A Dutch treat
There is an atmosphere of excitement and
glamour which descends on Ibrox on
European nights. In over 40 years of com
petition, crowds have assembled in huge
numbers to watch Rangers contest the
honours against sides from every corner
of the continent.
Invariably each of these matches
carry their own memories, but tonight's
confrontation with Ajax rekindles recollec
tions of a football feast in a clash with the
Dutch masters almost 24 years ago.
Ajax maestro Johan Cruyff in action for Holland
Ajax were invited to Ibrox as part of
Rangers' centenary celebrations, but a
competitive edge was provided by a
Dutch newspaper which put up a trophy -
the Super Cup of Europe. This was no
ordinary friendly contest, but pitted the
winners of the European Cup (Ajax)
against the holders of the European Cup
Winners' Cup (Rangers). The game was
arranged as a two-leg affair.
The contest has been a regular fix
ture in the European calendar ever since,
but that evening of 16th January 1973
was quite unique in that it saw the four
major club trophies assembled for proba
bly the first and only time.
At half-time, the European Cup, Cup
Winners' Cup and Super Cup were parad
ed alongside the World Club
Championship trophy which Ajax had won
by defeating Independiente of Argentina
a few months earlier.
The trophies were not the only glitz
on the evening as the two sides turned in
a display of all that was good in football.
In a clash of styles, with the robust power
play of Rangers contrasting the total foot
ball of Ajax, the 58,000 crowd were enter
tained by some of the greatest players to
grace the Ibrox turf.
Rangers offered legendary figures
such as Greig, Johnstone, Jardine and
Forsyth, while Ajax, led by the incompara
ble Johan Cruyff, included world class
stars such as Muhren, Krol, Haan and
Rep. Neeskens played in the return leg.
Such was the quality of the Dutch
that they formed the backbone of the
national team that went on to appear in
the World Cup Finals of 1974 and 1978. In
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