There are still some tickets left for the Re-Live Gothenburg event at the AECC Centre on Sunday. For more information on the event which is being organised by H-Events please click here. Also on Sunday tune in to Northsound 2 throughout the day for some great features. We start our countdown by looking back at the road to Gothenburg.

 

Magnificent Seven For Aberdeen

After the draw was made in Zurich in July, Aberdeen were hit with fixture difficulties as they had been paired with Swiss club Sion in the preliminary round of the ECWC. The Scottish League stepped in to help the Dons and Aberdeen opened their European campaign in style with an unexpected hammering of the Swiss cup holders. Eric Black began the rout as the goals were spread around. Alex Ferguson was delighted at the result; "We were superb tonight and it is really pleasing to see our players so fit at such an early stage of the season."

18^th August 1982

Preliminary Round 1^st leg at Pittodrie Stadium Aberdeen

ABERDEEN 7:0 FC SION

Scorers; (Kennedy, Simpson, Strachan, Black, McGhee, Hewitt, OG)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, McMaster, Simpson, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Black, McGhee, Bell, Hewitt. Subs used; Weir, Rougvie.

Attendance; 13,000

Aberdeen could afford to take the time to take in the breathtaking scenery of the surrounding Alpine Region in the beautiful setting as they completed the job in style against a Sion side that were no match for a slick Aberdeen. Willie Miller joined in the fun to score a rare goal. Sion play maker Bregy admitted his side were outclassed; "Aberdeen played like they were from another planet!"

1^st September 1982

Preliminary Round 2^nd leg at the Tourbillon Stadion Sion

FC SION 1:4 ABERDEEN

Scorers; (Miller, McGhee 2, Hewitt)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, McMaster, Simpson, Cooper, Miller, Strachan, Bell, McGhee, Hewitt, Weir. Subs used; Black, McLeish.

Attendance; 2,400

 

Step Into The Unknown For Aberdeen

Aberdeen came up against Albanian opponents for the first time as Dinamo Tirana visited Pittodrie for the 1^st round tie. Despite the Dons dominating possession from the outset all they had to show for their efforts was a John Hewitt goal. The Dons striker pounced in 29 minutes after Luarasi spilled a Doug Bell shot. Ferguson was disappointed that his team only had a one goal lead to take to Albania; "We knew they would be difficult to break down but we had a lot of chances to make the return that much easier; we will need to be at our best in Albania."

15^th September 1982

ECWC First Round 1^st leg at Pittodrie Stadium Aberdeen

ABERDEEN 1:0 DINAMO TIRANE

Scorer; (Hewitt)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, McMaster, Bell, Rougvie, Miller, Strachan, Simpson, McGhee, Hewitt, Weir. Subs used; Black, Cooper.

Attendance; 15,000

Talk of an attempted political coup and the sweltering heat combined to make this a difficult tie for the Dons. Albania was still an unknown country back then and the step back in time made for a defensive operation for the Dons who struggled in the searing heat. Tirana rarely looked like scoring against an Aberdeen side that closed the game out in impressive fashion. The noisy home crowd were sensing an upset but the Dons stood firm.

29^th September 1982

ECWC First Round 2^nd leg at the May 5^th Qemal Stafa Stadion Tirana

DINAMO TIRANE 0:0 ABERDEEN

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, Rougvie, Cooper, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Simpson, McGhee, Bell, Weir. Subs used; Hewitt, McMaster.

Attendance; 20,000

 

Dons Are Poles Apart

Poznan arrived in Scotland as league leaders with a big reputation. 90 minutes later they were lucky only to be two goals behind to an Aberdeen side that bombarded the Poles with everything. Eric Black was out of luck as he hit the bar twice but not many sides would fancy hauling a two-goal deficit against Aberdeen. Fergie was happy at not conceding; "It was important that we did not give away an away goal as it will be difficult over there. We kept the ball well and on another night we would have had a more substantial lead to take over to Poland."

20^th October 1982

ECWC Second Round 1^st leg at Pittodrie Stadium Aberdeen

ABERDEEEN 2:0 LECH POZNAN

Scorers; (McGhee, Weir)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Cooper, McMaster, Bell, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Simpson, McGhee, Black, Weir. Subs used; Kennedy, Hewitt.

Attendance; 17,600

Poland was in a state of political turmoil when the Dons travelled to the industrial heart of a country that was gripped in a state of martial law following the trade union uprisings. The open stands at the stadium were full as Poznan believed they could claw back the two goals they lost in Scotland. Aberdeen adopted a defensive strategy that had stood up well in the past. Doug Bell and mark McGhee fought over who scored the only goal of the game as Aberdeen progressed to the later stages. The Poles were impressed; "Aberdeen will be one of the favourites now, they have a great side with skill and technique. They are not a typical British style of team" claimed Poznan coach Kazarek.

3^rd November 1982

ECWC Second Round 2^nd leg at the Miejski Stadion Poznan

LECH POZNAN 0:1 ABERDEEN

Scorer; (Bell)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, Rougvie, McMaster, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Simpson, McGhee, Bell, Weir. Subs used; Cooper, Watson.

Attendance; 30,000

 

 

Mighty Munich Humbled

When news filtered through that Aberdeen had drawn Bayern Munich it was the dream draw for many. With the game still three months away, there was much to look forward to. Aberdeen went to Munich looking to keep the tie alive and in what was their most outstanding defensive display on foreign soil, Aberdeen more than held their own against one of the great sides in Europe. The Germans had been dismissive of the Dons chances before the tie and Aberdeen showed enough in Germany to suggest that they could finish the job in Scotland. Bayern were left to try their luck at long-range efforts as the Dons stood firm; silencing the doubters in the process. Even the great Franz Beckenbauer was impressed; "Aberdeen played a very good technical game and were not like a British side. They also have that passion that comes from Scottish teams and they will make things very difficult for Bayern in Scotland."

