1985 European Cup final
Event | 1984–85 European Cup | ||||||
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Date | 29 May 1985 | ||||||
Venue | Heysel Stadium, Brussels | ||||||
Referee | André Daina (Switzerland) | ||||||
Attendance | 58,000 | ||||||
The 1985 European Cup final was an
Each club needed to progress through four rounds to reach the final. Matches were contested over two legs, with a match at each team's home ground. All but one of Juventus' matches were won by two goals or more; in the semi-finals, they beat French team Bordeaux 3–2 on aggregate. Liverpool also won the majority of their matches by more than two goals, except in the second round when they beat Portuguese team Benfica 3–2 on aggregate.
The match is overshadowed for the disaster that occurred before the kick-off. Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a retaining wall to collapse, killing 39 people and injuring hundreds. Despite calls for an abandonment, the match went ahead due to authorities and organisers' making a joint decision for public policy doctrine reasons[1] after a state of siege in the city was declared.[2] The disaster prompted UEFA to ban English clubs from European football for five years.
Watched by a crowd of 58,000, the first half was goalless. Juventus took the lead in the 56th minute when Michel Platini scored from a penalty after Gary Gillespie was adjudged to have brought down Zbigniew Boniek in the penalty area, although the foul was actually committed nearly a yard outside the area and the referee was far from the action.[3] The score remained the same throughout the remainder of the match and Juventus won 1–0, achieving their first European Cup win and became the first club to have won all three major European trophies (European Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, and the Cup Winners' Cup).
Route to the final
Juventus
Round | Opponents | First leg | Second leg | Aggregate score |
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1st | Ilves
|
4–0 (a) | 2–1 (h) | 6–1 |
2nd | Grasshopper | 2–0 (h) | 4–2 (a) | 6–2 |
Quarter-final | Sparta Prague | 3–0 (h) | 0–1 (a) | 3–1 |
Semi-final | Bordeaux | 3–0 (h) | 0–2 (a) | 3–2 |
Juventus gained entry to the competition by winning the
In the second round, Juventus were drawn against Swiss team
In the semi-finals, Juventus played French team Bordeaux and won the first leg 3–0 in Italy with goals from Zbigniew Boniek, Briaschi and Platini. The second leg was held at Bordeaux's home ground, the Stade Chaban-Delmas. Despite winning the match 2–0, Bordeaux lost 3–2 on aggregate.[5]
Liverpool
Round | Opponents | First leg | Second leg | Aggregate score |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Lech Poznań | 1–0 (a) | 4–0 (h) | 5–0 |
2nd | Benfica | 3–1 (h) | 0–1 (a) | 3–2 |
Quarter-final | Austria Wien | 1–1 (a) | 4–1 (h) | 5–2 |
Semi-final | Panathinaikos | 4–0 (h) | 1–0 (a) | 5–0 |
Liverpool were the reigning European champions; they defeated
Liverpool played Portuguese team Benfica in the second round. Liverpool won the first leg 3–1 in England with a hat-trick by Ian Rush. They lost the second leg 1–0 at Benfica's home ground, Estádio da Luz, but still progressed to the quarter-finals due to a 3–2 aggregate victory.[8] Liverpool's opponents in the quarter-finals were Austria Wien of Austria. The first leg at Wien's home ground, the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium, was drawn 1–1, but a 4–1 victory in the second leg in England meant that Liverpool qualified for the semi-finals with a 5–2 aggregate win.[9]
Panathinaikos of Greece were the opposition in the semi-finals. The first leg at Anfield was won 4–0 by Liverpool; Rush scored twice, and Wark and Jim Beglin each scored one goal. The second leg was held at the Olympic Stadium and was won 1–0 by Liverpool. Thus, Liverpool won the tie 5–0 on aggregate to progress to their fifth European Cup final and their second in succession.[10]
Background
Juventus were appearing in their third European Cup final, having lost their previous appearances in
Juventus finished the
The final was to be played at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. Liverpool had objected to the choice of venue as they were concerned about the condition of the stadium, which was crumbling, and the decision to allocate a neutral section for Belgian fans.[16]
Disaster
The neutral zone that had been allocated to Belgian fans was largely occupied by Juventus supporters, many of whom lived in Italy and travelled in Belgium only to see the match in the stadium.[17] The neutral zone was in section Z, on the same side of the ground as the Liverpool fans. Thus, the two groups stood yards apart, separated only by chicken wire. At approximately 7 p.m., missiles began to be thrown between the two sets of fans; because the stadium was crumbling, fans could pick stones up and throw them across the divide.[18]
The throwing became more intense as kick-off approached. Moments later, a group of Liverpool fans charged into section Z, causing the fans there to retreat. As they had nowhere to go, they moved towards the side perimeter wall. As more people moved up against the wall, it collapsed,[19] which resulted in 39 deaths and injuries to 600 people.[20] At the other end of the ground, Juventus fans began to riot in retaliation for the events in section Z. They advanced down the pitch towards the Liverpool fans and were stopped by the police. The resulting confrontation lasted two hours and was still going on when the match kicked off.[21] Consequently, the Belgian government declared a state of siege in the City of Brussels.[2]
Match
Summary
The match was delayed for over an hour as a result of the disaster but was played for
