AS Monaco, a Monaco-based club representing the French Football Federation, faced Portuguese side Porto at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Monaco had hired former France national football team captain Didier Deschamps as manager and Porto were led by rising star José Mourinho, who left the club for Chelsea a week after the match.

Monaco became the fourth club representing the French league to reach the final after Reims in 1956 & 1959, Saint-Étienne in 1976, and Olympique de Marseille in 1991 & 1993.

Croatian striker Dado Pršo scored four times, while captain Ludovic Giuly (2), Jérôme Rothen, Jaroslav Plašil and Édouard Cissé pulverised the Spanish defensive line.

[3] Porto, winners of the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and UEFA Cup in 2002–03, were the only Portuguese team in the group stage, after the elimination of Benfica in the third qualifying round by Italian side Lazio.

The Portuguese won 2–1 at home[7] and managed to qualify in the final minutes of the second leg, when Costinha scored an equaliser in injury time in a 1–1 draw at Old Trafford.

[8] In the quarter-finals, Porto met a French team for the second time in the tournament: a 2–0 win at home[9] and a 2–2 draw in France eliminated Lyon from the competition.