West Germany make their mark

European champions Italy finished runners-up at the 1970 FIFA World Cup, but they were far from favourites to defend their European title in 1972. Further north, West Germany coach Helmut Schön was assembling a team many regard as the greatest to grace the competition and Germany's best ever side.

Awesome lineup
Drawing the best elements from Bundesliga titans FC Bayern München and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, Schön crafted an awesome lineup. Franz Beckenbauer dropped back to become the first of the great attacking sweepers; attacking left-back Paul Breitner and forward Uli Hoeness were superb young additions and Günter Netzer was recalled to add flair, arrogance and flowing blond locks to the midfield.

Magical Müller
Leading the line, of course, was 'Der Bomber' himself, Gerd Müller. A supreme finisher, he was at the height of his powers and scored six in the qualifying group as West Germany romped into the quarter-finals. There they faced old rivals England and confirmed their class with a 3-1 victory at Wembley, their first at the famous stadium. Müller contributed one of the goals and a 0-0 stalemate in the return leg meant West Germany were through to the main event.

Supporting cast
The other semi-finalists appeared to be no more than a supporting cast, and even though the Soviet Union reached the latter stages for the fourth time in succession with another win over Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, they were not the team they used to be. Similarly, hosts Belgium lost midfield general Wilfried Van Moer to a broken leg as they upset holders Italy and Hungary needed a play-off to defeat Romania, their side shorn of the dazzling individuals of old.

Belgium third
Home advantage failed to serve the Belgians in the same way it helped Spain and Italy in the two previous editions and their dreams were extinguished in Antwerp as Müller struck twice for the Germans in a 2-1 triumph. With that, the job of stopping the German juggernaut ultimately fell to the Soviets, who edged past Hungary in Brussels courtesy of an Anatoli Konkov effort. Before the two title hopefuls could meet, though, Belgium earned themselves a place on the podium by seeing off Hungary 2-1 in the third-place play-off.

Resounding success
The final itself was a one-sided affair, with Netzer and Beckenbauer imperious in midfield and Müller helping himself to yet another brace. Herbert Wimmer scored the other goal as the Germans celebrated a resounding 3-0 success, still the largest margin of victory in a UEFA European Championship final. "Everything worked," recalled Müller. "We had a good harmony and understood each other very well. That also goes for when we were on the pitch. You cannot ask for more." The foundations had been laid for West Germany's FIFA World Cup success two years later.

from: http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=1972/overview/index.html

Bayern Hattrick (3)

Roth completes Bayern hat-trick

FC Bayern München 1-0 AS Saint-Etienne

The European Champion Clubs' Cup provided some striking results in 1975/76. Yet the end product was the same as in the two previous seasons, with FC Bayern München completing a hat-trick of wins in the competition.

Bayern on a rollÚjpesti TE had set the tone when beating FC Zürich on away goals in the first round: the Hungarian side controlled the first leg 4-0 but lost the return 5-1. Next Real Madrid CF took up the erratic baton, overcoming a 4-1 away defeat to knock out Derby County FC 6-5 in the second round. Madrid then edged past VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach - drawing 1-1 and 3-3 with the German champions - before running into a Bayern side fresh from arguably their best performance of the period, their 5-1 thumping of SL Benfica at the Olympiastadion which included two goals from Gerd Müller. The German international scored three more in the semi-finals as Bayern held Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu then picked them off 2-0 in Bavaria.

French flavour
The only question now was which of the other last-four pairing would make it to the final at Glasgow's Hampden Park. There were no doubts as to the character of either - AS Saint-Etienne and PSV Eindhoven had recovered 2-0 first-leg deficits against FC Dynamo Kyiv and HNK Hajduk Split respectively in the quarter-finals. But Les Verts had the quality of Dominiques Bathenay and Rocheteau, and won through 1-0 to become the first French finalists since Stade de Reims Champagne in 1959. The final was a similar story, though this time the only goal came from Bayern's free-kick specialist Franz Roth. And not even a late St Etienne cavalry charge could deny Beckenbauer and Co their famous treble.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

source:http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=390064,printer.htmx

