1971 European Cup Winners Cup Winners
In April 1970, Chelsea had overcome opponents Leeds to declare their very first FA Cup after a replay. Therefore, they would make their first appearance in the European Cup Winners' Cup for season 1970-71. They dispatched Aris Salonika, CSKA Sofia and Club Brugge to assert their location in the semi-finals where they would meet domestic rivals, Manchester City.
Domestic encounters in European competition were not as common in these days. Man City were in this years Cup Winners Cup as defending Champions after their 1970 triumph over Górnik Zabrze at the Prarter Stadium in Vienna.
There was little to pick in between the teams in the very first leg at Stamford Bridge, but a solitary Derek Smethurst strike ensured Chelsea headed north for the return with a 1-0 lead.
The decisive video game at Maine Road was another wary experience, yet when City's goalkeeper Ron Healey executed his very own goal to offer Chelsea a 2-0 lead, it left City with excessive work to do and Chelsea saw the game out to protect their lead and proceed to the final where they would encounter Real Madrid.
The Final - Karaiskakis Stadium In Athens
The 1971 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was held at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens against 6 time European Cup victors Real Madrid. The Spanish club were challenging for their 7th European prize overall, a record amongst European clubs at the time.
It was Chelsea's first European final, having actually previously gotten to the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in the 1965/66 season where they had lost to Barcelona.
Over 4,000 Chelsea fans made the trip to Athens to develop component of a 45,000-strong group. The match was also revealed survive on BBC, a luxury which had been denied to fans of Manchester City when they won the competitors the year prior to this one, and Rangers in 1972 due to the home nations being screened instead!
Real were no longer the European superpower of the 1950s, however were cluttered with extraordinary talents nonetheless. They narrowly missed out on winning LaLiga that season but the team was still powered by the fabled members of the team that had won the 1966 European Cup.
The stadium was filled up by followers of both clubs as well as local football enthusiasts.
Chelsea skipper Ron Harris as well as his counterpart Francisco Gento of Real Madrid lead the groups out at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens. Having exchanged pennants, Harris and Gento object to the coin toss under the guidance of Swiss umpire Rudolf Scheurer.
Chelsea dominated the very first half in terms of possession yet didn't create any type of specific opportunities. Eleven mins right into the 2nd half, John Boyle crossed as well as the round ricocheted off a Real protector. Osgood then buried the rebound into the corner of the web as well as proceeded to celebrate.
With time running out, the Chelsea fans thought they had one hand on the trophy. Before the last whistle can be blown, Dempsey made a complete hash of a clearance and Zoco, who had been played onside, volleyed into the internet. Dempsey was inconsolable, certain his blunder had cost Chelsea the trophy.
Although penalty shootouts had actually been utilized as a method of deciding a match for the very first time that season in the Cup Winners' Cup, with Honvéd defeating Aberdeen in an earlier round, no such setup remained in area for the final itself. It quickly emerged the UEFA hadn't even taken into consideration the opportunity of the demand for a replay as no previous last had actually ever before required one. After a flurry of governmental task, it was determined to hold the replay simply 48 hours later on in the exact same venue.
Take 2 - The Replay
Because of the unforeseen nature of a replay being needed, the attendance was greater than halved, with a crowd of simply over 19,000 existing, the Chelsea assistance noticeably surpassing the Madrid faithful.
Chelsea looked the livelier of both sides in the first half, dominating belongings as well as producing several come across a bone completely dry surface area. Real didn't create a shot on target till the half hour mark had passed.
The fate of the prize was decided! On 33 minutes, Charlie Cooke floated in an cross from a corner that was headed towards goal by John Dempsey. The 'keeper punched it away but directly to Dempsey, who volleyed it virtually instantly right into the top of the net. With the objective, Dempsey demonstrated why his previous club, Fulham, had actually occasionally played him as an emergency situation demonstrator, just shedding his place to the new finalizing Allan Clarke.
Six mins later, the tireless Baldwin slipped the ball to Osgood, taking 2 defenders with him as he dashed for the return pass. Osgood curved the ball from the edge of the box right off the post and into the corner. It showed the superb striker at his imperious best.
Chelsea weren't going to throw the prize away for a 2nd time, and also with the support well marshalled by Harris and also Webb and some superb saves by Bonetti, they held firm. The whistle blew and also Chelsea had won their very first European title. A team of Chelsea fans got into the pitch to celebrate with their heroes as captain Ron Harris accumulated the trophy.
Subsequent European Success
As we all know, this was not to be Chelsea's last European success but they did need to wait until 1998 to get their hands on the Cup Winners Cup again, which was the start the first in a 25 year period which saw Chelsea win 4 European trophies including the holy grail as they lifted the Champions League in 2012.
Recollections From YouTube
I was 13 when I saw this game on TV. I failed to remember Keith Waller played because video game. I believed that I was lucky for CFC. After that we played Stoke. First greatest dissatisfied I had as a Chelsea fan. Oh well. Wonderful memories.