1968 European Cup final

Football match at Wembley Stadium, London May 2020 1968 European Cup final Poster_1968_European_Cup_final.png Official event poster 1967–68 European Cup Benfica POR 30px 1 Manchester United ENG 30px 4 After extra time 29 May 1968 Wembley Stadium London John Aston (Manchester United) Concetto Lo Bello (Italy) 92,225 1967 1969 The 1968 European Cup final was the final match of the 1967–68 European Cup, the premier club football competition in Europe. It was played at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 29 May 1968 between Benfica of Portugal and Manchester United of England in front of a crowd of 92,225. Both teams had to go through four rounds of two-legged knockout ties to reach the final; it was Benfica's fifth European Cup final, two of which they had won, and Manchester United's first. Both sides went close in a goalless first half, before Manchester United took the lead from Bobby Charlton's header eight minutes into the second; however, Jaime Graça's 79th-minute equaliser meant the match went into extra time. Manchester United then scored three times in seven minutes in the extra period; the first was a solo goal from George Best, followed by a header from Brian Kidd on his 19th birthday. Charlton scored his second in the 99th minute, as Manchester United triumphed 4–1 to become the first English club to win the European Cup. Background The European Cup, now known as the UEFA Champions League, is a club football tournament contested by the best teams across Europe. The competition was first played in 1955–56. Neither Benfica nor Manchester United participated in the inaugural tournament, which was by invitation only; although Benfica had won the 1954–55 Primeira Divisão title, Sporting CP had already been invited.50 years of European Cup https://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/240459.pdf#page=6 UEFA October 2004 6–7 15 March 2020 In 1968, only the league champion from each country qualified.https://www.theguardian.com/football/these-football-times/2019/apr/11/cup-winners-cup-competition-retained In praise of the Cup Winners' Cup, the competition that was never retained Carney Sam The Guardian 11 April 2019 15 March 2020 Benfica reached the European Cup final for the first time in 1961, when they beat Barcelona 3–2. The following year, Benfica defended their title, coming from behind to beat Real Madrid 5–3 in the final. Benfica were losing finalists twice more over the next three years, losing to AC Milan in 1963 and Inter Milan in 1965.https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/Statistics/01/85/99/80/1859980_DOWNLOAD.pdf European Champion Clubs' Cup – History UEFA 128–131 15 March 2020 Manchester United had never previously reached a European Cup final. They had been losing semi-finalists in both the 1956–57 and 1957–58 competitions.Somerscales Murrell Pritchard 1998 132–133 In February 1958, the team were returning from Belgrade having eliminated Red Star Belgrade in the quarter-finals when eight of their players were killed and two more suffered career-ending injuries in the Munich air disaster.https://news.sky.com/story/munich-air-disaster-the-survivors-who-never-played-again-11238262 Munich Air Disaster: The survivors who never played again Sky News 6 February 2018 15 March 2020 Despite not qualifying, they were invited by UEFA to play in the following season's European Cup, but were forced to withdraw by the English Football Association.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/09/19/young-boys-vs-manchester-united-champions-league-live-score/ Paul Pogba emphasises his class with captain's performance to ease Young Boys aside Ducker James Bagchi Rob The Daily Telegraph 19 September 2018 They returned to the competition in 1965–66, when they faced Benfica for the first time in the quarter-finals. Manchester United won 8–3 on aggregate,https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/h2h/52682/50147/ Head-to-head: Man United v Benfica UEFA 15 March 2020 but were eliminated in the semi-final.Somerscales Murrell Pritchard 1998 137 Route to the final 1967–68 European Cup Benfica + Benfica's route to the final Round Opponent Agg. Aggregate score 1st leg 2nd leg First round NIR Glentoran 1–1(away goals) 1–1 (a) 0–0 (h) Second round FRA 1794 Saint-Étienne 2–1 2–0 (h) 0–1 (a) Quarter-final HUN Vasas 3–0 0–0 (a) 3–0 (h) Semi-final ITA Juventus 3–0 2–0 (h) 1–0 (a) Benfica entered the tournament as champions of Portugal, having won the 1966–67 Primeira Divisão. They faced Glentoran of Northern Ireland in the first round, travelling to Belfast for the first leg. Glentoran took the lead from a John Colrain penalty in the 10th minute, before Eusébio equalised in the 86th minute, and it finished 1–1.https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/62258--glentoran-vs-benfica/?iv=true Glentoran – Benfica 1967 History UEFA 16 March 2020 In the second leg, the two sides played out a goalless draw, which resulted in Benfica qualifying for the second round on the away goals rule.https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS251882821/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=08ab4096 Gallant failure by depleted Celtic Green Godfrey The Times 57064 5 October 1967 15 Gale In the next round, they were drawn against Saint-Étienne of France. A goal from José Augusto in the 29th minute and a penalty from Eusébio in the 60th helped Benfica to a 2–0 home victory in the first leg.https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/62344--benfica-vs-st-etienne/ Benfica – St-Étienne 1967 History UEFA 16 March 2020 In France, Saint-Étienne won the second leg 1–0 via a 10th-minute goal from Georges Bereta. Despite losing the match, Benfica progressed 2–1 on aggregate.St-Étienne Benfica 1967 History https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/62345--st-etienne-vs-benfica/ UEFA 16 March 2020 In the quarter-finals, Benfica played out a goalless draw with Hungarian side Vasas in their away leg.