1972 UEFA Cup Final
Tottenham were 9 years on from their first triumph securing a European trophy in the 1963 Cup Winners Cup Final against Atletico Madrid. Wolverhampton Wanderers had reached their first European final, having enjoyed their best run since they reached the semi-final last in 1961 when they lost out in a famous 'Battle of Britain' versus Rangers. The club were also pioneers for the forerunner to the birth of European football in the 1950s when they first took on opposition from across Europe, and also might consider themselves unlucky to have never won a European prize in this period which followed. Molineux ended up being globe prominent for their 'floodlit friendlies' - they were among the first to set up the facility - versus the top teams from around the world.
The 1971 - 72 season saw the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup evolve into the UEFA Cup, and the entrance was currently restricted to the highest-placed teams that had not received the European Cup or the Cup Winners' Cup, while groups from the same nation were barred from meeting up until the quarter-finals.
Path To The Final
Spurs had emerged unbeaten from ties with Keflavík, Nantes Atlantique, Rapid Bucuresti, UTA Arad and AC Milan. Two goals from Steve Perryman in the 1st leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final tie at White Hart Lane against AC Milan provided Tottenham a slim advantage ahead of the return game in Italy. Initially, AC Milan made it very tough for Spurs and outplayed them. They took the lead after 25 minutes but then Spurs raised their game and equalised within ten minutes. Steve Perryman scored from 25 lawns, after Martin Peters and Alan Gilzean integrated to produce the opportunity for him. The Italians played a really physical game and with half an hour left had a defender sent off.
Spurs took advantage and Perryman once again scored from the exact same distance to provide Spurs a narrow lead for the 2nd leg. AC Milan commemorated for they were specific they would turn that around in Milan particularly as they had the crucial away goal, but it wasn't to be the case and Spurs progressed.
Wolves took pleasure in a series of excellent displays versus Clube Académica de Coimbra, ADO Den Haag, Carl Zeiss Jena, Juventus as well as Ferencvárosi. More than 40,000 turned up to see Italy's biggest club team require to the Molineux grass, with the competition beginning to record the creativity of the Wolverhampton public. The tie was the biggest European component for Wolves since their European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers in 1961, or their massacre at the hands of the mighty Barcelona in the European Cup a season earlier. Motivated by the late Danny Hegan, they completed the task at Molineux, winning 2-1, with wonderful German playmaker Helmut Haller not able to drag Juventus to splendor.
The Final
The two-legged affair began at the Molineux on 3 May 1972. A flashy first-round connection on a rain-swept evening in Wolverhampton probably had not been the scenario they desired initially. Spurs gained momentum after a goalless first-half, Martin Chivers breaking the predicament on 57 minutes.
In a regrettable item of organizing rubbish, the first leg occurred simply five days after England's Euro '72 quarter-final versus West Germany at Wembley. These kinds of clashes were not uncommon in the 70s. Famously Rangers triumphed in the Cup Winners Cup on the 14th May 1972, the very same evening as Scotland played Wales in the home nations So there were whole lots of events running parallel in Internationals and Clubs.
Roared on by the home support, Wolves then equalised 15 minutes late with a goal from Jim Calliog had the home side smelling parity with the second leg at White Hart Lane coming up. However after that, Martin Chivers' late strike provided the Londoners a 2-1 away success.
The 2nd leg, did little to accelerate pulses, yet after Allan Mullery scored to put Spurs 3-1 up in the tie after 29 minutes, it instantly sparked right into life. Dave Wagstaffe racked up a sensational equaliser on the night to breathe fresh life into the match as Spurs tottered.
They settled their initial leg win with a 1-1 draw back at White Hart Lane, and now had a UEFA Cup to contribute to their UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. This made them the first English team in history to win two separate European prizes.