UEFA Cup 1971-72
First Round
Hertha BSC FRG IF Elfsborg (Boras) Swe 3-1 4-1 7-2
Dundee Sco AB (Copenhagen) Den 4-2 1-0 5-2
Rosenborg BK Nor HIFK (Helsinki) Fin 3-0 1-0 4-0
Vasas SC Hun Shelbourne Irl 1-0 1-1 2-1
Glentoran Nir Eintracht Brunswick FRG 0-1 1-6 1-7
IBK (Keflavik) Isl Tottenham Hotspur Eng 1-6 0-9 1-15x
RC Celta Vigo Esp Aberdeen Sco 0-2 0-1 0-3
FC Den Haag Ned Aris Bonnevoie Lux 5-0 2-2 7-2
Wolverhampton Wanderers Eng Academica Coimbra Por 3-0 4-1 7-1
AS Saint-Etienne Fra 1.FC Cologne FRG 1-1 1-2 2-3
FC Lugano Sui Legia Warsaw Pol 1-3 0-0 1-3
FC Porto Por FC Nantes Fra 0-2 1-1 1-3
Hamburger SV FRG St. Johnstone Sco 2-1 0-3 2-4
Southampton Eng Athletic Bilbao Esp 2-1 0-2 2-3
Bologna Ita RSC Anderlecht Bel 1-1 2-0 3-1
SSC Napoli Ita Rapid Bucharest Rom 1-0 0-2 1-2
Vitoria FC (Setubal) Por Nimes Olympique Fra 1-0 1-2 *2-2
Atletico Madrid Esp Panionios Gre 2-1 0-1 2-2*
FC Carl Zeiss Jena GDR FC Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) Bul 3-0 1-3 4-3
FC Basle Sui Real Madrid Esp 1-2 1-2 2-4
Marsa Mlt Juventus Ita 0-6 0-5 0-11
NK Dinamo (Zagreb) Yug FC Botev (Vratza) Bul 6-1 2-1 8-2
UT Arad Rom SV Austria Salzburg Aut 4-1 1-3 5-4
Fenerbahce Tur Ferencvarosi Hun 1-1 1-3 2-4
AC Milan Ita Digenis (Morphou) Cyp 4-0 3-0 7-0
Spartak Moscow URS VSS Kosice Tch 2-0 1-2 3-2
OFK Belgrade Yug Djurgaardens IF Swe 4-1 2-2 6-3
FK Zeljeznicar (Sarajevo)Yug FC Brugge KV Bel 3-0 1-3 4-3
Hallescher FC Chemie GDR PSV (Eindhoven) Ned 0-0 0-0y
Zaglebie Walbrzych Pol Sklo Union Teplice Tch 1-0 3-2 4-2
Lierse SK Bel Leeds United Eng 0-2 4-0 4-2
SK Rapid Vienna walkover, KS Vllaznia (Shkoder) withdrew
x 1st leg in Reykjavik
y PSV walkover, HFC Chemie withdrew after 1st leg
Second Round
Rosenborg BK Nor Lierse SK Bel 4-1 0-3 4-4*
Rapid Bucharest Rom Legia Warsaw Pol 4-0 0-2 4-2
1.FC Cologne FRG Dundee Sco 2-1 2-4 4-5
FC Den Haag Ned Wolverhampton Wanderers Eng 1-3 0-4 1-7
FK Zeljeznicar (Sarajevo)Yug Bologna Ita 1-1 2-2 *3-3
FC Nantes Fra Tottenham Hotspur Eng 0-0 0-1 0-1
Eintracht Brunswick FRG Athletic Bilbao Esp 2-1 2-2 4-3
St. Johnstone Sco Vasas SC Hun 2-0 0-1 2-1
Spartak Moscow URS Vitoria FC (Setubal) Por 0-0 0-4 0-4
AC Milan Ita Hertha BSC FRG 4-2 1-2 5-4
OFK Belgrade Yug FC Carl Zeiss Jena GDR 1-1 0-4 1-5
Zaglebie Walbrzych Pol UT Arad Rom 1-1 1-2 2-3
NK Dinamo (Zagreb) Yug SK Rapid Vienna Aut 2-2 0-0 2-2*
Real Madrid Esp PSV (Eindhoven) Ned 3-1 0-2 3-3*+
Juventus Ita Aberdeen Sco 2-0 1-1 3-1
Ferencvarosi Hun Panionios Gre 6-0 6-0x
+ 2nd leg played in Den Bosch
x Ferencvarosi walkover, Panionios disqualified
Third Round
AC Milan Ita Dundee Sco 3-0 0-2 3-2
FC Carl Zeiss Jena GDR Wolverhampton Wanderers Eng 0-1 0-3 0-4