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26434651/ Manchester United should at last realise their ambition Todd Eric The Guardian 29 May 1968 17 Newspapers.com Returning to Portugal for the second leg, the first half also remained goalless, before two goals from Eusébio and another from José Torres made it 3–0 to Benfica, and secured their place in the semi-final,https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/62418--benfica-vs-vasas/?iv=true Benfica – Vasas 1967 History UEFA 16 March 2020 where they faced Juventus of Italy. Benfica played the first leg at home, and once again strikes from Eusébio and Torres helped them to victory; each scored during the second half to give their team a 2–0 lead in the tie.Benfica – Juventus 1967 History https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/62424--benfica-vs-juventus/?iv=true UEFA 16 March 2020 In the second leg, The Guardian reported that Benfica were "technically superior, although Juventus maintained aggressive play." A Eusébio goal in 66th minute extended Benfica's advantage in the tie to 3–0, and secured them a place in the final.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46791531/ Manchester United meet Benfica The Guardian 16 May 1968 19 Newspapers.com Manchester United + Manchester United's route to the final Round Opponent Agg. Aggregate score 1st leg 2nd leg First round MLT Hibernians 4–0 4–0 (h) 0–0 (a) Second round YUG Sarajevo 2–1 0–0 (a) 2–1 (h) Quarter-final POL 1928 Górnik Zabrze 2–1 2–0 (h) 0–1 (a) Semi-final ESP 1945 Real Madrid 4–3 1–0 (h) 3–3 (a) Manchester United qualified for the competition as champions of England, having won the 1966–67 Football League First Division. They faced Maltese side Hibernians in the first round and won 4–0 in the home first leg; David Sadler and Denis Law scored two goals each. Despite the wide margin of victory, Brian Crowther of The Guardian described their play as disappointing.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46695424/man-utd-v-hibernians-ec-1r-1l/ Manchester United win, but hold on to the ball too long Crowther Brian The Guardian 21 September 1967 15 Newspapers.com In the second leg, United suffered a "sad succession of near misses", according to a correspondent for The Guardian, as they struggled to adapt to the sandy pitch and the match finished as a goalless draw.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46695751/ Manchester United fail their admirers The Guardian 28 September 1967 15 Newspapers.com They were drawn against Sarajevo of Yugoslavia in the second round, who were appearing in the competition for the first time.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46696062/ Manchester United in luck The Guardian 21 October 1967 13 Newspapers.com Playing the first leg away from home, Manchester United narrowly avoided going behind in the 27th minute, needing a goal-line save to prevent a shot from Vahidin Musemić going in. Despite playing against 10 men for most of the match after Boško Prodanović had to go off injured, United were not able to score, and it finished 0–0.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46696449/ Manchester United face provocation calmly Barham Albert The Guardian 16 November 1967 15 Newspapers.com John Aston gave United an early lead in the second leg, which was extended by George Best in the second half. Despite a late goal for Sarajevo from Salih Delalić, United held on to win 2–1 and progress to the quarter-finals.Eric Todd Manchester United steered home by Best and Aston https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46696876/ The Guardian 30 November 1967 15 Newspapers.com United played the first leg of their quarter-final against Polish champions Górnik Zabrze at home. In the 60th minute, a shot by Best was deflected into his own net by Górnik defender Stefan Florenski. In the dying minutes of the game, Jimmy Ryan shot into a melee of players in the penalty area, including Brian Kidd, who backheeled the ball into the goal to make it 2–0.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46729227/ Now it is up to Manchester United's defence Barham Albert The Guardian 29 February 1968 15 Newspapers.com Playing on a snow-covered pitch in the second leg, Manchester United were forced to defend for most of the match,https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46781003/ Victory on aggregate after weathering Gornik's storm Barham Albert The Guardian 14 March 1968 17 Newspapers.com but only conceded once, when Włodzimierz Lubański scored in the 72nd minute.https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/62416--gornik-zabrze-vs-man-united/?iv=true Górnik Zabrze – Man. United 1967 History UEFA 16 March 2020 Despite losing the match 1–0, Manchester United progressed 2–1 on aggregate. United faced six-time European Cup winners Real Madrid in the semi-final. Despite dominating the first leg at home, a single goal from Best in the 36th minute separated the sides, and they took a 1–0 lead into the second leg.