Bayern Hattrick (2)

Bayern triumph enrages Leeds

FC Bayern München 2-0 Leeds United AFC
FC Bayern München became the fifth team to successfully defend the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1974/75. However, their 2-0 victory in the final against Leeds United AFC was a contentious one, on and off the park. Bayern scored late goals through Franz Roth and Gerd Müller, but not before the referee had disallowed a Peter Lorimer effort and turned down two English claims for a penalty. So while Dettmar Cramer's men celebrated the win that rescued an otherwise disappointing season - they were 10th in the German first division - Leeds fans ripped out seats at the Parc des Princes.

Barcelona defeated
In fact, Bayern only really hit form in the semi-finals, having struggled past 1. FC Magdeburg and FC Ararat Yerevan. Here, against an AS Saint-Etienne side that had come from 4-1 down to beat HNK Hajduk, they followed up a 0-0 draw in France with a 2-0 success at the Olympiastadion. Leeds, on the other hand, had made short work of FC Zürich and Újpesti TE before overcoming FC Barcelona - Cruyff, Neeskens et al - in the last four.

Leeds anger
With a 3-2 aggregate triumph, Don Revie's players emulated the Catalan side's achievement in reaching the finals of all three UEFA club competitions. Yet they were also in the habit of losing on the big stage, and where Bayern's campaign ended in a blaze of glory, the footnote to Leeds's was a three-year European ban for crowd violence.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

Source:http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=390060,printer.htmx

Bayern's Hattrick (1)

Müller ends Bayern wait

FC Bayern München 1-1 Club Atlético de Madrid (aet; Bayern win 4-0 in a replay)

The year 1974 was one to remember for German football: West Germany hosted and won the FIFA World Cup; FC Bayern München lifted the European Champion Clubs' Cup; while 1. FC Magdeburg brought home the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. However, it was an even better 12 months for Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeness and Gerd Müller - the six Bayern players who starred for the national team as well as Udo Lattek's side.

Bayern stealth
Not that their Munich putsch was one long procession. Far from it where Bayern were concerned: the Bavarian side had needed penalties to overcome Åtvidabergs FF; they had edged past 1. FC Dynamo Dresden by the odd goal in seven; in fact, they had only really shown their class when beating AFC Ajax's conquerors, FC CSKA Sofia, and then Újpesti TE in the semi-finals. Still, they were through to the final along with Club Atlético de Madrid.

Müller goals
The Spanish team had won at Galatasaray SK, FC Dinamo Bucuresti and FK Crvena Zvezda to set up a semi-final clash with Celtic FC that proved to be a meeting of inexorable forces. Atlético had three players sent off in the Celtic Park stalemate which prefaced their 2-0 success back at the Vicente Calderón, and all their efforts caught up with them at Brussel's Heysel stadium. Leading through a Luis Aragonés free-kick seven minutes from the end of extra-time, they were denied the prize they craved by Schwarzenbeck's last-gasp strike. Bayern twisted the knife in the replay two days later, Hoeness and Müller sharing the goals in a 4-0 rout.

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

source:http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=389779,printer.htmx

Team of the Year 2007 announced

Team of the Year 2007 announced
Saturday 19 January 2008
by Adrian Harte from Nyon



The uefa.com users' Team of the Year 2007 has been announced, with UEFA Champions League winners AC Milan having the most players involved.

Milan trio
More than 3.75 million votes were cast by 277,985 individual uefa.com users in the poll. The dream dozen contains just two survivors of last year's team along with five newcomers. Milan's trio includes central defender Alessandro Nesta, who was also chosen in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and left midfield player Clarence Seedorf, who featured in the 2002 lineup. Colleague Kaká, with 220,333 votes, received the highest number of votes overall and is picked for a second successive year, this time as an attacking midfielder.

