BVB-Champions League 1997

It is the evening of May 28, 1997, 8:31 PM, when referee Sandor Puhl blows the whistle to start the UEFA Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus Turin at the Munich Olympic Stadium. Exactly 95 minutes and 45 seconds later, the greatest triumph in the club's history is achieved.

Juventus Turin was the defending champion, having won the title the previous year by defeating Ajax Amsterdam in a penalty shootout, and was considered the clear favorite for the fifth Champions League final. The Italians dominated the continent and had mastered the group stage and knockout rounds, while Dortmund had fought their way into the final as group runners-up with four victories in the knockout games.

It was the seventh meeting between the two teams since 1993, but Dortmund had only won once. In the team, several key players like Zorc and Tretschok were missing, while Feiersinger, who replaced the injured Sammer in the final, did not even find a place on the bench.

The game initially went as expected: Borussia largely found itself on the defensive, acting hurriedly and inhibited, but tried to sporadically relieve the pressure in front of the 30,000 own fans in the Olympic Stadium (59,000 spectators). Chapuisat initially broke through on the left side against Di Livio, but left-back Juliano deflected Riedle's shot for a corner.

Zidane was initially difficult for Lambert to control. The Frenchman initiated attack after attack. After a cross from Vieri, Jugovic fell in a duel with Reuter at the penalty spot, but Puhl let play continue. In the fourth minute, a set-piece caused the greatest danger: Juliano headed a Zidane corner just wide of the goal. Shortly after, Vieri hit the side netting.

It took a good quarter of an hour for the Black and Yellows to manage to take Juventus's foot off the gas and calm the situation somewhat. The attacks were not as fluid as usual, but the quick counterattacks already hinted where an opportunity might lie that evening. It goes without saying that the team gave everything and fought for every ball as if it were the last.

Then came the 29th minute. The Italians had managed to fend off one of these counter-attacks at the expense of a corner kick. Möller sent it into the penalty area. Peruzzi punched the ball away, and a teammate extended it outward. To the right, outside the penalty area, stood only a Dortmund player: Lambert crossed it skillfully into the middle, Riedle controlled the ball with his chest and set it up on his left foot - a dry shot from the five-meter line, 1-0! The scorer had positioned himself behind two Italians and gave the goalkeeper no chance. This was also the first goal scored by the Borussians in their 11th Champions League match of the 1996/97 season (record before this: 8 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss). And Juve fell behind for the first time - and was once again surprised by a corner kick.

Chapuisat had forced this after a one-two with Möller, and again it was Möller who took the corner, again from the left side, again Riedle got to the ball, this time powerfully heading it from eight meters out - after 34 minutes, Borussia Dortmund led the overwhelming favorites 2-0.

Juventus Turin responded with furious attacks. Zidane hit the post with a shot from 17 meters, and Vieri's goal didn't count as the Italian had used his hand beforehand. With luck, skill, and a big fighting heart, the Borussians took their lead into the halftime break.

After Möller's free-kick cross, Riedle narrowly missed with a header, while at the other end, Klos made a brilliant save from a powerful Boksic shot, deflecting a deflected and thus extremely tricky shot from Vieri onto the crossbar. All Dortmunders breathed a sigh of relief!

However, in the 64th minute, the equalizer could no longer be prevented. Boksic prevailed on the left side against Heinrich, but the cross seemed too inaccurate, ending up behind the young star Del Piero, who had come on at halftime, yet he skillfully directed the ball into the BVB goal with his heel.

Borussia Dortmund found the perfect answer. Hitzfeld pulled his joker out of his sleeve: in the 70th minute, he sent Ricken onto the field for the exhausted Chapuisat. Juve restarted the game with a throw-in, but before Boksic could get to the ball, Sousa had already "stolen" it, quickly passing it to Möller, who saw the gap in the Turin defense and played the ball perfectly through the gap. Ricken ran onto it, took a quick glance up at Peruzzi, who was far off his line, and from 26 meters out on the right, chipped the ball into the top right corner - a dream goal following a perfect counter-attack! Ricken had been on the pitch for just eight seconds, eight seconds!

RTL commentator Marcel Reif, who had called for Ricken to "chip it, now!" a split second before the shot, said, "These are fairy tales that don't exist. The Brothers Grimm are turning in their graves."

For Juventus Turin, there was no fairy-tale comeback in this game. The 3-1 score was decisive. Italy's record champions couldn't recover from the renewed two-goal deficit. The Black and Yellows safely brought the lead over the line, celebrating the greatest success in the club's history in their 100th European Cup match.

There was a brief moment of confusion before the award ceremony. Since the longtime captain Zorc had only been substituted in the 89th minute, his deputy Sammer wore the armband. The team urged Zorc onto the podium to be the first to receive the trophy. But he hesitated until Sammer gave him a firm order: "Hurry up and get up there!"

Boris Rupert

BVB – JUVENTUS TURIN 3:1 (2:0) on 28.05.1997

Borussia Dortmund: Klos – Kohler, Sammer, Kree – Reuter, Lambert, Sousa, Heinrich – Möller (89. Zorc) – Riedle (67. Herrlich), Chapuisat (70. Ricken)

Juventus Turin: Peruzzi – Porrini (46. Del Piero), Ferrara, Montero, Juliano – Deschamps – Di Livio, Zidane, Jugovic – Vieri (71. Amoruso), Boksic (87. Tacchinardi)

Bench: De Beer, Tretschok – Rampulla, Pessotto

Goals: 1-0 Riedle (29', Lambert), 2-0 Riedle (34', corner Möller), 2-1 Del Piero (66', Boksic), 3-1 Ricken (71', Möller)

Referee: Puhl (Hungary)

Yellow Cards: Sousa, Ricken – Porrini, Juliano

Attendance: 59,000 in Munich, Olympiastadion (sold out)