1981 European Cup final: Liverpool v Real Madrid

Sometimes an idea for a future blog just falls on my lap. But with a minute to go at the Bernabeu during the second leg of Real Madrid's semi-final against Manchester City, I have to admit that the prospect of me reminiscing about the 1981 European Cup final seemed distant.

Yet there is something about this Real Madrid team that throws all logic out of the window. Somehow they dragged the match into extra-time before they finished off a shellshocked City. "Improbably, miraculously, beyond their dreams and expectation," as the wonderful Peter Drury declared.

So for the second time, Liverpool will meet Real Madrid in a European Cup final in Paris. Indications are that the 2022 final should be a classic, probably involving a Karim Benzema hat-trick in stoppage time that will see Liverpool stunned just like the rest of Real Madrid's opponents this season. Hopefully it will be an improvement on the 1981 final.

It was hardly surprising that the match on Wednesday May 27, 1981 was a bit of a let-down. Both teams had endured long seasons, and in the days before squad rotation many were playing on empty or carrying injuries. Yet come the end of that night in Paris, Liverpool would join their opponents, as well as Ajax and Bayern Munich in becoming three-time winners of "big ears".

Liverpool's route to the final was serene up until the semi-final. Hammering Finnish team OPS 11-2 on aggregate, Bob Paisley's team then saw off Aberdeen (5-0) and CSKA Sofia (6-1), before an away goals win over Bayern Munich - including a fine cameo from Howard Gayle in the second leg - set up the final date with Real Madrid.

This was still a fine Liverpool team. However, injuries had hit the team hard, and although they won their first League Cup, finishing fifth in the league was way below the high standards set at the club. In hindsight, Paris would be the swansong for this version of Paisley's team.

In the summer, Ray Clemence and Jimmy Case would depart, with Bruce Grobbelaar and Mark Lawrenson establishing themselves. Ian Rush had already arrived at the club, Ronnie Whelan was about to become a regular fixture in the team, and with Craig Johnston joining, gradually Ray Kennedy, Terry McDermott and David Johnson would be replaced.

Real Madrid were a far cry from the vintage team that had won the first five editions of the European Cup. Searching for their first win in the tournament since 1966, manager Vujadin Boskov had built a side that was uncompromising yet also sprinkled with some star quality.

The main threat to Liverpool appeared to be Spain's little genius of a forward Juan Gomez Gonzalez, known as Juanito. Running England ragged during Spain's 2-1 win at Wembley in March 1981, Juanito had given an indication of his talents. Striker and captain Santillana was another potential danger, with German Uli Stielike hoping to get revenge over Liverpool after losing the 1977 final.

One player well known within the UK was winger Laurie Cunningham. Winning La Liga the season before, the former West Brom player had demonstrated his abilities. But a broken toe suffered in November 1980 meant that he had not played a full match before starting the final against Liverpool.

Pipped to the title on their head-to-head results against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid knew, just like their opponents, that winning the final at the Parc des Princes was their only way back into Europe's premier club competition. There was no safety net of top four qualification to reduce the tension back then.

There was one theme common to the modern era, though. With both clubs handed just 12,000 tickets each in a stadium holding just over 48,000, fans were outraged at the allocation. Many ticketless fans attempted to gain entry to the stadium but were forced back by over 1,000 baton-wielding French police. Tickets priced as low as £3 were rumoured to be going for £60 via touts.

Despite the glamour of both clubs, the hopes of an entertaining final were realistic. "Those looking forward to a more open game this evening may be disappointed," David Lacey wrote in his Guardian match preview. "So again the final is more likely to resemble chess than draughts."

Brian Clough, who had won two European Cup finals 1-0, was prophetic. "Do you think Bob Paisley will be concerned with how it looks if Liverpool win 1-0? Of course he won't - and good luck to him." Lacey agreed: "Yet again the final could be decided by a single goal, certainly if Liverpool score first they should win."

The match would kick off at 7.15pm (UK time) with the live coverage starting on BBC1 just 15 minutes before. Joining Barry Davies in the commentary seat was Southampton manager Lawrie McMenemy, who had recently turned down the vacant post at Manchester United. Probably just as well. The way he screamed "Get in there" after Liverpool's winner would not have gone down well with anyone associated with the club.

 

 

As many feared, the match was far from spectacular. Kenny Dalglish returned for his first match since injuring his ankle in the Bayern Munich match, and Liverpool came into the final with doubts over Phil Thompson, Alan Kennedy, and Sammy Lee. At half-time, Graeme Souness needed treatment for a knee injury.

In the build-up to the match Boskov had labelled Liverpool as "a team of veterans", a barb that Paisley dismissed without fuss. Yet the experience in the Liverpool XI seemed valuable as they settled into the match, with Alan Kennedy, Dalglish, and Souness testing goalkeeper Agustin, in for the injured Mariano Garcia Remon.

The best chance fell to Real Madrid at the start of the second half. Liverpool felt Cunningham was in an offside position, but Hungarian referee Karoly Palotai waved play-on, allowing defender Jose Antonio Camacho to race through. Clemence came to the edge of his box and watched helplessly as Camacho chipped him. Fortunately, the effort drifted over the crossbar.

As the match inevitably drifted towards extra-time, an unlikely hero emerged. Left back Alan Kennedy had broken his wrist against Bayern in the first leg at Anfield and had only played once before the final. But his knack of scoring goals on the big occasion was about to be displayed once more.

Kennedy had already scored in the League Cup final at Wembley against West Ham, and he would do so in the 1983 final against Manchester United. In 1984, he would score the winning penalty in the European Cup final shootout with Roma. As he took the ball from Ray Kennedy's throw-in and skipped past Garcia Cortes in the 82nd minute of the final in Paris, Kennedy was at it again.

Smashing the ball beyond Agustin, Kennedy wheeled away in delight behind the goal, as Liverpool's supporters became a sea of limbs. "For one awful moment I thought I had miskicked it," Kennedy revealed. "But when I looked up, I saw it go in like a rocket. I just made off then. I can't even describe how I felt. I didn't want to stop running."

The 26-year-old, affectionately given the nickname Barney Rubble, had won Liverpool's third European Cup. "A few years ago I thought I would be spending the rest of my career with Newcastle and I would probably still be there if they were still in the First Division," Kennedy said. 

"We've joined the greats and we've beaten two of them - Bayern Munich and Real Madrid - to do it," skipper Thompson said after collecting the cup. "It may not have been a classic, but we showed tremendous character," Paisley admitted. But as Clough predicted, Paisley was content enough as he became the first manager to win the European Cup three times. 

An estimated 500,000 lined the 17-mile open top bus parade as the celebrations continued. It was just the boost those in the red half of the city needed. With unemployment so high - prompting the People's March - and the "managed decline" of Liverpool, the football club was a welcome distraction.

Liverpool's win in Paris was the fifth English triumph in a row in the European Cup - not forgetting Ipswich's UEFA Cup - and the fourth consecutive 1-0 victory in the final. A year later, Aston Villa maintained the trend. Bucks Fizz even won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1981, just to continue the UK dominance on the European stage. 

Real Madrid would have to wait until 1997 for their next success in the competition, but they have slightly made up for their relative drought since, winning their 13th in the 2018 final against Liverpool. Will the third part of the trilogy be more 81 than 18? Liverpool fans would not take very long making their minds up over which outcome they would prefer.