1978 European Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 1978 European Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool
of England and Club Brugge of Belgium on 10 May 1978 at Wembley Stadium, London, England. It was the final match of the 1977–78 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the European Cup
. Liverpool were the reigning champions and were appearing in their second European Cup final. Club Brugge were appearing in their first European Cup final. The two sides had met once before in European competition, when they contested the 1976 UEFA Cup Final
, which Liverpool won 4–3 on aggregate.
As reigning champions, Liverpool received a bye
in the first round, which meant that Club Brugge played two matches more to reach the final. All but one of Liverpool's matches were comfortable victories and they won each round with an aggregate score at least two goals to the good. In the first round Club Brugge beat Finnish champions Kuopion Palloseura by 9–2 on aggregate, but they won each of their subsequent rounds by just one goal.
Watched by a crowd of 92,000, the first half was goalless. Liverpool took the lead in the second half when Kenny Dalglish
scored from a Graeme Souness
pass. They held this lead to win the match 1–0, securing Liverpool's second European Cup and third European trophy in succession, and they became the first British team to retain the European Cup.
Liverpool were the reigning European Cup champions after defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach
3–1 to win the 1977 European Cup Final
. Liverpool were also the reigning English champions, having won the English league during the 1976–77 season. As reigning European Cup champions, they received a bye
in the first round. They were drawn against East German champions Dynamo Dresden
in the second round. Liverpool were expected to win the first leg, played at Anfield
, their home ground, and they did so with a score of 5–1. Dresden won the second leg 2-1 at their home ground, Glücksgas Stadium
, giving Liverpool a 6–3 win on aggregate.
In the quarter-finals Liverpool were drawn against Portuguese champions Benfica. The first leg was played at the Estádio da Luz, Benfica's home ground. Nené
scored for Benfica in the 18th minute, Jimmy Case
equalised for Liverpool in the 37th minute, and Emlyn Hughes
scored midway through the second half to give Liverpool a 2–1 victory. The second leg at Anfield was won 4–1 by Liverpool, giving them a 6–2 win on aggregate.
Liverpool's opponents in the semi-finals were Borussia Mönchengladbach, the team they had beaten to win the European Cup the previous year. The first leg was played in Germany at the Bökelbergstadion
, which was Borussia's home ground at that time. Borussia took an early lead when Wilfried Hannes
scored. Liverpool equalised in the 88th minute, when David Johnson scored, but in the following minute Rainer Bonhof
scored from a 22-yard free-kick
, so Borussia won 2-1. In the second leg, at Anfield, Alan Kennedy
scored for Liverpool in the sixth minute, Dalglish scored midway through the first half, and Case scored in the 56th minute, giving Liverpool a 3–0 win in the match and a 4–2 win on aggregate, and securing a place in their second consecutive European Cup final.
Club Brugge gained entry to the competition by winning the 1976–77 Belgian First Division and thus becoming Belgian champions. Their opponents in the first round were the Finnish champions, Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS). Brugge won the first leg 4–0 at KuPS's home ground, the Kuopion keskuskenttä, and the second leg 5–2 at Brugge's ground, the Jan Breydel Stadium, thus winning the round 9–2 on aggregate.
Their opponents in the second round were Greek champions Panathinaikos
. The first leg was in Belgium. Brugge won 2–0 after Roger Davies
scored from a penalty in the 24th minute and Julien Cools
scored midway through the second half. The second leg was played at Panathinaikos' home ground, the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium
. Panathinaikos won the match 1–0, so Brugge won the round with an aggregate score of 2–1.
Brugge's opponents in the quarter-finals were Spanish champions Atlético Madrid. The first leg in Belgium was won 2–0 by Brugge. The second leg, played at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
, Atlético's home ground, was a close match: Atlético scored twice in the first half; Cools scored for Brugge in the 60th minute; Marcial Pina
scored for Atlético two minutes later; finally Raoul Lambert
scored once more for Brugge. Thus Brugge lost the match 3–2 but won the round with a 4–3 aggregate score.
