Benfica 1-4 Manchester United
European Cup final, May 29, 1968
Ten years on from the Munich air disaster that ripped the heart out of Manchester United, Matt Busby led his team to the European Cup Final for the first time. Clearly winning a football match would not erase the bitter memories of 1958, but it would at least help to exorcise a few ghosts...
Jaime Graça (75)
Bobby Charlton (53, 99)
George Best (93)
Brian Kidd (94)
European Cup,
29 May 1968
Wembley,
Referee: Concetto Lo Bello (Italy),
Att: 92,225
United became the first English team to win the European Cup, a year after Celtic had become the first British side to do so, as Matt Busby's boys swept aside the Portuguese champions, Eusebio and all, on a glorious night at Wembley.
Key Figures
Bobby Charlton
The United skipper led from the front with two goals and an all-round display that was a fitting tribute to the team-mates he'd lost in Munich 10 years earlier.
George Best
The Belfast Boy with the rock star looks was crowned the King of Europe, overshadowing the great Eusebio in the head-to-head between the Euro giants. His goal, when he collected Alex Stepney's long kick and dribbled effortlessly around the goalkeeper, has been replayed countless times.
Matt Busby
The man to whom winning this match meant everything. He was not expected to survive the crash that killed eight members of the fantastic side he built in the 1950s, but not only did he win that battle, he went on to create another enduring dynasty, culminating in this magnificent victory.
Did You Know...?
The scorer of United's fourth goal in the Final, Brian Kidd, was celebrating his 19th birthday that day.
United failed to win a single one of their away ties en route to the Final - drawing with Hibernians, Sarajevo and Real Madrid, and losing to Gornik Sabrze.
George Best was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968. It was 40 years until another United player claimed the award, when Cristiano Ronaldo took the prize in 2008.
What Happened Next
United reached a second successive Semi-Final the following season, losing over two legs to eventual winners, AC Milan. It would be 30 years, in 1999, before they next won Europe's major prize.
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