Five minutes before half-time, Juventus were awarded a free-kick. Boniek, who had beaten three Liverpool players with a run, was brought down outside the Liverpool penalty area by Wark, who received a yellow card for the foul. The resulting free-kick came to nothing, and at half-time the score was 0–0.[25] Almost immediately after the restart, Liverpool suffered another injury. Paul Walsh stretched to reach a pass from Neal, aggravated a stomach strain and was replaced by Craig Johnston. Juventus were gaining an ascendancy in the match, and in the 56th minute they were awarded a penalty kick. After getting on the end of a Platini long ball,[3] Boniek again went on a run through the centre of the Liverpool defence and was brought down by Gillespie. Liverpool believed that the foul was outside the area, but the Swiss referee, from some 25 yards (22.86 m.) behind the ball,[25] awarded the penalty. Michel Platini scored the subsequent penalty to give Juventus a 1–0 lead.[3]
Liverpool tried to find a way back into the match. With 16 minutes left, Whelan was brought down in the Juventus penalty area by Massimo Bonini, but the referee decided that it was not a foul. Liverpool created more chances near the end of the match; Tacconi saved a shot from Whelan. Wark and Steve Nicol saw headers go wide of the Juventus goal.[25] No further goals were scored and at full-time the score was 1–0 to Juventus, who had won their first European Cup and became the first club to win all three seasonal UEFA competitions.[26]
Details
Juventus
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Liverpool
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Post-match
Despite being considered, from a sporting point of view, as one of the better European finals played until then,[3] after the match, much discussion centred on the disaster that occurred before kick-off. UEFA was adamant that the Liverpool fans were responsible; UEFA official Gunter Schneider stated, "Only the English fans were responsible. Of that there is no doubt."[27] British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher put pressure on The Football Association to withdraw English clubs from European competition and two days later, UEFA banned English clubs for "an indeterminate period of time". On 6 June, FIFA extended the ban to worldwide matches, but this was modified a week later to exclude friendly matches and did not affect the England national team.[28]
English clubs were banned indefinitely from European competition, with a condition that when the ban was lifted, Liverpool would serve an extra three-year ban.[29] The ban eventually lasted for five years, clubs returning to European competition in the 1990–91 season.[30] Liverpool returned to European competition a season later in the 1991–92 UEFA Cup.[31]
See also
- Juventus F.C. in European football
- Liverpool F.C. in European football
References
- ^ a b c "L'UEFA: perché si è deciso di giocare" (in Italian). La Stampa. 30 May 1985. p. 2.
- ^ a b Mario Sconcerti (30 May 1985). "Fuga da Bruxelles" (in Italian). la Repubblica.
it: La città è in stato d'assedio. Per le strade non un'anima viva.
[The city is in a state of siege. There is not a living soul on the streets.] - ^ a b c d e Lacey, David (29 May 1985). "Liverpool fade into background". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ Mariani, Maurizio (26 October 2000). "Italy Championship 1983/84". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d Zea, Antonio; Haisma, Marcel (9 January 2008). "Champions Cup 1984–85". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 29 December 2011.
- ^ Jackson, Stuart. "Season 1983–84". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ Hale & Ponting (1992, p. 190)
- ^ Kelly (1988, p. 168)
- ^ Liversedge (1991, p. 196)
- ^ Hale & Ponting (1992, p. 193)
- ^ a b Stokkermans, Karel (10 June 2011). "European Champions' Cup". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ Angelo Caroli (16 January 1985). "Stasera la Supercoppa, poi quella dei Campioni per fare un bel "poker"" (in Italian). Stampa Sera. p. 13.
- ^ "1984: Juve buoyed by Boniek". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ Mariani, Maurizio (26 October 2000). "Italy Championship 1984/85". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSf).
- ^ Jackson, Stuart. "Season 1984–85". Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "Fagan steps down after Heysel tragedy". Liverpool F.C. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
- ^ "Heysel 29.05.1985: I nomi dei caduti". Juworld.net (in Italian).
- ^ "The Heysel disaster". BBC News. 29 May 2000. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "1985: Fans die in Heysel rioting". BBC News. 29 May 1985. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ Hussey, Andrew (3 April 2005). "Lost lives that saved a sport". The Observer. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ^ "The Heysel Stadium Tragedy". BBC. 30 April 2002. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ Graham (1985, p. 55)
- ^ Renato Proni (30 May 1985). "La Juventus non voleva giocare" (in Italian). La Stampa. p. 3.
- ^ Luciano Curino (30 May 1985). "Tragedia allo stadio di Bruxelles" (in Italian). La Stampa. p. 1.
- ^ a b c d e Miller, David (30 May 1985). "No winners on night for weeping". The Times. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ "1991/92: Ajax complete clean sweep". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). 1 June 1992. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Carter, Jon (2 June 2011). "Rewind: The Heysel aftermath". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
- ^ Gammon, Clive (27 June 1988). "Those Thugs Again". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ Hale & Ponting (1992, p. 189)
- ^ Hutchings & Nawrat (1995, p. 251)
- ^ Hale & Ponting (1992, p. 196)
Bibliography
- Graham, Matthew (1985). Liverpool. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN 0-600-50254-6.
- Hale, Steve; Ponting, Ivan (1992). Liverpool In Europe. London: Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-569-7.
- Hutchings, Steve; Nawrat, Chris (1995). The Sunday Times Illustrated History of Football: The Post-War Years. London: Chancellor Press. ISBN 1-85153-014-2.
- Kelly, Stephen F. (1988). The Official Illustrated History of Liverpool F.C.: You'll Never Walk Alone. London: Queen Anne Press. ISBN 0-356-19594-5.
- Liversedge, Stan (1991). Liverpool: The Official Centenary History. London: Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN 0-600-57308-7.