Italian champions Juventus
were the opponents in the semi-finals. The first leg, at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Juventus' home ground, was goalless until the 86th minute, when Roberto Bettega
scored to give Juventus a 1–0 victory. The second leg in Belgium was a similarly close affair. Brugge scored in the third minute, but that left a 1–1 aggregate score after 90 minutes, requiring extra time
to be played. Had the aggregate score still been tied after the extra time, there would have been a penalty shootout, but René Vandereycken scored in the 116th minute to give Brugge a 2–0 win in the match and a 2–1 win on aggregate, to progress to their first European Cup final.
1978 was the first year in which Club Brugge had reached the final, while Liverpool were appearing in their second successive final. The two teams had met before in the final of a European competition: the 1976 UEFA Cup Final
, which Liverpool won 4–3 on aggregate. Liverpool were the reigning champions and were aiming to become the first British team to win successive European Cups. Liverpool had already won the UEFA Cup
twice, in the 1972–73 and 1975–76 seasons. Brugge were the first Belgian team to reach the final of the European Cup and thus were aiming to become the first to win the trophy.
As the final was held in England at Wembley, Liverpool were clear favourites to retain the European Cup. Brugge were without a number of key players, such as Raoul Lambert
, whose inclusion in the Brugge squad was rumoured before the final but never materialised. Liverpool were also without a few players. Tommy Smith
, who had scored in the previous season's final, was out after dropping a pick-axe on his foot and breaking a toe. Striker David Johnson was also absent. He had strained knee ligaments during a match against Leicester City
, an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
The first half was dull. Brugge held back, using tight marking
and the offside trap to restrict Liverpool's attacking threat. Towards the end of the fist half, Liverpool started to have more scoring chances. Alan Kennedy
volleyed across the face of the goal, and Jimmy Case
took a free kick
that needed to be punched away by Brugge goalkeeper Birger Jensen
. In the closing minutes of the first half, Jensen made two crucial saves: he blocked David Fairclough
, who had made a run towards goal, and he tipped a header by Alan Hansen
over the crossbar. So the score at half-time was 0–0.
Early in the second half, Jensen made another save, this time from Terry McDermott
. Brugge's first significant chance came a few minutes afterwards, when a cross-field pass by René Vandereycken reached Jan Sørensen
on the right-hand side of the pitch. Sørensen's subsequent shot was blocked by Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes
. The blocked shot was not cleared, but Ray Clemence
reached the ball before Brugge's Lajos Kű
could reach it and score. After this Kű was substituted with Dirk Sanders. Liverpool made a substitution minutes later, with Steve Heighway
replacing Case. Liverpool's substitution had more effect, as Heighway gave Liverpool more width on the right-hand side of the pitch. Two minutes after Heighway's introduction, Kenny Dalglish
received the ball in the Brugge penalty area from a Graeme Souness
pass and placed his shot over a diving Jensen to give Liverpool a 1–0 lead.
Brugge now needed to score, but they only created one more chance. Ten minutes before the end of the match, Sørensen intercepted a Hansen backpass and shot. His shot was blocked by Clemence, and a goal-line clearance by Phil Thompson
prevented Brugge from equalising. The match remained at 1–0 and Liverpool won their second consecutive European Cup, becoming the first British team to retain the trophy.
After the match, figures from each team were critical of the other team's play. Liverpool defender Tommy Smith criticised Brugge for their approach, saying "It was a pathetic attitude. You never win anything like that." Liverpool manager Bob Paisley
also criticised the Belgian team's tactics: "It takes two teams to make a game into a spectacle and Bruges only seemed to be concerned with keeping the score down. Bruges didn't come at us much – apart from one mistake in our defence, they never looked like scoring. But they were well organised at the back and it was a case of breaking them down. We controlled the game from start to finish." Meanwhile Club Brugge manager Ernst Happel was critical of the quality of the Liverpool team: "Liverpool seemed only a shadow of the side we played in the UEFA Cup final two seasons ago. I was disappointed with them, but they deserved their victory although we were handicapped by injuries to two players."
