Dominic Matteo etched his name into Leeds United folklore on this day 25 years ago as he scored a goal that Leeds United fans still sing about to this day.
Leeds United were given little to no chance in the Champions League in the 2000/01 as they entered a group of death alongside European giants AC Milan, Barcelona and Besiktas.
However, David O’Leary’s side revelled in the tag of underdogs. Lee Bowyer’s famous goal against AC Milan gave Leeds hope on a rain-soaked night at Elland Road, and the 6-1 demolition of Besiktas, which featured Mark Viduka’s first goal for the club, made them believe.
However, draws in the home game against Barcelona and the away game against Besiktas meant that Leeds travelled to the San Siro needing a point to guarantee they progressed to the next round.
Cometh the hour, cometh Dom Matteo, who scored a crucial goal to secure Leeds’ progress in a famous game in Italy.
Dom Matteo scored a very good goal for Leeds United on this day
Any fan who visits Elland Road won’t have long to wait before they hear the fans singing about Matteo’s goal, such is its importance in the modern history of Leeds United.
The footballing gods helped Leeds after 25 minutes, as Gary Kelly was cruelly penalised for handball in the area, when the ball hit his arm from point-blank range, resulting in a penalty for AC Milan.
However, Andriy Shevchenko hit the post with the spot-kick to hand Leeds a lifeline. Matteo then made the home side pay for their mistake on the stroke of half-time.
With 44 minutes on the clock, Bowyer whipped in an outswinging corner. Matteo ghosted across the near post, winning the header and beating goalkeeper Dida at the near post.
Leeds were then tasked with holding off the Milan storm as Oliver Bierhoff and Serginho both went close, with Serginho giving Kelly a torrid time.
The Brazilian eventually got the goal he deserved, firing past Paul Robinson after outpacing Kelly to draw the Rossoneri level. But Leeds had enough left in the tank to hold on to a point and progress to the second group stage of the competition.
Dominic Matteo on celebrating with the Leeds United fans
Speaking to the Undr the Cosh podcast in 2018, Matteo reflected on the special celebrations between the Leeds players and fans at the end of the game.
According to Matteo, the players stayed on the pitch for around an hour after the game, drinking beers and singing songs with the fans in a memory he will treasure forever.
Matteo said: “The Leeds fans on that night. I’ve seen a lot of things in football, but I’ve never seen a relationship between players and fans.
“We were on the pitch for an hour after the game, having a sing-song. They’d sing a song, select a player, we’d sing a song or whatever, and it was just back and forth. Mainly, it was Gary Kelly singing songs with the fans.
“I don’t think you’ll ever see that again in football. It was a crazy night. We were drinking beer on the pitch. Imagine that now, Champions League, we’ve got cans of lager on the pitch, having a bit of a sing-song. It was nice to do that. An iconic night for the club.”
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