Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

On this day in sport: Barcelona's maiden European Cup triumph and Del Piero's Juve farewell

On this day in sport: Barcelona's maiden European Cup triumph and Del Piero's Juve farewell

By Stats Perform News
Alessandro Del Piero

London, May 20: May 20 stands as a momentous day in Barcelona's history.

It was on this date that Barca won the European Cup for the first time, making it a watershed moment for one of the most iconic sports teams on the planet.

Speaking of which, this was also a day on which their bitter rivals Real Madrid enjoyed continental success.

And while a Juventus legend waved farewell in 2012, a fellow Italian made his mark in a historic FA Cup final for Chelsea.

1992 – Barcelona seal European Cup glory

Barca were crowned champions of Europe on this day in 1992, with Ronald Koeman the hero after scoring a stunning extra-time free-kick.

After losing in their two previous final outings, Barca nervily got over the line against Sampdoria at Wembley in what was the final edition of the European Cup before the Champions League rebranding.

The Catalan giants have now won the competition five times, although they did have to wait another 14 years for their second.

1998 – Real Madrid end Champions League drought

In another close-run affair, Real Madrid edged out Juventus in the 1998 Champions League final.

Predrag Mijatovic's second-half strike settled matters in Amsterdam, sealing Madrid's first title in the tournament for 32 years.

The top scorer in that year's Champions League was Juve's Alessandro Del Piero, who is the focus of another memorable May 20 event.

2012 – Del Piero's Juve farewell

Club legend Del Piero played his final game for Juve in 2012.

Sadly, it was not a fitting ending to his glorious career, with Napoli inflicting a 2-0 defeat in the Coppa Italia final.

Del Piero hung up his boots after making more than 700 appearances for the Turin club, with whom he won six Serie A titles and one Champions League crown.

2000 – Di Matteo strike vital in last Wembley FA Cup final

The 2000 FA Cup final was the last one at the old Wembley stadium and Chelsea claimed the honours.

Future Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo's 73rd-minute goal broke Aston Villa's hearts as Gianluca Vialli led the Blues to victory.

It was the Di Matteo's second FA Cup final goal, as he also scored in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in 1997.

Story first published: Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 12:03 [IST]
Other articles published on May 20, 2020