style="font-size:90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center>
CLUB BRUGGE:
|
GK
1
Birger Jensen
DF
2
Fons Bastijns
(c)
DF
3
Edi Krieger
DF
4
Georges Leekens
DF
5
Gino Maes
MF
6
Julien Cools
MF
7
René Vandereycken
MF
8
Dany Decubber
MF
9
Jan Simeon
FW
10
Lajos Kű
FW
11
Jan Sørensen
Substitutes:
MF
12
Dirk Sanders
DF
13
Jos Volders
Manager:
Ernst Happel
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
of England and Club Brugge of Belgium on 10 May 1978 at Wembley Stadium, London, England. It was the final match of the 1977–78 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. Liverpool were the reigning champions and were appearing in their second European Cup final. Club Brugge were appearing in their first European Cup final. The two sides had met once before in European competition, when they contested the 1976 UEFA Cup Final
1976 UEFA Cup Final
The 1976 UEFA Cup Final was played on April 28, 1976 and May 19, 1976 between Liverpool F.C. of England and Club Brugge K.V. of Belgium. Liverpool won 4-3 on aggregate.-First Leg:-Second Leg:-External links:**...
, which Liverpool won 4–3 on aggregate.
As reigning champions, Liverpool received a bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
in the first round, which meant that Club Brugge played two matches more to reach the final. All but one of Liverpool's matches were comfortable victories and they won each round with an aggregate score at least two goals to the good. In the first round Club Brugge beat Finnish champions Kuopion Palloseura by 9–2 on aggregate, but they won each of their subsequent rounds by just one goal.
Watched by a crowd of 92,000, the first half was goalless. Liverpool took the lead in the second half when Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
scored from a Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
pass. They held this lead to win the match 1–0, securing Liverpool's second European Cup and third European trophy in succession, and they became the first British team to retain the European Cup.
Liverpool
| Round | Opponents | First leg | Second leg | Aggregate score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bye | — | — | — |
| 2nd | Dynamo Dresden Dynamo Dresden SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles... |
5–1 (h) | 1–2 (a) | 6–3 |
| Quarter-final | Benfica | 2–1 (a) | 4–1 (h) | 6–2 |
| Semi-final | Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth... |
1–2 (a) | 3–0 (h) | 4–2 |
Liverpool were the reigning European Cup champions after defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
3–1 to win the 1977 European Cup Final
1977 European Cup Final
The 1977 European Cup Final was an association football match between Liverpool of England and Borussia Mönchengladbach of Germany on 25 May 1977 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy. The showpiece event was the final match of the 1976–77 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the European Cup...
. Liverpool were also the reigning English champions, having won the English league during the 1976–77 season. As reigning European Cup champions, they received a bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
in the first round. They were drawn against East German champions Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...
in the second round. Liverpool were expected to win the first leg, played at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
, their home ground, and they did so with a score of 5–1. Dresden won the second leg 2-1 at their home ground, Glücksgas Stadium
Glücksgas Stadium
Glücksgas Stadium is a football stadium in Dresden, Saxony. It is the current home of Dynamo Dresden. The facility had previously been known as the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, but in December 2010, the naming rights were sold to Glücksgas, a Bavarian energy company...
, giving Liverpool a 6–3 win on aggregate.
In the quarter-finals Liverpool were drawn against Portuguese champions Benfica. The first leg was played at the Estádio da Luz, Benfica's home ground. Nené
Tamagnini Nené
Tamagnini Manuel Gomes Baptista, Nené , is a retired Portuguese footballer.A striker, he played his entire career with Sport Lisboa e Benfica, appearing in nearly 600 official games for the club....
scored for Benfica in the 18th minute, Jimmy Case
Jimmy Case
James Robert Case is a retired English football player who shot to fame with the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s and became known as a player with one of the hardest shots in the game.-Early life:...
equalised for Liverpool in the 37th minute, and Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...
scored midway through the second half to give Liverpool a 2–1 victory. The second leg at Anfield was won 4–1 by Liverpool, giving them a 6–2 win on aggregate.