2^nd March 1983

ECWC Quarter Final 1^st leg at the Olympic Stadion Munich

BAYERN MUNICH 0:0 ABERDEEN

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, Rougvie, Cooper, McLeish, Miller, Black, Simpson, McGhee, Bell, Weir. Sub used; Strachan.

Attendance; 35,000

Pittodrie was at fever pitch for the return tie against Munich. Aberdeen manager Ferguson was mindful of the threat that Munich had and those fears were realised when the Germans opened the scoring. Despite a Simpson equaliser the Dons fell behind again in the second half. It was down to a couple of changes in the side with both Aberdeen substitutes playing a vital part. First John McMaster joined Gordon Strachan in a free kick move that resulted in Alex McLeish levelling. Less than a minute later John Hewitt slipped the ball through Muller's legs to spark incredible scenes at Pittodrie. The 3-2 win was Pittodrie's greatest night; their finest hour was still to come. German coach Uli Hoeness had warned his side that Aberdeen would be difficult; "We are obviously stunned at the outcome. For long periods we were never in any danger but we lost our heads in the second half and Aberdeen took advantage. I knew that Aberdeen are a very good side and that they would be a tough opponent, we wish them luck for the rest of the tournament."

16^th March 1983

ECWC Quarter Final 2^nd leg at Pittodrie Stadium Aberdeen

ABERDEEN 3:2 BAYERN MUNICH

Scorers; (Simpson, McLeish, Hewitt)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, Rougvie, Cooper, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Simpson, McGhee, Black, Weir. Subs used; Hewitt, McMaster.

Attendance; 24,000

 

Belgians No Match As Dons Go Nap

Waterschei were certainly the outsiders left in the tournament that season. With Real Madrid going up against Austria Memphis in the other semi final. Aberdeen virtually assured their passage to Sweden after a whirlwind start that stunned the Belgians. Two goals in the opening four minutes set the tone for a superb Aberdeen display full of power and passion. Waterschei were clearly stunned and they never recovered from their poor start. Further goals in the second half confirmed the Dons superiority and supporters could turn their attentions to a dream final. With Madrid drawing 2-2 in Vienna, the dream final was so close. Waterschei captain Janssen was full of praise for Aberdeen; "After that opening minutes we never really settled and that was down to Aberdeen who never gave us the time on the ball we were hoping for. Aberdeen are a great team and they showed tonight how good they are. We did not think they would be so formidable; we have an impossible task in Belgium."

6^th April 1983

ECWC Semi Final 1^st leg at Pittodrie Stadium Aberdeen

ABERDEEN 5:1 WATERSCHEI

Scorers; (Simpson, McGhee 2, Black, Weir)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, Rougvie, Bell, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Simpson, McGhee, Black, Weir. Subs used; Hewitt, Cooper.

Attendance; 24,000

The formality of going through to the final was completed in the rundown Genk suburb as the dons eased up in what was their only defeat in the competition that season. With the Dons still going for a remarkable treble, Ferguson gave Ian Angus a rare run with Andy Watson also in the side. Young Willie falconer made his debut as the Aberdeen boss geared up for the challenge ahead. The only goal came in 73 minutes when Voordeckers for once escaped the clutches of McLeish and Miller. It was academic and the only down side for the Dons was a knee injury to Stuart Kennedy that was to effectively end his career. Ferguson was still annoyed that his side had been beaten; "The was a feeling of dejection at the final whistle as they had lost the game. I don't think it has quite sunk in yet that they have taken this club into a European final."

19^th April 1983

ECWC Semi Final 2^nd leg atWaterschei Stadion Genk

WATERSCHEI 1:0 ABERDEEN

Aberdeen; Leighton, Kennedy, Rougvie, McMaster, McLeish, Miller, Hewitt, Simpson, McGhee, Watson, Weir. Subs used; Angus, Falconer.

Attendance; 15,000

 

Real Deal For Magnificent Aberdeen

More than 15,000 travelled by air, sea and land to Sweden to follow the Dons into what was the biggest game in the clubs' history. Coming up against the most famous club side on the planet in Real Madrid, six times European Cup Winners was a dream come true. Torrential rain in Gothenburg failed to dampen spirits as the Dons set about creating their moment of history. Eric Black put Aberdeen ahead before a Santillana penalty restored parity. Aberdeen dominated the second half but could not make the breakthrough. The heavy conditions were energy sapping but it was the Dons that prevailed in extra time. Peter Weir set off down the left and beat two Madrid challenges before setting up mark McGhee. The Dons striker crossed for John Hewitt to head past Augustin in front of a delirious Red Army. A last minute free kick that whistled past the Aberdeen post triggered scenes of joy in the Ullevi Stadium. Aberdeen had beaten one of the biggest sides in world football and had joined an illustrious group of European winners. The legendary Real coach Alfredo Di Stefano summed it all up; "Aberdeen have what money can't buy; a soul, a team spirit built in a family tradition."

11^th May 1983

ECWC Final at the Ullevi Stadion Gothenburg

ABERDEEN 2:1 REAL MADRID (aet)

Scorers; (Black, Hewitt)

Aberdeen; Leighton, Rougvie, McMaster, Cooper, McLeish, Miller, Strachan, Simpson, McGhee, Black, Weir. Sub used; Hewitt.

Real Madrid; Augustin, Juan Hose, Camacho, Metgod, Bonet, Gallego, Juanito, Angel, Santillana, Stielike, Isidro. Subs used; San Jose, Salguero.

Attendance; 17,800

Referee; G Menajali (Italy)