45 UTC+1)		Report	Totti 24', 30' Emerson 36'	Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 35,175 Referee: Frank De Bleeckere

Ajax v Valencia

11 March 2003	Ajax	1–1	Valencia	Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
20:45 (20:45 UTC+1)	Pasanen 56'	Report	Kily González 28' (pen.)	Attendance: 48,633 Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

Valencia v Arsenal

19 March 2003	Valencia	2–1	Arsenal	Valencia
20:45 (20:45 UTC+1)	Carew 34', 57'	Report	Henry 49'	Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 44,151 Referee: Kyros Vassaras

Quarter-finals

Internazionale v Valencia

9 April 2003	Internazionale	1–0	Valencia	Milano
20:45 (20:45 UTC+2)	Vieri 14'	Report		Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 52,623 Referee: Markus Merk

Valencia v Internazionale

22 April 2003	Valencia	2–1	Internazionale	Valencia
20:45 (20:45 UTC+2)	Aimar 7' Baraja 51'	Report	Vieri 5'	Stadium: Mestalla Attendance: 43,802 Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen

Statistics

Players statistics

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		La Liga		Copa del Rey		Champions League
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ESP	Cañizares	43	-39	31	-27	0	0	12	-12
15	DF	ITA	Carboni	41	0	24+5	0	0+1	0	10+1	0
4	DF	ARG	Ayala	43	1	31	1	0	0	12	0
2	DF	ARG	Pellegrino	41	1	26+2	1	1+1	0	11	0
3	DF	BRA	Fábio Aurélio	37	10	23+4	8	2	0	4+4	2
8	DM	ESP	Baraja	48	9	30+5	5	1	0	12	4
6	DM	ESP	Albelda	37	0	23+3	0	0	0	11	0
19	MF	ESP	Rufete	40	4	26+2	3	1	0	8+3	1
21	AM	ARG	Aimar	44	11	29+2	8	1+1	0	10+1	3
14	MF	ESP	Vicente	39	1	26+2	1	0	0	10+1	0
7	FW	NOR	Carew	46	13	25+7	8	1	0	12+1	5
13	GK	ESP	Palop	14	-11	7+2	-8	2	-3	2+1	0
12	DF	ESP	Marchena	37	0	22+4	0	1+1	0	4+5	0
10	FW	ESP	Angulo	37	6	15+9	4	1+1	0	6+5	2
20	FW	ESP	Mista	39	11	10+17	7	1	2	3+8	2
11	FW	ESP	Juan Sánchez	36	9	9+17	5	1	1	5+4	3
17	MF	FRA	Réveillère	24	1	17+1	1	0	0	6	0
22	MF	URU	de los Santos	23	1	11+6	1	2	0	2+2	0
23	DF	ESP	Curro Torres	22	1	14	0	1	0	7	1
5	DF	SCG	Djukic	10	0	6+2	0	1	0	1	0
18	MF	ARG	Kily González	20	1	4+9	0	1	0	4+2	1
34	MF	ESP	Garrido	9	0	5+1	0	1	0	1+1	0
27	DF	ESP	Navarro	6	0	2+1	0	2	0	0+1	0
30	FW	ESP	Borja	4	0	1+2	0	1	0
9	FW	ESP	Salva	4	0	1+1	0	0+1	0	1	0
29	MF	ESP	Enguix	2	0	0+2	0
39	MF	ESP	Gavilan	2	0	0+2	0
36	DF	FRA	Dorothée	1	0	0+1	0
31	DF	ESP	Albiol	2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0+1	0
37	MF	ESP	Redondo	1	0	0+1	0
40	DF	ESP	Soriano	1	0	0+1	0
16	MF	ROU	Șerban
28	GK	ESP	Rángel
	DF	PAR	Ángel Amarilla

References