Thursday, May 23, 2024

UEFA Cup 1972-1973 2nd Leg

h4>Uefa Cup Final 2nd Leg, 23rd May 1973, B stadion, 19:30pm

Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 Liverpool

Referee: Pavel Kazakov H-T: 2-0 Att: 34,905

Match Report

Liverpool's 3–0 victory in the first leg meant that Borussia needed to score three goals to force the tie into extra-time. Liverpool employed a "holding action" against the "attacking Germans" in order to protect their three goal lead. Another bout of torrential rain affected the second leg, as a result the pitch was slippery, and with the onus on Borussia to attack this caused problems for the Liverpool defence.

Knowing the task in hand Borussia bombarded Liverpool in the first half, the architect was midfielder Günter Netzer whose passing was instrumental to Borussia's play. Borussia's attacking brought their first goal in the 30th minute. Jupp Heynckes who had missed the penalty for Borussia in the first leg, scored from six yards after Bernd Rupp passed to him from the right hand side of the pitch. Heynckes extended the German side's lead in the 39th minute when he curled the ball into the Liverpool goal from left of the Liverpool penalty area.

Borussia needed one more goal to level the tie and take it into extra-time. However, despite an initial spell of dominance following the start of the second half they were unable to match the intensity that they had shown in the first half, Liverpool gained confidence from this and saw out the second half, losing the match 2–0, but they won their first European trophy as a result of a 3–2 aggregate victory. Liverpool's victory meant that they became the first English team to win a European trophy and league championship in the same season.

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