Liverpool's opponents in the semi-finals were Borussia Mönchengladbach, the team they had beaten to win the European Cup the previous year. The first leg was played in Germany at the Bökelbergstadion
Bökelbergstadion
The Bökelbergstadion was a football stadium in Mönchengladbach, Germany.-History:It was the home of Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach before Borussia-Park opened in 2004. The stadium had a capacity of up to 34,500 people. The inauguration took place on September 20, 1919 under the name...
, which was Borussia's home ground at that time. Borussia took an early lead when Wilfried Hannes
Wilfried Hannes
Wilfried Hannes is a former German football player and manager, known for achieving his career despite being visually impaired after a pupil-tumor had caused him to lose his sight in his right eye as a child....
scored. Liverpool equalised in the 88th minute, when David Johnson scored, but in the following minute Rainer Bonhof
Rainer Bonhof
Rainer Bonhof is a former German footballer. He was a defensive midfielder or wing-back.-Playing career:...
scored from a 22-yard free-kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
, so Borussia won 2-1. In the second leg, at Anfield, Alan Kennedy
Alan Kennedy
Alan Phillip Kennedy is a former footballer who played for Liverpool during their halcyon days in the late 1970s and early 1980s and had a knack of scoring in major cup finals....
scored for Liverpool in the sixth minute, Dalglish scored midway through the first half, and Case scored in the 56th minute, giving Liverpool a 3–0 win in the match and a 4–2 win on aggregate, and securing a place in their second consecutive European Cup final.
Club Brugge
| Round | Opponents | First leg | Second leg | Aggregate score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | KuPS | 4–0 (a) | 5–2 (h) | 9–2 |
| 2nd | Panathinaikos Panathinaikos FC Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most... |
2–0 (h) | 0–1 (a) | 2–1 |
| Quarter-final | Atlético Madrid | 2–0 (h) | 2–3 (a) | 4–3 |
| Semi-final | Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
0–1 (a) | 2–0 (h) | 2–1 |
Club Brugge gained entry to the competition by winning the 1976–77 Belgian First Division and thus becoming Belgian champions. Their opponents in the first round were the Finnish champions, Kuopion Palloseura (KuPS). Brugge won the first leg 4–0 at KuPS's home ground, the Kuopion keskuskenttä, and the second leg 5–2 at Brugge's ground, the Jan Breydel Stadium, thus winning the round 9–2 on aggregate.
Their opponents in the second round were Greek champions Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...
. The first leg was in Belgium. Brugge won 2–0 after Roger Davies
Roger Davies (footballer)
Roger Davies is a retired English football forward who played professionally in England, Belgium and the United States. He currently provides radio commentary for Derby County games.-History:...
scored from a penalty in the 24th minute and Julien Cools
Julien Cools
Julien Cools was a Belgian football player who won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 1977 while at Club Brugge. Discovered as a junior at SK Retie Branddonk of Antwerp and made his name with Beringen FC. Signed by FC Bruges in 1973 where his reputation for non-stop running in the midfield made him an...
scored midway through the second half. The second leg was played at Panathinaikos' home ground, the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium
Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium is a football stadium in Athens, Greece. The stadium, has been the home of Panathinaikos FC and has played for most of the years of its existence, since its foundation back in 1908....
. Panathinaikos won the match 1–0, so Brugge won the round with an aggregate score of 2–1.
Brugge's opponents in the quarter-finals were Spanish champions Atlético Madrid. The first leg in Belgium was won 2–0 by Brugge. The second leg, played at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
Vicente Calderón Stadium
The Vicente Calderón Stadium is the home stadium of La Liga football club Atlético Madrid and is located in the Arganzuela district of Spanish capital Madrid. The stadium was originally called the Manzanares Stadium, but this was later changed to the Vicente Calderón Stadium, after the famous...
