internazionale - AJAX
f
THE GLORY YEARS
FINALE EUROPA-CUP
The European Cup holders pose with
their trophy in March, 1973
OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
for the first time with a 6-1 aggregate triumph over Milan.
Between 1974 and 1986, Ajax's best performance in a
continental competition came in 1980, when they reached
the European Cup semi-final before being beaten by that
season's eventual winners, Nottingham Forest. They won the
Cup Winners Cup for the first time in 1987, beating Lokomotiv
Leipzig in the final. They reached the final again the following
year, but were beaten 1-0 by KV Mechelen on that occasion.
However, there was more European glory for Ajax in 1992,
with their talented side - containing the likes of Danny Blind,
Frank de Boer and Dennis Bergkamp - securing victory on
away goals in the UEFA Cup Final against Torino after a 2-2
aggregate draw.
In 1994/95, Louis van Gaal's side entered the newly-
branded UEFA Champions League for the first time. They
topped their group, which contained Milan, Casino Salzburg
and AEK Athens before beating Hajduk Split 3-0 in the
quarter-finals. Following a goalless draw away to Bayern
Munich in the first leg of the semi-final, they beat the German
side 5-2 on an incredible night at the Olympisch Stadion. A
brace from Jari Litmanen plus strikes from Finidi George,
Ronald de Boer and Marc Overmars saw the Amsterdamers
through the final to face Milan at the Ernst Happel Stadion in
Vienna on 24 May, 1995.
Five minutes before the end of the game, watched by a
crowd of 49,730, Patrick Kluivert struck to give Ajax a 1-0
win and their fourth European crown. Former Spurs player
Edgar Davids was in van Gaal's starting line-up that evening.
The Dutch side reached the final again the following season
but were beaten 4-2 on penalties by Juventus after a 1-1 draw
after extra-time at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Ajax's most recent foray to a European final came two
seasons ago when they lost 2-0 to Manchester United in the
UEFA Europa League Final at the Friends Arena in Stockholm,
where our defender Da Vinson Sanchez started for the Dutch
side that evening.
STACXON FtYENOORD ROTTERDAM
WOENSOAG 31 MEt 1972