Eintracht Brunswick FRG Ferencvarosi Hun 1-1 2-5 3-6
PSV (Eindhoven) Ned Lierse SK Bel 1-0 0-4 1-4
SK Rapid Vienna Aut Juventus Ita 0-1 1-4 1-5
St. Johnstone Sco FK Zeljeznicar (Sarajevo)Yug 1-0 1-5 2-5
Tottenham Hotspur Eng Rapid Bucharest Rom 3-0 2-0 5-0
UT Arad Rom Vitoria FC (Setubal) Por 3-0 0-1 3-1
Quarter-Final
AC Milan Ita Lierse SK Bel 2-0 1-1 3-1
UT Arad Rom Tottenham Hotspur Eng 0-2 1-1 1-3
Ferencvarosi Hun FK Zeljeznicar (Sarajevo)Yug 1-2 2-1 3-3 5-4p
Juventus Ita Wolverhampton Wanderers Eng 1-1 1-2 2-3
Semi-Finals Tottenham
Hotspur Eng AC Milan Ita 2-1 1-1 3-2
Ferencvarosi Hun Wolverhampton Wanderers Eng 2-2 1-2 3-4
Final
1st Leg, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, 3 May 1972, att 45000 Wolverhampton Wanderers (0) 1 Tottenham Hotspur (0) 2 57′ 0-1 TH: Chivers 72′ 1-1 WW: McCalliog 72 87′ 1-2 TH: Chivers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Parkes; Shaw, Taylor, Hegan, Munro, McAlle, McCalliog, Hibbitt, Richards, Dougan, Wagstaffe
Tottenham Hotspur Jennings; Kinnear, Knowles, Mullery, England, Beal, Gilzean, Perryman, Chivers, Peters, Coates (Pratt 68)
Referee: Bahramov (Soviet Union)
Final 2nd Leg, White Hart Lane, London, 17 May 1972, att 54000
Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (1) 1 30′ 1-0 TH: Mullery 41′ 1-1 WW: Wagstaffe
Tottenham won 3-2 on aggregate
Tottenham Hotspur Jennings; Kinnear, Knowles, Mullery, England, Beal, Gilzean, Perryman, Chivers, Peters, Coates
Wolverhampton Wanderers Parkes; Shaw, Taylor, Hegan, Munro, McAlle, McCalliog, Hibbitt (Bailey 55), Richards, Dougan (Curran 84), Wagstaffe
Referee: Van Ravens (Netherlands)
Wolves lost the English final by one goal. Unlucky.
Tottenham Hotspur won the first UEFA Cup. The new trophy was right for them – this squad deserved success and if English success was tough to achieve, then international success.
FC Basel won the title in 1972. The club was founded in 1893 and interestingly enough gave birth to the mighty FC Barcelona – one of the earliest captains of FC Basel, Joan Gamper, moved to Spain and was one of the founders of the Catalonian club. And not only that: according to one version, the famous blue and red kit of Barcelona copied Basel’s colours, thanks to Gamper. There are other stories for Barcelona’s kit, but whatever the real one is, Basel is some reason for the existence of Barcelona, yet, the ‘mother’ club never achieved the fame of the ‘child’. Basel won its first Swiss title in 1953 and until 1967 it was solitary title. The most successful years of the club started in 1966 and lasted until 1980 – in 1972 Basel added fifth title to the previous from 1953, 1967, 1969, and 1970.
