Magath and Happel win the European Cup for Hamburg.

Write-up by Giorgio Pirelli

In 1983, next Bayern Munich’s operate of 3 successive European Cup Wins in the mid nineteen seventies, English clubs had grabbed a extremely limited hold on the trophy and didn’t appear able of allowing go.

For six consecutive seasons, an English based mostly player had held up the trophy, and it appeared that their period of time of dominating the trophy would go on permanently. Nevertheless there had been two individuals who thought differently, a single of them an erudite Austrian of few phrases, who had already won a European Cup with Feyenoord Rotterdam and a highly gifted and ambitious youthful German midfield participant. The pair was Ernst Happel and Felix Magath, and together they plotted the unfancied Hamburger Activity-Verein or HSV Hamburg as they are typically known’s victory towards all the odds in the European Cup in 1983. Not that HSV Hamburg had been undertaking badly on the domestic scene. With Happel in the driving seat, they had taken over the mantle from Bayern Munich in the late seventies, and even took property the significantly less prestigious European Cup Winners Cup in 1977. However Happel has set his sights on winning an additional European Cup and when Felix Magath joined HTV in 1977 they formed an comprehending on and off the subject that could only lead the pair to attain their dream.

And as the 1982-1983 European Cup marketing campaign received underneath way, it appeared doubly hard the break the English maintain on the trophy, as there were not one particular but two English teams competing. Holders Aston Villa and League Champions Liverpool, who had won the cup three times in the previous 6 seasons. In the early rounds, each the English clubs saw of their opposition with embarrassing ease, nevertheless poor luck and potentially undesirable arranging noticed Liverpool and Aston Villa drawn collectively in the eighth spherical. Liverpool found Aston Villa off, and as a reward was given an simple tie, at least on paper, towards Polish champs, Widzew Łódź. The Poles shattered everyone’s predictions by successful the tie, only to be drawn towards the impressive Juventus staff, who swept them aside on their way to yet another last.

Meanwhile HSV Hamburg were creating their way slowly and purposefully via the levels of competition with some workmanlike performances towards some rather robust sides this kind of as East German champions Dynamo Berlin and Dynamo Kiev. They identified by themselves in the semi finals competing in opposition to Spanish club Genuine Sociedad who have been obtaining a bit of an anti-climax of a season. The 1st leg played in Spain found Hamburg score a quite beneficial absent target in a one-one draw and win two-one at home to go via to their very first closing on a three-two aggregate.

The last played in Athens found HSV Hamburg extremely significantly the underdogs as well as not currently being the favorites of at least some of the neutral property crowd, obtaining disposed of regional group Olympiacos F.C in the eighth spherical. The Juventus team, packed with superstars such as Boniek, Platini, Tardelli, and Rossi ended up expecting an easy victory, but the Hamburg staff, enjoying in their acquainted red soccer uniforms realized something that Juventus didn’t. That this was to be their night time and there was no denying Happel and Magath their victory. And it arrived right after a generally stoic defensive efficiency from HSV Hamburg and a solitary goal from the maestro himself, Felix Magath in as early as the 8 moment. Hamburg held out for the remaining eighty two and although exhausted, the players danced a victory jig in the middle of the park as the final whistle blew. Even the ever-reserved Happel was noticed to flash a smile.

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