The second group stage of the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League was played from 21 November 2000 to 14 March 2001. Eight winners and eight runners up from the first group stage were drawn into 4 groups of 4 teams, each containing two group winners and two runners-up. Teams from the same country or from the same first round group cannot be drawn together. The top 2 teams in each group advance to the quarter finals.
Influence
The Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport declared a "Crisis in Calcio" following another year of Italian teams failing to progress beyond the group stage, although by 2003 the Champions League final featured two Italian sides.
References
2000–01 UEFA Champions League second group stage Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA