sorry for the incovenience of remembering this issue but I had to update the "it's all a big coincidente" stat:
2000-2006
CL - Porto knocks Manchester out
CL - Benfica knocks Manchester out
CL - Benfica knocks Liverpool out
UEFA - Sporting knocks Newcastle out
UEFA - Sporting knocks Middlesborough out
Portugal beats England in Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 (in fact the last time england won against us in a competition was in... 1966 since we also had britbut for breakfast in WC 1986)
My veredict?
As much as I love to follow EPL my conclusion and only be one of two:
A) Portuguese clubs are incredible teams hidden on a anonymous league
OR
B) EPL teams are a bunch of overrated institutions that play spectacularly against eachother but that are 80% marketing and 20% real quality soccer.
Guess what the rational option is.
Congrats to Benfica for silencing the "european champions", well deserved overall result against a team with maybe a double budget, when compaired. Funny to see portuguese fans claiming for Arsenal as a "lucky draw". It really says all about how low english clubs are regarder over here.
English club? Easy win