The 1969 European Cup final was a football match played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid on 28 May 1969 between AC Milan of Italy and Ajax of the Netherlands, to determine the champions of the 1968–69 European Cup. Ajax made history by becoming the first Dutch side to reach the final, but they were beaten by their Italian opponents 4–1.[1][2]
 The match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 1968–69 European Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 28 May 1969 | ||||||
| Venue | Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid | ||||||
| Referee | José María Ortiz de Mendíbil (Spain) | ||||||
| Attendance | 31,782 | ||||||
As of 2024, Milan's Pierino Prati remains the most recent player to score a hat-trick in a European Cup or Champions League final.
Route to the final
editMilan had a bye in the second round due to the withdrawal of a number of Eastern European clubs from the competition. In their semi-final, they knocked out defending European champions Manchester United.
In the quarter-finals, Ajax were deadlocked 4–4 on aggregate against Portuguese side Benfica after two legs, forcing a replay. The Dutch champions won 3–0 in the replay, but it took extra time to do so.
| Milan | Round | Ajax | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Play-off | |
 Malmö FF
|
5–3 | 1–2 (A) | 4–1 (H) | First round |  Nürnberg
|
5–1 | 1–1 (A) | 4–0 (H) | |
| Bye | Second round |  Fenerbahçe
|
4–0 | 2–0 (H) | 2–0 (A) | ||||
 Celtic
|
1–0 | 0–0 (H) | 1–0 (A) | Quarter-finals |  Benfica
|
4–4 (r) | 3–1 (A) | 1–3 (a.e.t.) (H) | 3–0 (a.e.t.) |
 Manchester United
|
2–1 | 2–0 (H) | 0–1 (A) | Semi-finals |  Spartak Trnava
|
3–2 | 3–0 (H) | 0–2 (A) | |
Match
editDetails
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         Milan[3]
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    Ajax[3]
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See also
edit- 1968–69 European Cup
- 1995 UEFA Champions League final – contested by the same teams
- AC Milan in European football
- AFC Ajax in European football
References
edit- ^ "Il mondo ai piedi del Milan di Rocco". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Coppa Campioni 1968/69: MILAN" (in Italian). storiedicalcio.altervista.org. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b "2011/12 UEFA Champions League statistics handbook: History (European Champion Clubs' Cup/UEFA Champions League, 1955–2011)" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 May 2011. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
External links
edit- 1968–69 season at UEFA.com
- European Cups Archive at the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
- 1968–69 season at European Cup History
- "European Champion Clubs' Cup – History" (PDF). UEFA. p. 164. Retrieved 25 May 2011.