The team was a typical Swiss squad, captained by the best Swiss player at the time Karl Odermatt. What different times! If it was now, the striker-midfielder would have been snatched by some of the big European clubs, but in 1972 there was no chance or even player’s desire to move abroad. Odermatt was probably underappreciated in Europe – he was good, but playing with insignificant teammates in insignificant league, he hardly impressed anybody but the Swiss. The other star player was the goalkeeper Marcel Kunz, also playing in the national team. Rene Hasler, Walter Balmer, and Walter Mundschin were more or less good players and that was that. But an interesting foreigner strengthened the squad: the West German Ottmar Hitzfeld. Yes, the famous contemporary coach! Not much of a player, though, which speaks for the level of Swiss football in the early 1970s. The biggest curiousity, however, is in something else: Hitzfeld wanted to play at the Olympic Games, and that was his reason for moving to the Swiss club. His scheme worked: he became Swiss champion; maintained his amateur status; and played for West Germany in the Summer Olympics 1972, ending with bronze medal. Which at the end only deepens the enigma of Swiss football – was it a professional one, since foreigners were able to stay amateur by Olympic requirements? How were the players, particularly foreign ones, paid, if they were officially amateurs? Switzerland is expensive country – how was Hitzfeld, for instance, paying his daily expenses if he was not professional player? Questions, or no questions, FC Basel were champions, finishing 4 points ahead of FC Zurich and losing only one match during the season. Hitzfeld had to wait many, many years until adding another title to his resume – as a coach.
Rangers McCloy; Jardine, Johnstone, Smith, Mathieson; Greig, Conn, MacDonald, McLean, Stein, Johnston
Rangers celebrated.
Dynamo protested, UEFA ignored the protest, the result stayed. Rightly or wrongly, Dynamo lost. Yes, there was pitch invasion by Rangers’ fans, cutting the game a few minutes shorter than regulated time. Yes, there was possiblity for equalizing goal.
Glasgow Rangers won the Cup – their ony Europen trophy so far. A bit tainted too – nothing wrong with the players, but their fans interupted the final beforev time. Yet, a great success.
The first team was: Janjuš, D. Kojović, Bećirspahić, Bratić, Katalinski, Hadžiabdić, Jelušić, Janković, Bukal, Sprečo, Deraković. 
Ajax (0) 2 Internazionale (0) 0 47′
Second Champions Cup in a row.
Inter was outplayed. Standing from left: Bordon, Fabbian, Bellugi, Corso, Facchetti, Invernizzi (all.), Ghio, Giubertoni, Boninsegna, Mazzola, Vieri.
Simply the best.
Under appreciated Ferenc Bene.
Bene lifts the cup… the Championship trophy or the Hungarian Cup? National success never transformed into international neither for him, nor for Ujpest Dozsa, nor for the national team of Hungary. Fading power.
1st. leg:
Ajax:Heinz Stuy - Horst Blankenburg, Wim Suurbier, Barry Hulshoff,Ruud Krol, Arie Haan, Johan Neeskens, Gerrie Mühren,Sjaak Swart (Johnny Rep), Johan Cruijff, Piet Keizer. Coach: Stefan Kovacs.
Piet Keizer receives the Cup.
Independiente was outplayed, sometimes by their own (dirty) game. No luck this year, so what can be remembered is their unusual kit – blue so dark, it looked like black.
Often this photo is presented as one of the final – yes, the team is the same, but Ajax played entirely in white in Avellaneda. Standing from left: Heinz Stuy, Barry Hulshoff, Wim Suurbier, Blankenburg, Ruud Krol; Bottom : Johan Cruyff, Arie Haan, Sjaak Swart, Johan Neeskens, Gerrie Muhren, Piet Keizer.
