Offense wins, defense wins championships. People often say that "the final game has no name", and it is true for football. But this did not apply to the 1999 Champions League final. That season, Manchester United finally rectified the name of British football. They reached the Champions League final in a legendary way, and then performed a miracle in the peak showdown with Bayern Munich, becoming the first treble in the history of the five major leagues.
However, the Champions League in the 1998/99 season was not only about the miracle at Camp Nou, but also about Dynamo Kyiv’s ambitions and Ronaldo’s frustration...
Passionate, unrestrained, and ups and downs Ups and downs, constant goals... These words are enough to describe the UEFA Champions League in the 1998/99 season. This top European competition continued the scale of the previous year's restructuring, and big scores emerged one after another starting from the qualifying rounds.
In the first round of qualifying, Polish champion Lodz LKS swept their opponents with a total score of 7 to 2, Swiss champion Grasshopper Zurich beat their enemies 8 to 0, and Slovak champion Kosis incredibly scored 13 to 1. , Cyprus champion Anorthosis advanced with an 8-0 victory, while Ukrainian overlord Dynamo Kyiv ravaged Welsh champion Bari City 10-1 - they have also become one of the protagonists of this season's Champions League.
In the second round of qualifying, the madness continued. Spartak Moscow, Inter Milan, Olympiacos, Benfica, Panathinaikos, and Bayern Munich all scored big scores, with a total of ** *In 16 series, 9 matches scored more than 8 goals in two rounds. The only constant theme is that almost all the runners-up in UEFA's top eight leagues have advanced. The only unlucky one is the French Ligue 1 team Metz, who were eliminated by Helsinki.
Since only the first place in the group and the two second places in the group with better results can qualify, the group stage becomes even more fierce. Porto and Ajax, two established teams, failed to compete with Olympiacos. Arsenal only finished third in the group. Benfica and PSV, two former champions, also failed to score higher than the Bundesliga dark horse champion Kaisers. Lauten. Miraculously, Real Madrid and Manchester United, the two most powerful teams in the group stage, only finished second in the group. Fortunately, they were able to advance to the quarterfinals ahead of the other second-placed teams.
However, Real Madrid's good luck ended here. Shevchenko scored three goals. Kiev eliminated the defending champion in the quarter-finals, but then Bayern, which won the Bundesliga civil war, was in the semi-finals. This "dark horse" was stopped in the finals. On the other side, the Serie A teams formed a siege against Manchester United. As a result, the Red Devils successively defeated the Apennine giants and met Bayern in the final. The subsequent story is well known to all fans. After the miracle at Camp Nou, Manchester United successfully ascended to the throne.
You may not believe it, Ronaldo, who won the Ballon d'Or in 1997 and won the World Footballer of the Year twice, did not make his Champions League debut until the 1998/99 season. The alien made his debut at the Bernabeu, but he only scored his first Champions League goal when he returned to Milan against Spartak Moscow. But obviously, this is not a competition for Brazilians. Although Inter Milan qualified first in the group, they were eliminated by Manchester United in the quarter-finals.
Overshadowing the aliens was Dwight Yorke. The native of Trinidad and Tobago scored twice at Old Trafford to help Manchester United beat the Nerazzurri 2-0. Legion. This season, the Black Wind duo continued to shine. Yorke scored 8 goals and won the Champions League Golden Boot. Andy Cole scored 4 goals and was also on the scorer list. At the turn of the century, they supported Manchester United's front line. Throughout the 1998/99 season, they played 36 times for Manchester United and scored 53 goals.
The one who shared the Golden Boot with York was the Ukrainian genius Shevchenko from Kiev. That was the golden age of Dynamo Kyiv. A year ago, nuclear warheads had been detonated at Camp Nou and he became famous with a hat-trick. This time he destroyed the Galacticos. At the Bernabeu, he won valuable points for the team. ’s away goal, and back in Ukraine, he scored twice to defeat the Champions League champions. What's more, this team also has Rebrov who scored 4 goals. How can it not be called a classic?
In addition, although Porto failed to qualify in the group, Zahovich scored 7 goals. The other names in the top five scorers are even more famous: Inzaghi, who is still playing for Juventus, scored 6 goals. Ruud van Nistelrooy and Runo Gomez each scored 5 goals. This year's Champions League can be said to be a "killer's sky."
The two famous "rebirths" of English football are both related to Manchester United. The Munich air disaster in 1958 severely damaged Manchester United's vitality. Ten years later, Sir Busby brought his children back to England for the first Champions League; the Heysel tragedy in 1985 caused the English team to be banned from the European competition. 14 years later, it was the Red Devils who raised the banner again.
In fact, before the start of the Serie A Mini World Cup, the clubs from England really dominated European football. From 1977 to 1984, they won 7 of the 8 Champions Leagues, and more The six-year reign of winning trophies makes them invincible in Europe. However, in the 1985 Champions League final at the Heysel Stadium, conflicts between English and Italian fans caused the stands to collapse and 39 Juventus fans died. Afterwards, Mrs Thatcher urged the FA to order English teams to "reflect" for five years. Coupled with her actions after the Hillsborough tragedy, the Iron Lady became a controversial figure in English football.
