1983 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final
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The 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
match contested between
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
of Scotland and
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
of Spain. It was the final match of the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup tournament and the 23rd
European Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
final, a football tournament contested by the winners of each qualifying nation's national cup. Aberdeen played one more round than Real Madrid as they were required to play in a preliminary round prior to the first round proper. Matches until the final were held over two legs, whereas the final itself was a single match at a neutral venue. The final was held at Nya Ullevi in
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, Sweden. Watched by a crowd of 17,804, Aberdeen took the lead early in the first half with a goal by Eric Black, but Madrid drew level following a penalty scored by
Juanito Juanito is a given name or nickname, meaning "Little Juan" or Johnny. Notable people with the name include: Professional footballers * Juan Ignacio Gomez Taleb (born 1985), Argentinian forward * Juan Díaz Sánchez (1948–2013), Spanish forw ...
in the fifteenth minute. At the end of normal time, the match remained at 1–1. The match went into
extra time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...
, with the winning goal scored for Aberdeen by John Hewitt in the 112th minute. Aberdeen won the match 2–1 and won their first European trophy. This would be both clubs' last Cup Winners' Cup final; as the competition was folded in 1999, Real Madrid – which by then had already won six
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
s and would win two
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
s later that decade – will never achieve the record of winning all three pre-1999 major European trophies (European Cup/Champions League, UEFA Cup/Europa League and the Cup Winners' Cup).


Route to the final


Aberdeen

Aberdeen qualified for the 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup after they defeated Rangers 4–1 in the 1982 Scottish Cup Final on 22 May 1982. They began their European Cup Winners' Cup campaign against Swiss team Sion, with a home game at
Pittodrie Stadium Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, from which the surrounding residential area has taken its name, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for Association football, football, it has been the home ground o ...
on 18 August 1982. Eric Black scored in the first minute of the game, and Aberdeen went on to win 7–0. The return match was played on 1 September 1982. Aberdeen were drawn against Dinamo Tirana from Albania in the first round proper. The first leg was played at home once again, and the Scottish team won 1–0. The return leg resulted in a goalless draw, sending Aberdeen through. In the third round, Aberdeen were drawn against
Lech Poznań Kolejowy Klub Sportowy Lech Poznań S.A., commonly referred to as KKS Lech Poznań or simply Lech Poznań (), is a Polish professional football club based in Poznań and currently competing in the Ekstraklasa, the nation's highest division. ...
from Poland. They won 2–0 at home in the first leg, which was followed by a 1–0 win away. In the quarter-finals, they were drawn against Bayern Munich. In the first leg, played at the
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
in Munich, the two clubs were held to a 0–0 draw. In the return game in Scotland, Aberdeen went through with a 3–2 victory. Aberdeen played Waterschei Thor, who had defeated
Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
in the quarter-finals. Aberdeen won 5–1 at home, but lost 1–0 away in Belgium for an aggregate win of 5–2.


Real Madrid

Real Madrid automatically qualified for the first round, where they drew 0–0 away in their first match against Romanian team
Baia Mare Baia Mare ( , ; ; ; ) is a Municipiu, city along the Săsar, Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramureș, a subregion of Transylvania. It is situated about from Buchare ...
. Madrid won the return match at home 5–2. Their second round opponents were also from eastern Europe, Újpesti Dózsa, this time from Hungary. Madrid won both legs, first 3–1 at home and then 1–0 away. Their quarter-final opponents were Internazionale. After the first leg at the
San Siro San Siro is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy. It has a seating capacity of 75,817, making it the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest stadiums in Europe. It is the home stadium of the city's principal ...
resulted in a 1–1 draw, Madrid won 2–1 at home at the
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (, ) is a retractable roof association football, football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a seating capacity of around 83,000 following its extensive renovation completed in late 2024, the stadium has the second-largest ...
. Madrid were drawn against
Austria Wien Fußballklub Austria Wien AG (), known in English as Austria Vienna, and Austria Wien in German-speaking countries, is an Austrian professional association football club from the capital city of Vienna. It has won the most trophies of any Aust ...
in the semi-final. Austria had knocked out
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in the quarter-finals, who were the reigning champions of the European Cup Winners' Cup. The two teams drew 2–2 during the first leg in Vienna, and Madrid qualified for the final with a 3–1 victory at home on 20 April.


Background

Real Madrid had extensive experience in European competitions. They had previously made it to the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
against English club Chelsea. The match was a 1–1 draw after extra time, with Chelsea winning 2–1 in the replay. They had more success in the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...
, having won the competition during its inaugural year in
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
, and retained the trophy for the following four seasons. Their most recent European success had come in the
1965–66 European Cup The 1965–66 European Cup was the 11th season of the European Cup, UEFA's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Real Madrid, winners of the first five European Cups from 1956 to 1960, who beat Partizan 2–1 in a close fi ...
, where they defeated Partizan Belgrade. The 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup was the first European final in which Aberdeen had appeared. Only two clubs from Scotland had previously won European trophies,
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
and Rangers. Prior to the match, some of Aberdeen's supporters travelled to Gothenburg by fishing boat from Scotland, whilst others slept on the streets next to the stadium. Real Madrid player Uli Stielike was recovering from a thigh injury prior to the match, but was cleared by the club's doctors. Likewise, Aberdeen's Eric Black was declared fit to play for this match after being injured for a month. Aberdeen full-back Stuart Kennedy was named as a substitute, despite being injured in the Semi-Final and unable to play, as a mark of respect from Alex Ferguson. Kennedy's injury proved to be so severe that he never played professionally again.