, Atlético's home ground, was a close match: Atlético scored twice in the first half; Cools scored for Brugge in the 60th minute; Marcial Pina
Marcial Pina
Marcial Pina is a Spanish former footballer, born in the Province of Asturias. He played as a midfielder and had his first team debut at Elche, although he is most famous for his achievements with Barcelona.-Career:...
scored for Atlético two minutes later; finally Raoul Lambert
Raoul Lambert
Raoul Lambert was a Belgian footballer. He finished top scorer of the Belgian First Division with 17 goals in 1972 while playing for Club Brugge. He also scored 18 goals in 33 matches with the Belgian national team between 1966 and 1977. Lambert made his international debut on 20 April 1966 in a...
scored once more for Brugge. Thus Brugge lost the match 3–2 but won the round with a 4–3 aggregate score.
Italian champions Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
were the opponents in the semi-finals. The first leg, at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Juventus' home ground, was goalless until the 86th minute, when Roberto Bettega
Roberto Bettega
Roberto Bettega is an Italian former footballer. Bettega was regarded as a player of noteworthy intelligence and at his prime was one of the most feared strikers . Bettega is mostly remembered for his time at his hometown club Juventus...
scored to give Juventus a 1–0 victory. The second leg in Belgium was a similarly close affair. Brugge scored in the third minute, but that left a 1–1 aggregate score after 90 minutes, requiring extra time
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
to be played. Had the aggregate score still been tied after the extra time, there would have been a penalty shootout, but René Vandereycken scored in the 116th minute to give Brugge a 2–0 win in the match and a 2–1 win on aggregate, to progress to their first European Cup final.
Summary
1976 UEFA Cup Final
The 1976 UEFA Cup Final was played on April 28, 1976 and May 19, 1976 between Liverpool F.C. of England and Club Brugge K.V. of Belgium. Liverpool won 4-3 on aggregate.-First Leg:-Second Leg:-External links:**...
, which Liverpool won 4–3 on aggregate. Liverpool were the reigning champions and were aiming to become the first British team to win successive European Cups. Liverpool had already won the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
twice, in the 1972–73 and 1975–76 seasons. Brugge were the first Belgian team to reach the final of the European Cup and thus were aiming to become the first to win the trophy.
As the final was held in England at Wembley, Liverpool were clear favourites to retain the European Cup. Brugge were without a number of key players, such as Raoul Lambert
Raoul Lambert
Raoul Lambert was a Belgian footballer. He finished top scorer of the Belgian First Division with 17 goals in 1972 while playing for Club Brugge. He also scored 18 goals in 33 matches with the Belgian national team between 1966 and 1977. Lambert made his international debut on 20 April 1966 in a...
, whose inclusion in the Brugge squad was rumoured before the final but never materialised. Liverpool were also without a few players. Tommy Smith
Tommy Smith (footballer born 1945)
Thomas "Tommy" Smith MBE was a long-serving footballer with Liverpool, known for his uncompromising defensive style. Manager Bill Shankly once said of him: "Tommy Smith wasn't born, he was quarried."-Life and playing career:...
, who had scored in the previous season's final, was out after dropping a pick-axe on his foot and breaking a toe. Striker David Johnson was also absent. He had strained knee ligaments during a match against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
The first half was dull. Brugge held back, using tight marking
Marking (association football)
In association football, marking is an organized defensive strategy which aims to prevent a member of the opposing team from taking control of the ball...
and the offside trap to restrict Liverpool's attacking threat. Towards the end of the fist half, Liverpool started to have more scoring chances. Alan Kennedy
Alan Kennedy
Alan Phillip Kennedy is a former footballer who played for Liverpool during their halcyon days in the late 1970s and early 1980s and had a knack of scoring in major cup finals....
volleyed across the face of the goal, and Jimmy Case
Jimmy Case
James Robert Case is a retired English football player who shot to fame with the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s and became known as a player with one of the hardest shots in the game.-Early life:...
took a free kick
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
that needed to be punched away by Brugge goalkeeper Birger Jensen
Birger Jensen
Birger Jensen is a Danish former football player, who played in the goalkeeper position. He most notably played professionally for Belgian club Club Brugge, with whom he reached the 1978 European Cup final...
