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The 1988 European Cup Final was a football (soccer) match played between the clubs PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands and Benfica of Portugal, won by PSV Eindhoven on penalties.
[edit] Match Summary
The final in Stuttgart before 70,000 spectators, the majority of whom had travelled down from Holland, was a huge disappointment. Without Diamantino at their disposal, Benfica played in a negative style with eleven men behind the ball for the majority of the game. PSV Eindhoven had most of the possession, but they were unwilling to commit too many men forward and the game lapsed into sterility. The only shot on goal during the first half came in the 37th minute when a Vanenburg shot was saved by Silvino in the Benfica goal. As the game passed the hour mark, PSV Eindhoven finally started to put some pressure on the Benfica goal and Silvino was called upon to make more saves. The best chance of the game fell to PSV Eindhoven defender Ivan Nielsen when the ball came to him just six yards out from an open goal, but he could only put his shot wide and so the stalemate continued. Ninety minutes was completed without any score, and thirty minutes of extra-time produced little goalmouth action, and so a goalless European Cup Final went to penalties for the second time in four years.
Whereas the penalty shootout in the final of 1986 had been notable for the number of misses, this time both teams scored all five of their initial attempts. Ronald Koeman, Kieft, Nielsen, Vanenburg and Lerby all scored for PSV Eindhoven, and Elzo, Dito, Hajiri, Pacheco and Mozer were successful for Benfica. The shootout then became a sudden death affair. First Janssen who had come on as substitute for Gillhaus put PSV Eindhoven 6-5 ahead. Full back Veloso then stepped up for Benfica and put his kick to Van Breukelens right, but this time the goalkeeper had guessed the right way and he dived low to save the kick and win the European Cup for PSV Eindhoven.
The PSV Eindhoven team that won the 1988 European Cup will not go down as one of the greatest in the history of the competition. Having won only three of their nine games and scored only twice in their final five games, they were never going to be seen in the same light as some of the great attacking teams that had won the competition before or after them, but manager Guus Hiddink had forged a team together around such top players as Van Breukelen, Ronald Koeman, Lerby and Kieft and produced a side that could match and beat any side in Europe at that time. PSV Eindhoven had become the third Dutch side to bring home the European Cup and they had provided the beginning of what would prove to be a momentous summer for Dutch football. 1988 was indeed the year of Holland and PSV Eindhoven.
[edit] Match Details
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