Soccer
Big names light up Europe as top clubs share the glory
By DPA
May 14, 2008, 11:35 GMT

Hamburg - Several teams and countries enjoyed periods of dominance in the European Cup over the first three decades since its inception in the mid-1950s.

Spanish giants Real Madrid won the first competition in 1956, beating French side Stade de Reims 4-3 in the final at Parc des Princes, Paris.

It was the start of five successive titles culminating in a remarkable 7-3 victory over Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt in a legendary match watched by a 135,000 crowd in Hampden Park, Glasgow.

They witnessed what is still considered one of the finest exhibitions of football with two of the all-time greats, Alfredo di Stefano (3) and Ference Puskas (4) sharing the goals.

Real Madrid finally faltered in the 1960/61 season, going out in the first round to arch-rivals Barcelona who reached the final, only to lose 3-2 to Portugal's Benfica.

Real were back in the final the following year - making it a seventh successive appearance by a Spanish club - but it was a Eusebio-inspired Benfica who emerged victorious in a 5-3 victory.

All three Madrid goals were scored by Puskas, his second final hat-trick and a record which stands to this day.

Madrid were winners again in 1966 (as well as 1998, 2000 and 2002) after three seasons which saw Italian sides emerge victorious with AC Milan winning in 1963 (against Benfica in their third successive final) and city rivals Inter in 1964 and 1965.

Celtic provided glory for Scotland, beating Inter Milan 2-1 in the 1967 edition, before the cup went the first time to England when Manchester United clinched the 1968 trophy 10 years after the Munich air disaster had claimed the lives of eight of the 'Busby babes' team.

Manager Matt Busby survived his injuries to recreate a brilliant new United team which contained three European Footballers of the Year in Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton, another survivor of the 1958 crash.

The final at Wembley - two years after England won the World Cup at the stadium - was another display of excellence as United ran out 4-1 winners over Benfica and Eusebio after extra-time.

However it was Dutch rather than English football which was to emerge in strength, with the first signs of 'total football' being shown by the Rinus Michels-coached Ajax who reached the 1969 final only to be be comprehensibly beaten 4-1 by AC Milan.

The match in Madrid was notable for a hat-trick by Milan's Pierino Prati, the last to be scored in any European Cup or Champions League final.

It was Dutch side Feyenoord's turn in 1970, beating Celtic 2-1 after extra time before a Johan Cruyff-led Ajax took over to win three consecutive titles.

The Amsterdam club's domination was then replicated by Germany's Bayern Munich in the era of Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Mueller, Paul Breitner, Georg Schwarzenbeck, Uli Hoeness and keeper Sepp Maier, players who were to form the backbone of West Germany's 1974 World Cup winning team.

Bayern, who had been knocked out by Ajax in the 1972/73 campaign, captured the 1974 title in a replayed final (4-0) against Atletico Madrid to take the cup to Germany for the first time.

In 1975 they overcame Leeds 2-0 in a final in Paris which the strong English side felt they lost unfairly, and were 1-0 winners over French outfit St Etienne in 1976.

English domination followed with titles going to Liverpool, Nottingham Forest (twice in successive years) and Aston Villa winning in six consecutive years.

SV Hamburg, beaten by Forest in the 1980 final, came good by defeating Juventus 1-0 in Athens in 1983, a major upset considering the Turin side lined up with Michel Platini and several stars of Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning team.

But Liverpool remained a major force in European football and clinched a fourth title in 1984 by beating Roma in Rome in a penalty shoot-out.

A year later they were looking for a fifth title in nine years when they took on Juventus in the 1985 final in Heysel Stadium, Brussels.

A Platini penalty won the match for Juventus, but the result was meaningless after the deaths of 39 spectators in a crush following violence on the terraces before the match.

It was the darkest hour in the history of European competitions and a major setback for English football.

English clubs were banned indefinitely by UEFA from all European competitions (lifted after five years) and Liverpool were excluded for an additional three years.

It was not until 1999 that an English club - Manchester United - was again victorious in what had by then become the Champions League.