. In the closing minutes of the first half, Jensen made two crucial saves: he blocked David Fairclough
David Fairclough
David Fairclough is a retired English footballer, most famous for playing for Liverpool as a striker during the 1970s and 80s.-Life and playing career:...
, who had made a run towards goal, and he tipped a header by Alan Hansen
Alan Hansen
Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
over the crossbar. So the score at half-time was 0–0.
Early in the second half, Jensen made another save, this time from Terry McDermott
Terry McDermott
Terence "Terry" McDermott is a former football midfielder and current coach. He is currently the assistant manager at League One side Huddersfield Town.He is the father of Newcastle United player Greg McDermott and Marsaxlokk player Neale McDermott-Early career:McDermott joined Bury as a youngster...
. Brugge's first significant chance came a few minutes afterwards, when a cross-field pass by René Vandereycken reached Jan Sørensen
Jan Sørensen
Jan Vang Sørensen is a retired Danish football player, turned professional poker player from Odense. He has won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker....
on the right-hand side of the pitch. Sørensen's subsequent shot was blocked by Liverpool captain Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Hughes
Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :...
. The blocked shot was not cleared, but Ray Clemence
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...
reached the ball before Brugge's Lajos Kű
Lajos Ku
Lajos Kü was a Hungarian football midfielder, who played for Videoton, Ferencvárosi TC, Club Brugge K.V. and SC Eisenstadt....
could reach it and score. After this Kű was substituted with Dirk Sanders. Liverpool made a substitution minutes later, with Steve Heighway
Steve Heighway
Stephen Derek "Steve" Heighway is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
replacing Case. Liverpool's substitution had more effect, as Heighway gave Liverpool more width on the right-hand side of the pitch. Two minutes after Heighway's introduction, Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
received the ball in the Brugge penalty area from a Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
pass and placed his shot over a diving Jensen to give Liverpool a 1–0 lead.
Brugge now needed to score, but they only created one more chance. Ten minutes before the end of the match, Sørensen intercepted a Hansen backpass and shot. His shot was blocked by Clemence, and a goal-line clearance by Phil Thompson
Phil Thompson
Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions...
prevented Brugge from equalising. The match remained at 1–0 and Liverpool won their second consecutive European Cup, becoming the first British team to retain the trophy.
After the match, figures from each team were critical of the other team's play. Liverpool defender Tommy Smith criticised Brugge for their approach, saying "It was a pathetic attitude. You never win anything like that." Liverpool manager Bob Paisley
Bob Paisley
Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974...
also criticised the Belgian team's tactics: "It takes two teams to make a game into a spectacle and Bruges only seemed to be concerned with keeping the score down. Bruges didn't come at us much – apart from one mistake in our defence, they never looked like scoring. But they were well organised at the back and it was a case of breaking them down. We controlled the game from start to finish." Meanwhile Club Brugge manager Ernst Happel was critical of the quality of the Liverpool team: "Liverpool seemed only a shadow of the side we played in the UEFA Cup final two seasons ago. I was disappointed with them, but they deserved their victory although we were handicapped by injuries to two players."
