final after a play-off with Hungary's Feren-
cvaros. We had drawn 3-3 in the home-
and-away ties.
We lost the toss for choice of venue in
the third game and eventually went down
1-2 in Budapest.
No need to solicit opinions, or take a
ballot, on which was United's greatest
season: 1967/68 when, after so many
disappointments, we finally won the Euro
pean Champions' Cup was the year to top
them all.
Only one survivor remains from that
successful United side, Alex Stepney, who
makes his 17th competitive European
appearance for the club tonight. While
that's a long way behind Bill Foulkes' club
record tally of 52 European games, Stepney
does share with Foulkes a very special
place in Manchester United's achievements
in Europe.
It was Foulkes who lashed in our third
goal in the semi-final against Real Madrid
in Spain to give us a 4-3 victory and
guarantee our place in the final in 1968;
then it was Stepney who, with that stupen
dous save from Eusebio in the dying
moments of ordinary time in the Wembley
final, earned us the extra-time in which we
romped to 4-1 victory over Benfica.
Every United fan will have his special
memories of goals or misses, great saves
and unfortunate mistakes, which have
marked our treks through Europe over the
years.
Maybe tonight there will be more magic
moments which, in the future we shall look
back on and muse: "That was the turning
point for United."
UIMITED'S EUROPEAN RECORD
European Cup
Cup-Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup
Times
ent.
5
1
2
the AJAX 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 0, 15th September, 1976.
airs The photographer catches the action at a most controversial moment, does the ball cross the line before the
ni- Ajax goalkeeper hooks it clear? Photo by courtesy of County Press, Wigan.
IB
