Internazionale 1 Benfica 0
Jair
Internazionale: Sarti, Burgnich, Guameri, Picchi (capt.), Facchetti, Bedin, Suarez, Corso, Jair, Mazzola, Peiro
Benfica: Costa Pereira, Cavem, Germano, Raul, Cruz, Neto, Coluna (capt.), Jose Augusto, Torres, Eusebio, Simoes
The defending champions Inter Milan found themselves in the final and their opponents this time were the team many expected to carry on the mantle left behind by Real Madrid, Benfica.
Playing the mighty Internazionale in front of 89,000 of their fanatical supporters in a wet San Siro stadium, however, was to prove too much, even for a team as good as Benfica.
The Portuguese club had complained to UEFA beforehand at having to play Inter on their own pitch and had even threatened to send their youth team, but UEFA were never going to change the venue.
Despite an inspirational performance from their captain Coluna in midfield, Benfica were undone by a single goal from Jair just before half-time when his weak shot managed to slip through the arms of Costa Pereira.
Inter with their infamous catenaccio were able to retain their trophy even if their brand of football was universally loathed.
Real Madrid 2 Partizan Belgrade 1
Amancio, Serena Vasovic
Real Madrid: Araquistain, Pachin, De Felipe, Zoco, Sanchis, Pirri, Velazquez, Serena, Amancio, Grosso, Gento (capt.)
Partizan Belgrade: Soskic, Jusufi, Vasovic (capt.), Rasovic, Mihajlovic, Kovacevic, Becejac, Bajic, Hasanagic, Galic, Pirmajer
After a few years of allowing pretenders to take home their thrown, Real Madrid were back to reclaim what they would feel was rightfully theirs.
Without legends such as Di Stefano and Puskas, the Real Madrid side that took to the pitch for the European Cup Final in Brussels was very different to that which European football fans had grown used to over the previous decade.
Composed almost entirely of young and little known players, including five who had come up from the youth team, the youngsters looked to Gento, the one survivor from the 1956 winning side and now the captain, to provide the experience that they so lacked.
Galic, Partizan’s outstanding forward who had obtained special release from the army to play in this his first game of the year, squandered two first half chances, but his persistence on the wing gained Partizan a corner and as Hasanagic nodded back Pirmajer’s kick, the captain Vasovic rose to power the ball home.
Real Madrid’s young players were finally stung into action and, inspired by Gento in midfield, began to finally create chances.
Within 15 minutes Real were level as Amancio, having been sent clear by Grosso’s pass, slotted the ball home.
The Spaniards were now in the ascendancy and it took them only five more minutes to take the lead as Serena hit a shot out of the blue from 30 yards out that flew into the top corner of the net.
Real Madrid were able to hang on, reclaim their thrown and win the cup for the 6th time. But any hopes of a repeat dominance of the great 50’s sides were swiftly dashed as they were not to win the title again for another 30 years.