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The 1983 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, on May 25, 1983, that saw Hamburger SV of Germany defeat Juventus F.C. of Italy 1 - 0.
[edit] Match Summary
Hamburg may have been the underdogs for the final, but they had their own stars in the team. The focal point of the side was burly striker Horst Hrubesch who was fed inviting crosses by German international full back Manfred Kaltz and supported by Danish forward Lars Bastrup. Felix Magath was the Germans midfield general, ably supported by Jimmy Hartwig and Wolfgang Rolff. In charge was manager Ernst Happel who had come so close with Bruges five years earlier.
The Olympic Stadium in Athens was packed to the rafters for the final with the majority supporting Juventus. But on the night, the form book was turned upside down. Right from the start it was Hamburg who dominated the match and they took an early lead when, in the 8th minute, Felix Magath ran with the ball before sending a dipping 25 yard shot over the shoulder of the helpless Dino Zoff in goal. Everyone waited for Zbigniew Boniek, Michel Platini, Marco Tardelli, Paolo Rossi and the rest of the Juve superstars to take hold of the game, but instead it was Felix Magath who controlled the game with the Hamburg wingers Jürgen Milewski and Jürgen Groh posing the most threat.
Uli Stein in the Hamburg goal was called upon to make a couple of important saves, but it was actually the Germans who looked more likely to score. Manfred Kaltz had a shot cleared off the line by Zbigniew Boniek, and both Jürgen Groh and Felix Magath had golden opportunities to increase their lead but failed to take them. Little came from the Juve stars with Michel Platini proving surprisingly ineffective and Rossi being substituted before the hour by manager Trapattoni.
Hamburg held on to their 1-0 lead until the final whistle to emerge as deserving winners. The only sour note was the collision between Lars Bastrup and the notorious Gentile which left the Dane with a broken jaw. Whether or not the result had come as a result of the Italians underestimating Hamburg, there was no doubt that the German side had been much the better team. Juventus were forced to go away licking their wounds. Not only had their millions failed to bring them their first European Cup, but they had also failed to win Serie A and so would be unable to make up for their bitter disappointment the following season. Hamburg, however, had shocked the world to bring the trophy back to Germany after six years of English dominance. Ernst Happel had finally succeeded in winning a European Cup Final, Felix Magath had come out on top against the finest midfield players in the world, and Hamburg had gained revenge for West Germanys World Cup Final defeat to Italy just a year earlier.
[edit] Match details
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Hamburger SV
Juventus
Nicolae Rainea
