On august 2025 · CA Osasuna
Champions League experience was short-lived. El Cuco Ziganda took over as coach after Aguirre left for Atlético de Madrid. In the qualifying round, Osasuna was drawn against Hamburger SV, featuring stars like Van de Vaart, Kompany, and De Jong. Ziganda made a surprising decision to give Nacho Monreal his debut in the first leg in Germany, which ended in a 0-0 draw. Despite taking the lead at El Sadar with a goal from Cuéllar, the match ended in a tie, and Osasuna missed out on the Champions League due to the away goals rule. Nevertheless, their European journey continued that season.
April 5, 2007. Osasuna defeated Bayern Leverkusen 3-0 on the road in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. Pictured: Webó celebrarting the third goal of the evening, Cuéllar and David López also scored that day.
Los Rojillos rebounded from that setback and achieved their best-ever European run. In the UEFA Cup, hopes soared as they progressed through each round. After the qualifying stage, they faced Parma in the group stage and secured a 3-0 victory on the road. In the round of 32, Nekounam led the team to eliminate Bordeaux in extra time, with a 0-0 draw and a 1-0 win. In the round of 16, Osasuna returned to Glasgow and knocked out Rangers with a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 win. In the quarterfinals, Cuéllar, David López, and Webó delivered a stellar performance against Bayer Leverkusen, winning 0-3 and 1-0. Their remarkable run came to an end in the semifinals, where Raúl García scored the winner against Sevilla in the first leg, but the Andalusians triumphed 2-0 in the second leg.
Notably, in that year, Osasuna was named Club of the Month by the IFFHS after winning four consecutive league matches and one in the UEFA Cup. Read full article
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