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Check this article out on what is said by many to be the best European Cup/CL final ever:
The day Di Stefano glowed in Glasgow
Real Madrid return to Hampden Park tomorrow 42 years after they won the European Cup with breathtaking virtuosity
By Ken Jones
14 May 2002
No wonder Scottish football fans turned out in force for the 1960 European Cup final between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt, tingling with anticipation as they made their way to Hampden Park on 18 May. This promised to be a game for the connoisseur, one perhaps to surpass any that had gone before.
In reaching their fifth consecutive final Real Madrid had maintained a monopoly that had existed since the European Cup's inception. The names were legendary; Alfredo di Stefano, considered by Matt Busby to be the greatest all-round talent the game had ever seen; Ferenc Puskas who had twice ripped the heart out of English football; the speed merchant, Francisco Gento; Canario of Brazil, Luis del Sol of Spain. The Scots knew about them, had read about them, caught glimpses of them on television, but here was a chance to see them in the flesh, flaunting all that had made them incomparable.
The vast audience of 127,621, paying a total £55,000 for admission, at the time a record for any football match in Great Britain, would not be disappointed. They grudged not a shilling of that total as the West German champions, who had toyed with Rangers in the semi-final, winning 12-4 on aggregate, were swept aside by football of breathtaking virtuosity. The pessimistic pronouncement of Eintracht's team manager Ernst Berger that his players were coming up against the finest team in the world found no argument on the packed Hampden terraces; recent history had proved it and what was seen on that memorable day confirmed it.
In both legs of their semi-final Real Madrid had outclassed Barcelona :star: who had themselves previously humiliated one of England's most powerful clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 1960 FA Cup winners. They were a coach's dream with a collection of treasures from all over the football world. Didi, the mastermind of Brazil's success at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, where they became the first nation to capture the Jules Rimet trophy on a continent other than their own, could not even find a place in the squad.
As someone would write, Real's only problem was to select the best from the best. It was resolved by the inclusion of Canario, another Brazilian who had been a reserve for most of the season, and Del Sol a favourite of di Stefano because of his intelligent industry in midfield. But as usual, in front of a sound defence organised by the formidable centre-half, Santamaria, there were the Real treasures.
Although 34, Di Stefano had lost none of his energy, one minute orchestrating attacks in midfield the next arrowing at the defence, his movement constant. Puskas, the "Galloping Major" who had fled from the Hungarian uprising, remained the game's most thrilling finisher his swift improvisations astonishing in one so portly. Gento's blistering pace was matched only by the Welsh speed merchant Cliff Jones of Tottenham Hotspur who would make his mark in the European Cup two years later.
All was set for a classic performance. Yet, to begin with the play was untidy as both sets of players sought to settle down on an uneven surface. And it was the Germans who made the first breaks, almost going ahead when a swinging shot from their outside-left Meier slapped against Real's crossbar. Exploiting uncertainty on the left side of Real's defence Eintracht threatened to spoil the party. It took two desperate interventions to keep them out before they went ahead in the 19th minute, Kress pulling away from Santamaria to sweep the ball in from six yards.
Silence settled on Hampden. Some sympathy had been held out for the underdogs but a dour German victory was not in the script. Then it happened. An equaliser of startling simplicity and precision. Canario danced into space and found Di Stefano with a pass that was driven low into Eintracht's net. Three minutes later, Di Stefano struck again, whipping the ball in before anyone else had reacted to a rebound off the body of Eintracht goalkeeper Loy.
It was all Real, their football at such a level that torrents of applause poured down from the terraces. Di Stefano was everywhere, arrogant, a strutting maestro of the game, roving the field, demanding the ball and the subservience even of Puskas.
It was time for Puskas to declare himself. A minute before half-time he took a pass from Del Sol, found space near the by-line and then from a ridiculously narrow angle, struck a shot into the roof of Eintracht's net before raising both arms in a trademark salute. In the 56th minute Puskas scored again, this time from the penalty spot after another of Gento's surges from the left had been illegally interrupted. Soon, Real scored a fifth, Puskas heading in a centre from the rampant Gento to complete his hat-trick.
Enthralled by the riches before them, the crowd had further cause for admiration when Puskas brought Real's tally to six with a stunning goal in the 71st minute. For an instant it seemed that Puskas had overrun a pass but he reached back to cushion the ball, pivoted and smashed it high into the net from 16 yards.
Before the end Eintracht pulled two goals back but in between came one that lives on in the memory of all who saw it. As though it was time to put an indelible stamp on the match, Di Stefano called for the ball deep in his own half and set off on a bewildering run, stringing together at astonishing speed a cluster of passes, sending defenders sprawling before finding the mark with a lordly shot.
For half an hour after what Di Stefano described as "one of our best performances ever", it seemed as though nobody had left Hampden, the crowd staying to applaud a magnificent performance, sensing they would never see its like again.
Next day, the aircraft taking Real Madrid home was delayed for four hours. As someone said, it was almost as though Scotland did not want to allow them to go.