Match


Summary


First half

Prior to the match, the pitch had been covered by
tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinf ...
in order to protect it from the rain. The referee made an inspection of the pitch prior to kick-off and determined that the surface was fit to play upon. The match started, and Aberdeen immediately went on the attack. Madrid's goalkeeper Agustín misdirected a goal kick,
Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player who is currently Technical Director of Dundee. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Sc ...
broke away from his marker and chested the ball down. He lobbed the ball forward to Eric Black who hit a twenty-yard volley towards the Madrid goal. Agustín saved the shot, tipping it onto the crossbar of the goalframe. Strachan took the corner, crossing it to
Alex McLeish Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He played as a defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps f ...
. The ball deflected off McLeish's head, and Black pounced on the ball sending it into the back of the Real Madrid goal to put Aberdeen up 1–0. The conditions on the pitch started to get muddy very quickly, which partially resulted in Madrid's comeback. Alex McLeish of Aberdeen passed the ball back to goalkeeper Jim Leighton, but it became stuck in the mud part way in the penalty area. Leighton rushed out from the goal line to claim the ball but took down Madrid striker Santillana in the process. A penalty was awarded by the referee. Real's captain Juanito scored the penalty to put Madrid level. Madrid dominated the remainder of the half, with John Metgod and Uli Stielike looking particularly comfortable in defence and midfield, respectively.


Second half

The teams were equally matched during the first part of the second half. Strachan led another Aberdeen attack in the 55th minute, passing it to
Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born 21 August 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He is known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), '' Gallipoli'' (1981), '' The Y ...
who took the ball down the flank. His cross back to Strachan was met by a volley, but it deflected off Agustín's legs. Aberdeen immediately attacked once more, with Weir moving again down the flank, but his cross was met with a header by Black who sent the ball over after already moving into an offside position. In the 80th minute, Weir created another opening with a further cross. This time it was caught by Agustín. The goalkeeper momentarily dropped the ball, but dived onto it before any Aberdeen players could take advantage of the mistake.


Extra time

Normal time finished at 1–1, sending the match into extra time. The winning goal came in the 112th minute. Weir passed the ball to
Mark McGhee Mark Edward McGhee (born 25 May 1957) is a Scottish former professional football player and coach. A former forward, McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and had spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, ...
, who took the ball down the left wing. He crossed it into the box towards substitute John Hewitt. He threw himself into the path of the ball and connected with a glancing header to put Aberdeen ahead once more.


Details


Post-match

The local police reported that only five arrests were made of fans for being drunk and disorderly. Nils Klintenberg, the police commander, said "There were no problems. We were pleased to have them here." One Aberdeen supporter collapsed following the first goal and died. After the game legendary Madrid coach Alfredo Di Stéfano conceded the better team had won and commented; "Aberdeen have what money can't buy; a soul, a team spirit built in a family tradition." The European Cup Winners' Cup was run until 1999, with Aberdeen's success in the 1983 final being the last time that a Scottish club lifted the trophy. Real Madrid ultimately never won the competition, nor did they ever reach the final again. As of 2024, this match remains the last time Real Madrid have lost in any final of a European tournament. With their victory, Aberdeen qualified for the 1983 European Super Cup, where they played 1983 European Cup champions
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. The first leg in Hamburg was a goalless draw, with Aberdeen winning the second leg 2–0.


See also

* 1982–83 European Cup Winners' Cup *
1983 European Cup Final The 1983 European Cup final was a Association football, football match held at the Olympic Stadium (Athens), Olympic Stadium, Athens, on 25 May 1983, that saw Hamburger SV of West Germany defeat Juventus FC, Juventus of Italy 1–0. A single goal f ...
* 1983 UEFA Cup Final * Aberdeen F.C. in European football *
Real Madrid CF in international football competitions Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club first participated in a European competition in 1955–56 European Cup, 1955. The first international cup they took part in was the Lati ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:European Cup Winners' Cup Final 1983 3 Cup Winners' Cup Final 1983 Cup Winners' Cup Final 1983
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
Cup A cup is an open-top vessel (container) used to hold liquids for drinking, typically with a flattened hemispherical shape, and often with a capacity of about . Cups may be made of pottery (including porcelain), glass, metal, wood, stone, pol ...
Cup A cup is an open-top vessel (container) used to hold liquids for drinking, typically with a flattened hemispherical shape, and often with a capacity of about . Cups may be made of pottery (including porcelain), glass, metal, wood, stone, pol ...
May 1983 sports events in Europe Football in Gothenburg International sports competitions in Gothenburg 1980s in Gothenburg Association football matches in Sweden