1968–69 European Cup
| File:Santiago Bernabeu Stadium - panoramio.jpg Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid hosted the final. | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 September 1968 – 28 May 1969 |
| Teams | 32 (27 competed) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Italy AC Milan (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Netherlands Ajax |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 52 |
| Goals scored | 176 (3.38 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,738,847 (33,439 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Denis Law (Manchester United) 9 goals |
← 1967–68 1969–70 → | |
The 1968–69 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by AC Milan, who beat Ajax 4–1 in the final, giving Milan its first European Cup title since 1963, and its second overall. A number of Eastern Bloc clubs withdrew from the first two rounds when UEFA paired up all of the Eastern Bloc clubs against one another in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Substitutions of two players at any game time were allowed; obligatory match dates were introduced (two weeks between the legs) and fixed on Wednesdays; the away goal rule was extended to the first and second rounds.[1] Manchester United were the defending champions, but were eliminated by eventual champions Milan in the semi-finals.
Teams
A total of 32 teams participated in the competition. Thirty-one leagues were represented, with England being represented by its most recent champion, Manchester City, as well as defending European champion, Manchester United. Real Madrid made their 14th consecutive appearance in the competition, while Anderlecht and Benfica each made their ninth appearances. Nürnberg and Steaua București both made their first appearances in the competition since the 1961-62 European Cup. This year's competition included only five debutants: Denmark's AB, Cyprus's AEL Limassol, England's Manchester City, Norway's Rosenborg, and Czechoslovakia's Spartak Trnava. This was the smallest number to date.
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Bracket
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First round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malmö FF Sweden | 3–5 | Italy Milan | 2–1 | 1–4 |
| Dynamo Kyiv Soviet Union | (w/o) | Poland Ruch Chorzów | – | – |
| Saint-Étienne France | 2–4 | Scotland Celtic | 2–0 | 0–4 |
| Red Star Belgrade Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | (w/o) | East Germany Carl Zeiss Jena | – | – |
| Waterford Republic of Ireland | 2–10 | England Manchester United | 1–3 | 1–7 |
| Anderlecht Belgium | 5–2 | Northern Ireland Glentoran | 3–0 | 2–2 |
| Rosenborg Norway | 4–6 | Austria Rapid Wien | 1–3 | 3–3 |
| Real Madrid Spain | 12–0 | Cyprus AEL Limassol | 6–0 | 6–0 |
| Nürnberg West Germany | 1–5 | Netherlands Ajax | 1–1 | 0–4 |
| Manchester City England | 1–2 | Turkey Fenerbahçe | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Valur Iceland | 1–8 | Portugal Benfica | 0–0 | 1–8 |
| Levski-Spartak Bulgaria | (w/o) | Hungary Ferencváros | – | – |
| Floriana Malta | 1–3 | Finland Reipas Lahti | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Steaua București Romania | 3–5 | Czechoslovakia Spartak Trnava | 3–1 | 0–4 |
| AEK Athens Greece | 5–3 | Luxembourg Jeunesse Esch | 3–0 | 2–3 |
| Zürich Switzerland | 3–4 | Denmark AB | 1–3 | 2–1 |
First leg
| Malmö FF Sweden | 2–1 | Italy Milan |
|---|---|---|
| Olsberg File:Soccerball shade.svg 45' Elmstedt File:Soccerball shade.svg 50' |
Report | Rivera File:Soccerball shade.svg 58' |
| Saint-Étienne France | 2–0 | Scotland Celtic |
|---|---|---|
| Keïta File:Soccerball shade.svg 15' H. Revelli File:Soccerball shade.svg 36' |
Report |
| Waterford Republic of Ireland | 1–3 | England Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Matthews File:Soccerball shade.svg 65' | Report | Law File:Soccerball shade.svg 8', 41', 55' |
| Anderlecht Belgium | 3–0 | Northern Ireland Glentoran |
|---|---|---|
| Bergholtz File:Soccerball shade.svg 18' Peeters File:Soccerball shade.svg 23' Nordahl File:Soccerball shade.svg 87' |
Report |
| Real Madrid Spain | 6–0 | Cyprus AEL Limassol |
|---|---|---|
| Pirri File:Soccerball shade.svg 10', 14', 63' Amancio File:Soccerball shade.svg 17' Pérez File:Soccerball shade.svg 27' Bueno File:Soccerball shade.svg 75' |
Report |
| Nürnberg West Germany | 1–1 | Netherlands Ajax |
|---|---|---|
| Volkert File:Soccerball shade.svg 6' | Report | Cruyff File:Soccerball shade.svg 80' |
| Floriana Malta | 1–1 | Finland Reipas Lahti |
|---|---|---|
| Galea File:Soccerball shade.svg 37' (pen.) | Report | Aalto File:Soccerball shade.svg 28' |
| AEK Athens Greece | 3–0 | Luxembourg Jeunesse Esch |
|---|---|---|
| Papaioannou File:Soccerball shade.svg 27' Papageorgiou File:Soccerball shade.svg 58' Karafeskos File:Soccerball shade.svg 60' (pen.) |
Report |
| Zürich Switzerland | 1–3 | Denmark AB |
|---|---|---|
| Winiger File:Soccerball shade.svg 50' | Report | Hansen File:Soccerball shade.svg 22' Wiberg File:Soccerball shade.svg 25' Petersen File:Soccerball shade.svg 62' |
Second leg
| Milan Italy | 4–1 | Sweden Malmö FF |
|---|---|---|
| Prati File:Soccerball shade.svg 32', 69' Sormani File:Soccerball shade.svg 62' Rivera File:Soccerball shade.svg 88' |
Report | Ljungberg File:Soccerball shade.svg 16' |
Milan won 5–3 on aggregate.