English representation
Also remaining from 12 months ago is Steven Gerrard, who figures for a third time, and is the only player from beaten UEFA Champions League finalists Liverpool FC to register. English clubs are to the fore, though, with John Terry – selected in 2005 – and newcomer Didier Drogba from Chelsea FC joined by Cristiano Ronaldo, whose previous nomination came in 2004. His Manchester United FC manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is perhaps belatedly named as coach for the first time, recognition of his achievement in guiding his side to the ninth Premier League title of his stewardship. An overdue debutant is Real Madrid CF goalkeeper Iker Casillas, while Sevilla FC right-back Daniel Alves, FC Barcelona left-back Eric Abidal and FC Internazionale Milano striker Zlatan Ibrahimović are also starring for the first time.

User involvement
Adrian Harte, uefa.com site manager, said: "User participation is a popular buzz word today but our users have contributed to the success of uefa.com from the start and we are delighted that they have again voted in huge numbers to choose their team of the year. It is a mix of established figures getting overdue recognition and young players on the way up. Indeed, all 12 will be back in UEFA Champions League action next month, further proof that the competition showcases the best players in the world."
Click here to see the results in full.

uefa.com users' Team of 2007
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF)
Daniel Alves (Sevilla FC)
Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan)
John Terry (Chelsea FC)
Eric Abidal (FC Barcelona)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC)
Kaká (AC Milan)
Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan)
Zlatan Ibrahimović (FC Internazionale Milano)
Didier Drogba (Chelsea FC)
Coach: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United FC)

uefa.com users' Team of 2006
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Gianluca Zambrotta (FC Barcelona)
Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid CF)
Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona)
Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal FC)
Kaká (AC Milan)
Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC)
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona)
Coach: Frank Rijkaard (FC Barcelona)

uefa.com users' Team of 2005
Petr Čech (Chelsea FC)
Cafu (AC Milan)
John Terry (Chelsea FC)
Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona)
Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)
Luis García (Liverpool FC)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC)
Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona)
Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus)
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona)
Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan)
Coach: José Mourinho (Chelsea FC)

uefa.com users' Team of 2004
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Cafu (AC Milan)
Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea FC)
Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan)
Ashley Cole (Arsenal FC)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC)
Maniche (FC Porto)
Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona)
Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC)
Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan)
Coach: José Mourinho (Chelsea FC)

uefa.com users' Team of 2003
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Paulo Ferreira (FC Porto)
Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan)
Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)
Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid CF)
Luís Figo (Real Madrid CF)
David Beckham (Real Madrid CF)
Zinédine Zidane (Real Madrid CF)
Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United FC)
Coach: José Mourinho (FC Porto)

uefa.com users' Team of 2002
Rüstü Reçber (Fenerbahçe SK)
Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona)
Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan)
Cristian Chivu (AFC Ajax)
Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid CF)
Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan)
Michael Ballack (FC Bayern München)
Zinédine Zidane (Real Madrid CF)
Damien Duff (Blackburn Rovers FC)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC)
Ronaldo (Real Madrid CF)
Coach: Senol Günes (Turkey)

uefa.com users' Team of 2001
Santiago Cañizares (Valencia CF)
Cosmin Contra (Deportivo Alavés)
Sami Hyypiä (Liverpool FC)
Patrik Andersson (FC Barcelona)
Bixente Lizarazu (FC Bayern München)
David Beckham (Manchester United FC)
Patrick Vieira (Arsenal FC)
Zinédine Zidane (Real Madrid CF)
Kily González (Valencia CF)
Thierry Henry (Arsenal FC)
David Trezeguet (Juventus)
Coach: Gérard Houllier (Liverpool FC)

©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

source:http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=647292,printer.htmx

Total Football Made it Three

AFC Ajax 1-0 Juventus FC
What the rest of the soccer world would learn at the following summer's FIFA World Cup finals in West Germany, Europe knew for sure in May 1973. Namely, that there was something very special about the generation of AFC Ajax players led by Johan Cruyff. The Amsterdam club had written another chapter in gold in the history of the European Champion Clubs' Cup when a 1-0 triumph over Juventus FC in the final in Belgrade made them the first side since Real Madrid CF in the 1950s to lift the famous trophy three years running.