The golden age of English football came to an abrupt end but it is real. In the 1991/92 season, when English football returned to the embrace of the European continent, it was found that those opponents that were once not worth mentioning had risen. In the first four seasons, Arsenal, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United all stopped in the top 16. It was not until the 1996/97 season that the strong Red Devils made it back to the semi-finals. However, this is only the first step. For English football to fully return, it must dominate Europe.
Manchester United in the 1998/99 season seemed to be born for this. At that time, Ferguson's team brought together Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Giggs, Dwight Yorke, Andy - Stars such as Cole and Solskjaer also introduced a number of players including Stam in the winter. Although the first half of the league was in poor form and dropped to around ten places, Ferguson led the team to gain momentum thereafter. Relying on a 20-game unbeaten run, they successfully overtook Arsenal by one point and reached the top.
In the FA Cup, Manchester United also fully demonstrated the spirit of the Red Devils. The semi-final showdown with Arsenal was a classic. Keane was sent off with a red card and Manchester United was awarded a penalty kick, but Schmei Chelsea came to the rescue in a desperate situation and the game went into overtime. Giggs scored a classic goal past several Gunners. Manchester United are on the podium after beating Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle United along the way.
Yes, Manchester United has long been surrounded by the halo of the protagonists. How can they miss their legendary figure in the Champions League?
Before the final at Camp Nou, Manchester United had already met Bayern in the group stage. The two giants and Barcelona *** were in the group of death, and Brondby could only tremble. The two rounds of the fierce battle between Manchester United and Barcelona were both open and close. The two teams played two 3-3 matches. The Bayern curve and Rivaldo's magical strokes made the fans excited. The showdown with Bayern decided their decision. With their fate, Manchester United once again contributed two draws, but Barcelona suffered a double defeat, so the Red Devils became the second best group and successfully advanced.
Manchester United's fantasy adventure became even more legendary in the knockout rounds. Their opponent in the quarter-finals, Inter Milan, was the UEFA Cup runner-up a year ago. At the Meazza Stadium, the Red Devils were on the defensive for almost the whole game, but they were lucky enough to get a draw and eliminate their opponent. The game against Juventus was even more difficult. Ferguson's disciples did not equalize the score at the Theater of Dreams until the last minute in the first round. The second round moved to Turin. The Bianconeri took a two-goal lead in just 10 minutes, and Inzaghi almost missed the mark. .
It was the iron-blooded captain Keane who saved the defeat. He scored with a header in the 24th minute. The morale of the Manchester United soldiers was greatly boosted, and the counterattack began from this moment. After that, the Black Wind and the Black Devils each scored a goal, and the old woman lost all fighting spirit. The Italian team's dream of entering the Champions League final for eight consecutive years was shattered. History is destined to enter a new era.
Lineker once said: "Football is a game of 11 people against 11 people, and the Germans win in the end." Before the stoppage time of the 1999 Champions League final, people believed this. Hitzfield smoothed his tie as he waited to become the second coach in history to lead two different teams to the Champions League. This confidence is justified because his team has never lost to Manchester United, not to mention that his team took an early lead. The Red Devils did not allow Kahn to make his first save until the 82nd minute.
Indeed, Hitzfeld's Bayern is powerful, as can be seen from the two wins and two draws against Manchester United and Barcelona in the group stage. The team has Kahn and Effenberg. , Basler, Jankel and other stars, Matthaus is a German football hero who has won countless championships.
After Basler broke the deadlock, Bayern took firm control of the game and hit the post twice. After Porto in 1987, the team that scored first in the Champions League final won the championship. The Bundesliga giants seemed to be within reach of their first European championship in 23 years. However, they forgot that Porto, which won the championship 12 years ago, reversed It is myself.
Colina failed to add 3 minutes of added time. One minute passed quickly and Manchester United got a corner kick. This was their last chance. I saw Beckham sending the ball, and after Fink's collision, the ball fell to Giggs' feet. The Welshman missed the shot, but Sheringham appeared in the right position and evened the score with a light kick!
1 to 1, the Germans were a little frustrated, but they were not afraid of overtime and penalty kicks - if any. After Manchester United equalized the score, they got another corner kick opportunity 99 seconds later. Beckham also dropped the ball into the penalty area. Sheringham headed the ball over. Solskjaer made a gentle touch and the ball broke through Bayern's fingers again!
To complete the reversal in three minutes of stoppage time, there will be nothing more magical than this. The two substitutes sent by Ferguson changed the history of the Champions League. Baszler and Matth?us did not wait for a perfect victory, and Hitzfeld looked in disbelief. What is equally unbelievable is Ferguson. This kind of plot seems to have gone beyond the scope of football. It is no wonder that Sir Alex Ferguson left the famous saying: "This damn football!"
Courage, determination, inspiration, destiny , many elements were integrated into the 1999 Champions League final. No matter how much time passes, it will never fade. Before the final whistle, never give up hope, the spirit of the Red Devils shines, and the miracle of the Camp Nou will last forever. Manchester United has achieved the great feat of winning the Triple Crown, but England's dominance of European football will have to wait a little longer, because the next protagonist will come from Iberia...