The day Di Stefano glowed in Glasgow
Real Madrid return to Hampden Park tomorrow 42 years after they won the European Cup with breathtaking virtuosity
By Ken Jones
14 May 2002
No wonder Scottish football fans turned out in force for the 1960 European Cup final between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt, tingling with anticipation as they made their way to Hampden Park on 18 May. This promised to be a game for the connoisseur, one perhaps to surpass any that had gone before.
In reaching their fifth consecutive final Real Madrid had maintained a monopoly that had existed since the European Cup's inception. The names were legendary; Alfredo di Stefano, considered by Matt Busby to be the greatest all-round talent the game had ever seen; Ferenc Puskas who had twice ripped the heart out of English football; the speed merchant, Francisco Gento; Canario of Brazil, Luis del Sol of Spain. The Scots knew about them, had read about them, caught glimpses of them on television, but here was a chance to see them in the flesh, flaunting all that had made them incomparable.
The vast audience of 127,621, paying a total £55,000 for admission, at the time a record for any football match in Great Britain, would not be disappointed. They grudged not a shilling of that total as the West German champions, who had toyed with Rangers in the semi-final, winning 12-4 on aggregate, were swept aside by football of breathtaking virtuosity. The pessimistic pronouncement of Eintracht's team manager Ernst Berger that his players were coming up against the finest team in the world found no argument on the packed Hampden terraces; recent history had proved it and what was seen on that memorable day confirmed it.
In both legs of their semi-final Real Madrid had outclassed Barcelona :star: who had themselves previously humiliated one of England's most powerful clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 1960 FA Cup winners. They were a coach's dream with a collection of treasures from all over the football world. Didi, the mastermind of Brazil's success at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, where they became the first nation to capture the Jules Rimet trophy on a continent other than their own, could not even find a place in the squad.
As someone would write, Real's only problem was to select the best from the best. It was resolved by the inclusion of Canario, another Brazilian who had been a reserve for most of the season, and Del Sol a favourite of di Stefano because of his intelligent industry in midfield. But as usual, in front of a sound defence organised by the formidable centre-half, Santamaria, there were the Real treasures.
Although 34, Di Stefano had lost none of his energy, one minute orchestrating attacks in midfield the next arrowing at the defence, his movement constant. Puskas, the "Galloping Major" who had fled from the Hungarian uprising, remained the game's most thrilling finisher his swift improvisations astonishing in one so portly. Gento's blistering pace was matched only by the Welsh speed merchant Cliff Jones of Tottenham Hotspur who would make his mark in the European Cup two years later.
All was set for a classic performance. Yet, to begin with the play was untidy as both sets of players sought to settle down on an uneven surface. And it was the Germans who made the first breaks, almost going ahead when a swinging shot from their outside-left Meier slapped against Real's crossbar. Exploiting uncertainty on the left side of Real's defence Eintracht threatened to spoil the party. It took two desperate interventions to keep them out before they went ahead in the 19th minute, Kress pulling away from Santamaria to sweep the ball in from six yards.
Silence settled on Hampden. Some sympathy had been held out for the underdogs but a dour German victory was not in the script. Then it happened. An equaliser of startling simplicity and precision. Canario danced into space and found Di Stefano with a pass that was driven low into Eintracht's net. Three minutes later, Di Stefano struck again, whipping the ball in before anyone else had reacted to a rebound off the body of Eintracht goalkeeper Loy.
It was all Real, their football at such a level that torrents of applause poured down from the terraces. Di Stefano was everywhere, arrogant, a strutting maestro of the game, roving the field, demanding the ball and the subservience even of Puskas.
It was time for Puskas to declare himself. A minute before half-time he took a pass from Del Sol, found space near the by-line and then from a ridiculously narrow angle, struck a shot into the roof of Eintracht's net before raising both arms in a trademark salute. In the 56th minute Puskas scored again, this time from the penalty spot after another of Gento's surges from the left had been illegally interrupted. Soon, Real scored a fifth, Puskas heading in a centre from the rampant Gento to complete his hat-trick.
Enthralled by the riches before them, the crowd had further cause for admiration when Puskas brought Real's tally to six with a stunning goal in the 71st minute. For an instant it seemed that Puskas had overrun a pass but he reached back to cushion the ball, pivoted and smashed it high into the net from 16 yards.
Before the end Eintracht pulled two goals back but in between came one that lives on in the memory of all who saw it. As though it was time to put an indelible stamp on the match, Di Stefano called for the ball deep in his own half and set off on a bewildering run, stringing together at astonishing speed a cluster of passes, sending defenders sprawling before finding the mark with a lordly shot.
For half an hour after what Di Stefano described as "one of our best performances ever", it seemed as though nobody had left Hampden, the crowd staying to applaud a magnificent performance, sensing they would never see its like again.
Next day, the aircraft taking Real Madrid home was delayed for four hours. As someone said, it was almost as though Scotland did not want to allow them to go.