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46781333/ Manchester United given frail lead by Best Barham Albert The Guardian 25 April 1968 19 Newspapers.com In Madrid, the hosts took the lead in the 32nd minute, with a headed goal from Pirri. In the last few minutes of the first half, three more goals were scored; Francisco Gento made it 2–0 to Madrid, then an own goal from Ignacio Zoco brought the gap back to one goal, before Amancio scored to make it 3–1 at half-time. Sustained pressure from United in the second half brought a goal for Sadler in the 73rd minute, which brought the aggregate score level. Five minutes later, Bill Foulkes added a third for Manchester United. The match finished 3–3; United won the tie 4–3 on aggregate to reach the European Cup final for the first time.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46781422/ Attacking defenders take United to European Cup Final Barham Albert The Guardian 16 May 1968 1 Newspapers.com Pre-match The press rated Manchester United as favourites for the final. In The Guardian, Albert Barham suggested that Benfica were an ageing team, and that "the old skills seem to be declining". He rated them as less dangerous than they had been when United beat them two years prior.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46781530/ Manchester United should fulfil their ambition Barham Albert The Guardian 17 May 1968 22 Newspapers.com Hugh McIlvanney of The Observer noted that although he believed United should be rated as favourites, some of their team were "undeniably ordinary players", and they had "an alarming vulnerability in defence" and "an excessive dependence on one or two men in attack."https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46781580/ United in no mood to lose McIlvanney Hugh The Observer 26 May 1968 24 Newspapers.com The Lisbon-based newspaper A Bola reported after United's semi-final victory that "a meeting with Manchester is the worst thing that could have happened."https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS269708977/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=a58983af Real defence blamed The Times 17 May 1968 57253 16 Gale Manchester United had fitness concerns regarding Nobby Stiles, who had been suffering from a bruised knee, but he recovered in time to be included in the squad. Law underwent surgery on his knee on the Saturday preceding the final, and remained in hospital for the match.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46781638/ Law tonic for Matt Busby The Guardian 27 May 1968 19 Newspapers.com Manchester United stayed in Surrey for two nights before the match, and the day before, United named an unchanged team from their semi-final second leg victory over Real Madrid. Benfica stayed at the Saxon Inn in Harlow, Essex,https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS185429691/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=7c9d83cb Much travelled mentor to Eagles of Benfica Green Godfrey The Times 27 May 1968 57261 11 Gale and also named an unchanged team from their semi-final win over Juventus.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46781698/ Manchester United keep successful side for European Cup final Barham Albert The Guardian 28 May 1968 14 Newspapers.com The two teams had uneven allocations of tickets; Benfica requested 10,000, compared to the 30,000 for which Manchester United asked. The demand for tickets far outstripped the supply. The Benfica management estimated that a further 1,000 of their fans travelled to London without a ticket, while 10,000 Manchester United fans had bought tickets on general sale at wembley before the quarter-finals. On the Monday prior to the match, standing tickets originally priced at 10 shillings were selling on the black market for £7, while seats which had been £2 were £20.https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS252931773/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=6d637adf Portuguese Rush For Tickets Pearson Jenny The Times 57263 29 May 1968 15 Gale Match Summary thumb|upright|Bobby Charlton scored twice for Manchester United. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 29 May 1968 and kicked off at 19:45BST in front of a crowd of 92,225; in addition, there was an estimated European television audience of 250 million.https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS17264318/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=TTDA&xid=67336e4b Manchester United make history Ecclestone Jake The Times 57264 30 May 1968 1 Gale The referee was Concetto Lo Bello of Italy. Manchester United had the best of the play in the first half, but aggressive defence from Benfica prevented them from making a breakthrough. According to Eric Todd of The Guardian, Best was knocked down six times in the first half; three each by Fernando Cruz and Humberto, the latter of whom was cautioned in the 20th minute. In the 28th minute, Kidd passed the ball to Sadler, 10 yards from goal, but he shot wide. Benfica's three best chances on goal in the first half all came from Eusébio; the first was from a free kick, which deflected off the wall and drew a save from United goalkeeper Alex Stepney. Another free kick was struck high over the goal, before he hit the crossbar, having beaten Stepney with what Todd described as "the best shot of the first half".https://www.newspapers.com/clip/46782369/ Busby dream comes true at last Todd Eric The Guardian 30 May 1968 1 Newspapers.com Aston had two shots early in the second half, both saved by the Benfica goalkeeper, José Henrique. Eight minutes into the second half, Tony Dunne passed the ball to Sadler, who lobbed the ball into the Benfica area; Bobby Charlton jumped and headed the ball into the goal to give United a 1–0 lead. In the 79th minute, Augusto and Torres set up a goal for Jaime Graça, levelling the score at 1–1. In the last five minutes of normal time, Eusébio had two chances on goal, drawing saves from Stepney, who was applauded for his efforts by the Portuguese forward. The score remained at 1–1 until the end of normal time, forcing the match into extra time. In the third minute of the additional period, Stepney took a long goal kick, which was headed on by Kidd, and collected by Best; he dribbled the ball past the defence, and then around the goalkeeper, before rolling the ball into an empty net. Two minutes later, a header from Sadler was saved by Henrique, but the rebound came to Kidd, who headed it in to give United a 3–1 lead. United continued to dominate play, and had another shot that hit the bar. Charlton completed the scoring in the ninth minute of extra time, converting a pass from Kidd to make it 4–1.Albert Barham Champions of Europe at last! https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40768100/ The Guardian 30 May 1968 19 Newspapers.com Details 29 May 1968 19:45 BST Benfica POR 1–4 yes Report ENG Manchester United Graça 79 Charlton 53 99Best 92Kidd 94 Wembley Stadium, London 92,225 Concetto Lo Bello (Italy) _redborder _collarwithbodywhite _redborder FFFFFF FF0000 FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF Benfica25 September 2006 Manchester United: The European Finals Collection - 1968 European Cup Final DVD 00:02:39 Manchester United 0000C0 0000C0 0000C0 0000C0 0000C0 Manchester United25 September 2006 Manchester United: The European Finals Collection - 1968 European Cup Final DVD 00:03:19 Manchester United GK 1 POR José HenriqueRB 2 POR Adolfo CalistoCB 3 POR Humberto Fernandes 20CB 4 POR Jacinto SantosLB 5 POR Fernando CruzRM 6 POR Jaime GraçaCM 7 POR Mário Coluna (c)LM 8 POR José AugustoRF 9 POR José TorresCF 10POR EusébioLF 11POR António SimõesSubstitute:GK 12POR NascimentoManager:BRA 1968 Otto Glória300px GK 1 ENG Alex StepneyRB 2 IRL Shay BrennanLB 3 IRL Tony DunneRM 4 SCO Paddy CrerandCB 5 ENG Bill FoulkesLM 6 ENG Nobby StilesRF 7 NIR George BestCF 8 ENG Brian KiddCM 9 ENG Bobby Charlton (c)CB 10ENG David SadlerLF 11ENG John AstonSubstitute:GK 12ENG Jimmy RimmerManager:SCO Matt Busby Man of the Match: John Aston (Manchester United)Steve Morgan Portuguese links: A-M http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={6DDFCB6E-3471-4E45-9385-F04D05F4A70D}&newsid=6630676 Manchester United 14 April 2009 14 April 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090417102012/http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7B6DDFCB6E-3471-4E45-9385-F04D05F4A70D%7D&newsid=6630676 17 April 2009 dead Post-match United's win meant that they became the first English team to win the European Cup, a year after Celtic of Scotland had become the first British team to do so.http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/29/newsid_4464000/4464446.stm 1968: Manchester Utd win European Cup BBC: On This Day 29 May 1968 17 March 2020 The win also marked the culmination of Manchester United's 10 years of rebuilding after the Munich air disaster; two of the team, Charlton and Foulkes, were survivors of the crash. As European Cup champions, Manchester United contested the 1968 Intercontinental Cup against Estudiantes, winners of the 1968 Copa Libertadores. Manchester United lost the tie, 2–1 on aggregate.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/dec/14/english-club-world-cup-south-american English clubs suffer from Latin lessons in Club World Cup The Guardian 14 December 2012 12 May 2020 Both Benfica and Manchester United competed in the European Cup again in 1968–69: Benfica were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Ajax,https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/024a-0e9922818df4-50a5235db081-1000/ Ajax v Benfica background UEFA 16 October 2018 12 May 2020 while Manchester United reached the semi-finals, where they were beaten by AC Milan.Somerscales Murrell Pritchard 1998 19 See also 1967–68 S.L. Benfica season 1967–68 Manchester United F.C. season 1968 European Cup Winners' Cup final 1968 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final 1968 Intercontinental Cup S.L. Benfica in international football Manchester United F.C. in international football Notes and references Notes References Jillian Somerscales Deborah Murrell Louise Pritchard The Official Manchester United Illustrated Encyclopedia Manchester United Books 1998 0-233-99155-7 External links Colour video footage of the victory 1967–68 season at UEFA website European Cup results at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Final 1968 Category:1967–68 in Portuguese football Category:1967–68 in English men's football Category:S.L. Benfica matches Category:Manchester United F.C. matches Category:1968 in sport in London Category:Football matches in London Category:Men's football finals in England Category:Sports events at Wembley Stadium Category:May 1968 sports events in the United Kingdom Category:Portugal–United Kingdom sports relations