On this day 28 May 1995 (Exactly 24 years ago) Asante Kotoko won the 2-day Ecowas Day Cup Gala after beating rivals Accra Hearts of Oak 2-0 in Accra, with goals from Ernest Boateng (1) and Prince Amoako (33)
Asante Kotoko beat Dawu Youngsters and Obuasi Goldfields (Ashantigold) to reach the final. Hearts beat Dwarfs and Okwawu United to reach the final.
Stephen Appiah of Hearts of Oak, who later captained the Black Stars of Ghana was adjudged the best player of the Gala.
On this day 28 May 2011(Exactly 8 years ago) Barcelona delivered a masterclass to inflict another Champions League final defeat on Manchester United as Lionel Messi inspired an emphatic victory at Wembley.
Manchester United’s hopes of emulating their first European Cup final success in Wembley against Benfica in 1968 foundered as Barcelona deservedly repeated their win against Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in Rome two years earlier.
The pattern of an entertaining game bore an uncanny resemblance to events in the Stadio Olimpico in 2009 as United started with optimism and intent before being swamped by Barcelona’s brilliance.
Pedro gave Barcelona the lead from one of the many wonderful passes played by Xavi – but Wayne Rooney lifted the gloom during a torrid spell for United with a fine equaliser following a swift exchange with Ryan Giggs.
Barcelona responded by cranking up what Ferguson labelled their passing “carousel” after the break, with man-of-the match Messi at the centre of events as he tortured United.
Messi’s magical feet were decorated by luminous green boots but it was his talent that illuminated Wembley and United’s night was effectively over once he restored Barcelona’s lead with a powerful drive early in the second half.
David Villa’s spectacular third emphasised the gulf in class between the sides and United never threatened to mount the sort of dramatic recovery that has become their trademark.
Ferguson and his players were disconsolate at the final whistle as the nightmare of Rome was revisited but there was no shame in their defeat by one of the finest club sides the game has seen.
On this day 28 May 1958(Exactly 61 years ago) The Heysel stadium in Brussels played host to the first ever European Cup final to be decided in extra-time. Real Madrid and Milan faced off as Europe’s best teams in the third edition of the tournament and they played their part in an extremely close-fought affair, with the Italians taking the lead on two occasions. The madridistas didn’t give up though, and they responded with goals from Di Stéfano and Rial.
The final was won in the extra period, with Gento proving the decisive figure. The madridista legend scored in the European Cup final for the second year in a row to make it 3-2. Juanito Alonso played a key role too, making some vital saves in the closing moments
Real Madrid: Alonso, Atienza Il, Santamaría, Lesmes II, Santisteban, Zárraga, Kopa, Joseíto, Di Stéfano, Rial and Gento.
Milan: Soldan, Fontana, Maldini, Beraldo, Bergamaschi, Radice, Danova, Liedholm, Schiaffino, Grillo and Cucchiaroni.
Goals:
0-1 (min. 59): Schiaffino.
1-1 (min. 74): Di Stéfano.
1-2 (min. 77): Grillo.
2-2 (min. 79): Rial.
3-2 (min. 107): Gento.
Referee: Albert Alsteen (Belgium).
Stadium: Heysel (Brussels).
On this day 28 May 1969 (Exactly 50 years ago)AC Milan beat Ajax to win the 13th edition of the European Cup at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.
Ajax made history by becoming the first Dutch side to reach the final, but they were beaten by their Italian opponents 4-1.
Goals Scored
Prati ( 7, 40, 75)
Sormani (67)
Ajax
Vasović 60 (pen)
Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendíbil (Spain)
As of 2019, Pierino Prati remains the most recent player to score a hat trick in a European Cup or Champions League final
On this day 28 May 1975 (Exactly 44 years ago) Bayern Munich beat Leeds United 2-0 in the final match of the European Cup played at the Parc des Princes, Paris.
Franz Roth scored in the 71st minute for Bayern and Gerd Müller extended the lead ten minutes later, to secure a 2–0 victory for Bayern
Bayern Munich were appearing in their second final; they had won the previous season’s competition, beating Spanish team Atlético Madrid 4–0 in a replay after the first match finished 1–1. Leeds were appearing in their first final
On this day 28 May 1980 (Exactly 39 years ago) Nottingham Forest beat Hamburg 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid to win their second European Cup.
In the 21st minute, John Robertson squeezed a shot past Hamburg keeper Rudolf Kargus for the only goal of the game, to give Nottingham Forest back-to-back European Cup titles. The victory also meant that Forest became the first club that had won the European Cup more times than their domestic first division.
On this day 28 May 1997 (Exactly 22 years ago) Borussia Dortmund beat Juventus at the Olympic Stadium in Munich to the UEFA Champions League.
Borussia Dortmund won 3–1 with goals from Karl-Heinz Riedle(29,34) and Lars Ricken(71); Juventus’ goal was scored by Alessandro Del Piero(65).
On this day 28 May 2003 (Exactly 16 years ago) AC Milan beats Juventus 3-2 on penalties at the Old Trafford in Manchester to win the UEFA Champions League.
The match made history as it was the first time two clubs from Italy had faced each other in the final. It was also the second intra-national final of the competition, following the all-Spanish 2000 UEFA Champions League Final three years earlier. Milan won the match via a penalty shoot-out after the game had finished 0–0 after extra time. It gave Milan their sixth success in the European Cup.
The penalty shoot-out has caused controversy among some fans as replays showed that Dida was in front of the goal line when saving penalties from David Trezeguet, Marcelo Zalayeta and Paolo Montero. Buffon was also off his line when saving penalties from Clarence Seedorf and Kakha Kaladze. Shevchenko put away the final penalty to win the European Cup for Milan for the sixth time. Shevchenko himself became the first Ukrainian footballer to win the European Cup.
On this day 28 May 1928 (Exactly 91 years ago) Uruguay was selected as host nation of the 1st FIFA World Cup in Australia.
FIFA selected Uruguay as host nation, as the country would be celebrating the centenary of its first constitution, and the Uruguay national football team had successfully retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics. All matches were played in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, the majority at the Estadio Centenario, which was built for the tournament.
BY: GEORGE ‘Alan Green’ MAHAMAH