Celtic won 4–2 on aggregate.
Manchester United won 10–2 on aggregate.
Anderlecht won 5–2 on aggregate.
| Rapid Wien Austria | 3–3 | Norway Rosenborg |
|---|---|---|
| Lindman File:Soccerball shade.svg 10', 80' Kaltenbrunner File:Soccerball shade.svg 17' |
Report | Iversen File:Soccerball shade.svg 21', 34', 87' |
Rapid Wien won 6–4 on aggregate.
Real Madrid won 12–0 on aggregate.
| Ajax Netherlands | 4–0 | West Germany Nürnberg |
|---|---|---|
| Swart File:Soccerball shade.svg 22', 51' Groot File:Soccerball shade.svg 86' (pen.) Cruyff File:Soccerball shade.svg 89' |
Report |
Ajax won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Fenerbahçe Turkey | 2–1 | England Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Çevrim File:Soccerball shade.svg 48' Altıparmak File:Soccerball shade.svg 76' |
Report | Coleman File:Soccerball shade.svg 11' |
Fenerbahçe won 2–1 on aggregate.
Benfica won 8–1 on aggregate.
Reipas Lahti won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Spartak Trnava Czechoslovakia | 4–0 | Romania Steaua București |
|---|---|---|
| Švec File:Soccerball shade.svg 4' Adamec File:Soccerball shade.svg 58', 76', 80' |
Report |
Spartak Trnava won 5–3 on aggregate.
AEK Athens won 5–3 on aggregate.
| AB Denmark | 1–2 | Switzerland Zürich |
|---|---|---|
| Petersen File:Soccerball shade.svg 53' | Report | Künzli File:Soccerball shade.svg 42', 80' |
AB won 4–3 on aggregate.
Second round
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Italy | Bye | – | – | – |
| Celtic Scotland | 6–2 | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade | 5–1 | 1–1 |
| Manchester United England | 4–3 | Belgium Anderlecht | 3–0 | 1–3 |
| Rapid Wien Austria | 2–2 (a) | Spain Real Madrid | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Ajax Netherlands | 4–0 | Turkey Fenerbahçe | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Benfica Portugal | Bye | – | – | – |
| Reipas Lahti Finland | 2–16 | Czechoslovakia Spartak Trnava | 1–9 | 1–7 |
| AEK Athens Greece | 2–0 | Denmark AB | 0–0 | 2–0 |
First leg
| Manchester United England | 3–0 | Belgium Anderlecht |
|---|---|---|
| Kidd File:Soccerball shade.svg 52' Law File:Soccerball shade.svg 70', 78' |
Report |
| Ajax Netherlands | 2–0 | Turkey Fenerbahçe |
|---|---|---|
| Nuninga File:Soccerball shade.svg 14' Muller File:Soccerball shade.svg 74' |
Report |
The home leg of Reipas Lahti was played in Vienna just before the Rapid Wien–Real Madrid match.[7]
Second leg
| Red Star Belgrade Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | 1–1 | Scotland Celtic |
|---|---|---|
| Ostojić File:Soccerball shade.svg 90' | Report | Wallace File:Soccerball shade.svg 72' |
Celtic won 6–2 on aggregate.
| Anderlecht Belgium | 3–1 | England Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Mulder File:Soccerball shade.svg 18' Bergholtz File:Soccerball shade.svg 38', 78' |
Report | Sartori File:Soccerball shade.svg 8' |
Manchester United won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Real Madrid Spain | 2–1 | Austria Rapid Wien |
|---|---|---|
| Velázquez File:Soccerball shade.svg 41' Pirri File:Soccerball shade.svg 83' |
Report | Bjerregaard File:Soccerball shade.svg 48' |
Rapid Wien won 2–2 on away goals.
| Fenerbahçe Turkey | 0–2 | Netherlands Ajax |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Keizer File:Soccerball shade.svg 55' Nuninga File:Soccerball shade.svg 88' |
Ajax won 4–0 on aggregate.
