On This Day – 21st April
One of Manchester United’s great comebacks took place on this day back in 1999.
After drawing 1-1 at Old Trafford with Juventus in the First Leg of the Semi Final, they went to Turin knowing that they would need to score to have a chance of reaching the Final.
Zinedine Zidane was the star man for the hosts. He had won the World Cup the year before as well as being the holder of the Ballon D’or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year.
Juventus also had the likes of Didier Deschamps, Antonio Conte, Edgar Davids, all world-class players on their day.
Filipo Inzaghi opened the scoring after just six minutes, stabbing hoe from close-range from a Zidane cross. The Italian frontman added a second five minutes later with a shot that was cruelly-deflected off Jaap Stam and over Peter Schmeichel in the United goal.
United now needed to score two to force extra time or three to win the game outright and to also not concede any further goals.
Captain Roy Keane scored a bullet header on 24 minutes from a David Beckham corner. The United captain rushed in unmarked at the near-post to head the ball across goal into the far corner of the net.
Roy Keane then gave away a sloppy free-kick a few minutes later, bringing down Zindine Zidane on the halfway line.
Keane was booked for the challenge and as this was his second booking in the knockout stages, he would have to miss the Final if United got there.
Rather than shying way from the ball and feeling sorry for himself, Keane got stuck in and put in one of his greatest performances of his Manchester United career.
Dwight Yorke scored a header on 34 minutes to level the score on aggregate, but more importantly for United, they lead on away goals.
That was the end of the scoring of a pulsating first-half. Both sides knew that they would need another goal in the second half and the match continued to entertain the neutrals and shred the nerves of those involved.
Paul Scholes came on mid-way through the second half, replacing Jesper Blomquist in midfield. He picked up his second booking of the knockout stages eight minutes later, meaning that he would miss the Final, just like his captain Roy Keane.
On 84 minutes, Andy Cole scored a tap-in from a couple of yards out to seal United’s place in the Final.
Dwight Yorke managed to weave his way through the Juventus defence and as he took the ball past the on-rushing Angelo Peruzzi, the Italian goalkeeper brought him down. Andy Cole rushed in to tap the ball in to the empty net and Manchester United had reached their first European Cup Final for 31 years.
When asked for his thoughts at the ned of the match, manager alex Ferguson said “It’s a proud, proud moment for me. My players were absolutely fantastic, absolutely magnificent. I thought the first 45 minutes was the best in my time as a manager”.
We all know what happened next in the Final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona…
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