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| style="font-size:90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | LIVERPOOL: | |||
| GK | 1 |  Ray ClemenceRay Clemence Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:... |
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| RB | 2 | Phil Neal Phil Neal Philip George "Phil" Neal is a former footballer who was, at one time, the most successful player in English football history. He played for Liverpool 650 times over an eleven year period and is the only player to have appeared in the first five of their European Cup finals, winning four of them... |
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| LB | 3 | Phil Thompson Phil Thompson Philip Bernard Thompson is a retired English footballer, who played as a defender for Liverpool team of the 1970s and 1980s. During this time, he also represented the England national football team on 42 occasions... |
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| CB | 4 |  Alan HansenAlan Hansen Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland... |
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| LM | 5 | Ray Kennedy Ray Kennedy Raymond Kennedy is an English former football player who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal and Liverpool in the 1970s... |
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| CB | 6 | Emlyn Hughes Emlyn Hughes Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :... (c) |
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| CF | 7 | Kenny Dalglish Kenny Dalglish Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and... |
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| RM | 8 | Jimmy Case Jimmy Case James Robert Case is a retired English football player who shot to fame with the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s and became known as a player with one of the hardest shots in the game.-Early life:... |
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| CF | 9 | David Fairclough David Fairclough David Fairclough is a retired English footballer, most famous for playing for Liverpool as a striker during the 1970s and 80s.-Life and playing career:... |
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| CM | 10 | Terry McDermott Terry McDermott Terence "Terry" McDermott is a former football midfielder and current coach. He is currently the assistant manager at League One side Huddersfield Town.He is the father of Newcastle United player Greg McDermott and Marsaxlokk player Neale McDermott-Early career:McDermott joined Bury as a youngster... |
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| CM | 11 | Graeme Souness Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,... |
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| MF | 12 |  Steve HeighwaySteve Heighway Stephen Derek "Steve" Heighway is a former footballer who was part of the hugely successful Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:... |
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| GK | 13 | Steve Ogrizovic Steve Ogrizovic Steven "Oggy" Ogrizovic is a former English goalkeeper who achieved fame during 16 years at Coventry City... |
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| DF | 14 |  Joey JonesJoey Jones For other persons named Joey Jones, see Joey Jones.For other similarly named people, see Joseph Jones or Joe Jones.Joseph Patrick "Joey" Jones is a former Wales international football full-back who played for Liverpool for three seasons, including the 1977 season, in which they chased "the... |
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| DF | 15 | Colin Irwin Colin Irwin (footballer) Colin Irwin was a professional footballer of the early 1980s. A defender, able to play at left-back or in the centre, Irwin came through the youth ranks at Liverpool, and his first call-up to the first-team squad came, remarkably, in the 1978 European Cup Final... |
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| MF | 16 | Ian Callaghan Ian Callaghan Ian Robert Callaghan MBE is a former Liverpool footballer who holds the record for most appearances for the club.-Life and playing career:... |
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| Manager: | ||||
| Bob Paisley Bob Paisley Robert "Bob" Paisley OBE was an English football half back turned manager. His association with Liverpool was to span nearly half a century including his contribution to the club, first as a player, then as a physiotherapist and coach, and finally as manager.In nine years as manager between 1974... |
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Birger JensenBirger Jensen
Birger Jensen is a Danish former football player, who played in the goalkeeper position. He most notably played professionally for Belgian club Club Brugge, with whom he reached the 1978 European Cup final...
Fons BastijnsFons Bastijns
Fons Bastijns was a former international Belgian footballer.-References:* at clubbrugge.be* at weltfussball.de...
(c)
Edi Krieger Georges Leekens Gino MaesGino Maes
Gino Maes is a Belgian former footballer who played as a left back. He spent the majority of his career with Club Brugge, for whom he played in the 1978 European Cup Final defeat to Liverpool...
Julien CoolsJulien Cools
Julien Cools was a Belgian football player who won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 1977 while at Club Brugge. Discovered as a junior at SK Retie Branddonk of Antwerp and made his name with Beringen FC. Signed by FC Bruges in 1973 where his reputation for non-stop running in the midfield made him an...
René Vandereycken Dany Decubber Jan Simeon Lajos KűLajos Ku
Lajos Kü was a Hungarian football midfielder, who played for Videoton, Ferencvárosi TC, Club Brugge K.V. and SC Eisenstadt....
Jan SørensenJan Sørensen
Jan Vang Sørensen is a retired Danish football player, turned professional poker player from Odense. He has won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker....
Dirk Sanders Jos Volders Ernst Happel