Spartak Trnava won 16–2 on aggregate.
| AB Denmark | 0–2 | Greece AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Stamatiadis File:Soccerball shade.svg 25' Papaioannou File:Soccerball shade.svg 81' |
AEK Athens won 2–0 on aggregate.
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Play-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Italy | 1–0 | Scotland Celtic | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Manchester United England | 3–0 | Austria Rapid Wien | 3–0 | 0–0 | |
| Ajax Netherlands | 4–4 | Portugal Benfica | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| Spartak Trnava Czechoslovakia | 3–2 | Greece AEK Athens | 2–1 | 1–1 |
First leg
| Manchester United England | 3–0 | Austria Rapid Wien |
|---|---|---|
| Best File:Soccerball shade.svg 44', 70' Morgan File:Soccerball shade.svg 70' |
Report |
| Spartak Trnava Czechoslovakia | 2–1 | Greece AEK Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Jarábek File:Soccerball shade.svg 25' Kabát File:Soccerball shade.svg 44' |
Report | Sevastopoulos File:Soccerball shade.svg 60' |
Second leg
Milan won 1–0 on aggregate.
Manchester United won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Benfica Portugal | 1–3 | Netherlands Ajax |
|---|---|---|
| Torres File:Soccerball shade.svg 70' | Report | Danielsson File:Soccerball shade.svg 9' Cruyff File:Soccerball shade.svg 12', 32' |
4–4 on aggregate. Tie is decided by a tie-breaker match on neutral ground.
| AEK Athens Greece | 1–1 | Czechoslovakia Spartak Trnava |
|---|---|---|
| Papaioannou File:Soccerball shade.svg 77' | Report | Švec File:Soccerball shade.svg 23' |
Spartak Trnava won 3–2 on aggregate.
Tie-breakers
| Ajax Netherlands | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | Portugal Benfica |
|---|---|---|
| Cruyff File:Soccerball shade.svg 93' Danielsson File:Soccerball shade.svg 105', 108' |
Report |
Ajax win the tie-breaker.
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan Italy | 2–1 | England Manchester United | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Ajax Netherlands | 3–2 | Czechoslovakia Spartak Trnava | 3–0 | 0–2 |
First leg
| Milan Italy | 2–0 | England Manchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Sormani File:Soccerball shade.svg 33' Hamrin File:Soccerball shade.svg 49' |
Report |
| Ajax Netherlands | 3–0 | Czechoslovakia Spartak Trnava |
|---|---|---|
| Cruyff File:Soccerball shade.svg 27' Swart File:Soccerball shade.svg 52' Keizer File:Soccerball shade.svg 60' |
Report |
Second leg
Milan won 2–1 on aggregate.
Ajax won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
| Milan Italy | 4–1 | Netherlands Ajax |
|---|---|---|
| Prati File:Soccerball shade.svg 7', 40', 75' Sormani File:Soccerball shade.svg 67' |
Report | Vasović File:Soccerball shade.svg 60' (pen.) |
Top scorers
The top scorers from the 1968–69 European Cup are as follows:
References
- ↑ UEFA.com (5 June 2018). "How the European calendar took shape | Inside UEFA". UEFA.com. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ↑ "Nürnberg v Ajax, 18 September 1968" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ↑ "Steaua București v Spartak Trnava, 18 September 1968" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ↑ "Manchester United v Anderlecht, 13 November 1968" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ↑ "Rapid Wien v Real Madrid, 20 November 1968" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ↑ "Reipas Lahti v Spartak Trnava, 20 November 1968" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ↑ "Kerran näinkin: Suomalaisjalkapalloilijat tekemässä lajinsa historiaa" [For once: Finnish footballers about to make history in their sport]. Helsingin Sanomat. 21 November 1968. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ↑ "Real Madrid v Rapid Wien, 4 December 1968" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- ↑ "Benfica v Ajax, 19 February 1969" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
External links
- 1968–69 All matches – season at UEFA website
- European Cup results at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
- All scorers 1968–69 European Cup according to protocols UEFA
- 1968-69 European Cup – results and line-ups (archive)