Rep winner
An achievement made all the more remarkable because nine players had figured in all three matches. Yet the narrow margin of this victory - Johnny Rep scored the only goal on four minutes - was no reflection of their overall superiority. More indicative were the 1-0 win at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium which gave them a 3-1 aggregate success over Madrid in the semi-finals; the 4-0 dismantling of FC Bayern München which preceded it; and the easy progress past FC CSKA Sofia in the Second Round.

Derby undone
But while Ajax deserved their star status, there were complaints against Juventus's second billing. Having beaten Újpesti TE on away goals in the quarter-finals, the Turin club were then involved in a controversial semi-final with Derby County FC. The tie was decided in the first leg in Italy, which ended 3-1 to the home side, but the result was marred by English protests about the performance of the German referee.
©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.

source:http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=389773,printer.htmx

Total Football Champion 0f 1970-71

AFC Ajax 2-0 Panathinaikos FC
Totaal voetbal: a fluid form of catenaccio or total football? Whatever it was, it worked and in 1970/71 its chief exponent, AFC Ajax, were European champions. The Amsterdam side took over the mantle from Dutch rivals Feyenoord, the holders having been waylaid in the First Round by Romania's FC UTA Arad. That result was in keeping with the rest of the competition, for with no Real Madrid CF in the field, the underdogs were well and truly let out; indeed, only two of the 33 teams involved were previous winners.

Rule changes
Ajax accounted for the other, Celtic FC, in the quarter-finals, along with 17 Nëntori Tirana, FC Basel and Club Atlético de Madrid. In the other half of the draw, Panathinaikos FC benefited from a couple of rule changes to become the first Greek finalist. UEFA had introduced the penalty shoot-out as a way of deciding drawn ties - doing away with the unsatisfactory tossing of a coin. They had also decided that the away-goals' rule should apply to all rounds, and not just the first two as had been the case.

Haan strikes
The latter change helped Ferenc Puskás's side past Everton FC - conquerors of VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the cup's first penalty drama - in the quarter-finals, then FK Crvena Zvezda in the semis. Here Panathinaikos overturned a 4-1 defeat in Belgrade to win the return 3-0 with two goals from Anton Antoniadis. The final was all Ajax, though. Dick van Dijk was first to show, putting Rinus Michel's team into an early lead; and with Johan Cruyff pulling the strings, Arie Haan sealed the victory on 87 minutes.
©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved

source:http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=389765,printer.htmx

Total Football vs Catenaccio

AFC Ajax 2-0 Internazionale FC
AFC Ajax were again the team to beat in 1971/72, and that no one managed to stop them shows how firm a grip they had on the European game. Not even a change of coach, the Romanian Stefan Kovacs replacing Rinus Michels, could halt the perpetual motion of Johan Cruyff and friends.
Ajax advance1. FC Dynamo Dresden, Olympique de Marseille, Arsenal FC and SL Benfica, all were swept aside as the holders marched to a third European Champion Clubs' Cup final in four years. Benfica ran them close before losing to a single Cruyff goal over the two legs of their semi-final; but Ajax were through to meet Internazionale FC at the Feyenoord stadium.
Boninsegna injuredWhile the venue was Dutch, events along the road to Rotterdam suggested the football fates could yet throw up an Italian victory. Indeed, conspiracy theorists might have pointed to Inter's second-round defeat of VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, when thrashed 7-1 in Germany in the first leg, the Italian side had been lucky to earn a reprieve from UEFA amid complaints that centre forward Roberto Boninsegna had been hit by a drinks can thrown from the crowd.
Catenaccio defeatedThe Nerazzurri eventually prevailed 4-2 on aggregate, then overcame Celtic FC on penalties after a goalless semi-final. But hopes of an Inter hat-trick in the competition were extinguished at De Kuip. Aided and abetted by Neeskens, Blankenburg, Muhren, Haan and Krol, Cruyff was twice on target in a comprehensive Ajax victory. The final score: Total Football 2 Catenaccio 0.
©uefa.com 1998-2008. All rights reserved.
source: http://www.uefa.com/news/newsid=389768,printer.htmx