Tuesday, May 26, 2009

27 May 1987 - Madjer's Magic Match

On 27 May 1987, FC Porto won their first European Cup/Champions League trophy, defeating Bayern Munich 2-1 before a crowd of 62,000 at the Praterstadion in Vienna.

Porto started their march to the trophy in strong fashion, beating Maltese side Rabat Ajax in the first round by the aggregate score of 10-0. They followed that win with victories over Czechoslovakia's F.C. Vítkovice (3-1 agg.), Denmark's Brøndby I.F. (2-1 agg.), and the USSR's Dynamo Kiev (4-2 agg.). Bayern, meanwhile, advanced to the Final with wins over PSV Eindhoven (2-0 agg.), Austria Wien (3-1 agg.), Anderlecht (7-2 agg.), and Real Madrid (4-2 agg.).

Bayern were favored to win and club president Fritz Scherer was reportedly so confident that he drafted his victory speech in advance. It was thus no surprise when the German side took an early lead with a 25th minute goal from striker Ludwig Kögl and held onto the 1-0 advantage into the match's final minutes.

In the 78th minute, however, Porto's Algerian forward Rabah Madjer (pictured) equalized by flicking a brilliant backheeled shot into the Bayern net. Two minutes later, Madjer slipped past a Bayern defender and crossed the ball for Porto's Brazilian midfielder Juary, who had come on as a substitute in the 46th minute. Juary volleyed the ball into the roof of the net, giving Porto a 2-1 lead in the 80th minute and the Portuguese side held on to claim the victory.

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