Simply the best in the world! They survived threats (Hulshoff had to be assigned as bodyguard to Cruijff in Argentina), dirty play – which they matched fearlessly, tough opponent and got the world crown. They proved they were best of all, but this was the only time the great Ajax played for the Intercontinental Cup.
Cup winners, but not really noticeable team – only the captain Vadim Nikonov was considered promising player in 1972. He never became a star. Good for the small boys, though.
Independiente: Santoro, Commisso, Sá, Garisto, Pavoni, Pastoriza, Raimondo,
Independiente got the trophy!
Universitario (Lima) lost the final by one goal. May be unlucky after an excellent campaign – especially because they played part of it without 5 national team players! They were the first Peruvian team to reach the final.
South American champions for a third time! Although the picture is from the semi-final, this was squad winning the final.
The team was getting old – there were some players (Santoro, for instance) who appeared in the first won final in 1964, but they had not only experience and smooth understanding – they had younger and eager reserves. For the moment, they equalized the record of Estudiantes (La Plata) and Penarol (Montevideo), leading with them the South American clubs with 3 Libertadores Cups each.
Sweet success, but it was only the beginning of the greatest period of the club.
In his 2007 interview the coach German Zonin vigorously negated the bribery story – according to him, Zarya won the title fair and square. Zonin’s denial is understandable – there is no coach to admit bribery. Besides, this is the only title Zonin won in his long career. So, what is true? Small clubs, with good, even not outstanding squads, occasionally win titles. As a rule, such surprising winners never repeat their success, quickly sinking to familiar mediocrity. It is well traveled path: big clubs immediately snatch whatever talent emerged in the small club, and the winning team is shattered. From this standpoint, Zonin appears truthful… unless one reads between the lines. Zonin praised the Communist satrap of Voroshilovgrad at the time: the City’s Party Secretary ‘cared a lot for the sports’ and ‘supported the club with everything’. It is more than likely the Party boss went much wider in his support – making deals with other Party secretaries, who in turn ‘influenced’ the clubs in their domains to give a point or two. Money – or other things – went along. A coach did not have to be involved. He even did not have to know – such things were arranged on Party level, and were typical in Communist Eastern Europe. But there is another interesting detail: Zonin blamed Dynamo (Kiev) for the immediate decline of Zarya – they took two key players, Onishchenko and Vyacheslav Semenov. No real fuss over Onishchenko, for he was originally Dynamo player and going back was understandable. Semenov, according to Zonin, was another story – vastly talented, the coach claims, he was very important to Zarya. Dynamo not only did not need him, but actually ruined him during his short stay in Kiev. So far – the typical small club story… except: Kiev, as republican centre, ‘naturally’ takes the cream of the whole of Ukraine. No way for small club saving their good players – bigger and more powerful Communist bosses order the smaller fry and that’s was that. Dynamo took only two players from Zarya, one of them originally a Dynamo player anyway. The second – not needed and benched. This largely means Zarya did not really have interesting players – rather, run of the mill squad. Confirmed by other evidence: some players, Semenov included, briefly played for the national/Olympic Soviet squad. Very briefly and only at the time when Zonin himself was assistant coach of the Olympic team. Only Onishchenko became a real star and constant national player – but playing for Dynamo (Kiev). Nobody else impressed and lasted. Zarya players were not interesting for other clubs – no Moscow club wanted them, not Dynamo (Kiev), not even the second big Ukrainian club – Shakter (Donetzk). Apart from Onishchenko, only the goalkeeper Alexander Tkachenko built good reputation – eventually not only playing for many years, but moving to Zenith (Leningrad). Yet, even this transfer is suspect: it happened when Zonin coached Zenith, which was not at all big club at that time. Zarya were obviously good by the standards of small clubs; the squad had good chemistry, reaching their peak in 1972, but hardly superior team even then. Muddy the bribery story may be, as such stories ever go, but very likely. More than likely. Nevertheless, nothing was said at the time, the title stands. Which at the end makes briberies irrelevant – at least in terms of historic record and largely by the history of the club. Champions. Once. Once upon a time.