Champions’ Cup 1971-72
Additional Match Details Preliminary Round
Valencia Esp US Luxembourg Lux 3-1 1-0 4-1
First Round
Galatasaray Tur CSKA Moscow URS 1-1 0-3 1-4
Standard CL (Liege) Bel Linfield Nir 2-0 3-2 5-2
B 1903 (Copenhagen) Den Celtic Sco 2-1 0-3 2-4
Feyenoord Ned Olympiakos (Nicosia) Cyp 8-0 9-0 17-0w
Internazionale Ita AEK (Athens) Gre 4-1 2-3 6-4
Ujpesti Dozsa Hun Malmo FF Swe 4-0 0-1 4-1 Valencia Esp
NK Hajduk (Split) Yug 0-0 1-1 *1-1
Cork Hibernians Irl Borussia Monchengladbach FRG 0-5 1-2 1-7
Wacker Innsbruck Aut SL Benfica Por 0-4 1-3 1-7
Ajax Ned SG Dynamo Dresden GDR 2-0 0-0 2-0
Stromsgodset IF Nor Arsenal Eng 1-3 0-4 1-7x
Dinamo Bucharest Rom Spartak Trnava Tch 0-0 2-2 *2-2
Olympique Marseille Fra Gornik Zabrze Pol 2-1 1-1 3-2y
CSKA (Sofia) Bul KS Partizani (Tirane) Alb 3-0 1-0 4-0
Lahden Reipas Fin Grasshopper-Club Zurich Sui 1-1 0-8 1-9
IA (Akranes) Isl Sliema Wanderers Mlt 0-4 0-0 0-4z w 2nd leg in Rotterdam x 1st leg in Oslo y 2nd leg in Katowice z 1st leg in Malta
Second Round
CSKA Moscow URS Standard CL (Liege) Bel 1-0 0-2 1-2
Dinamo Bucharest Rom Feyenoord Ned 0-3 0-2 0-5
Valencia Esp Ujpesti Dozsa Hun 0-1 1-2 1-3
Internazionale Ita Borussia Monchengladbach FRG 4-2 0-0 4-2x
SL Benfica Por CSKA (Sofia) Bul 2-1 0-0 2-1
Grasshopper-Club Zurich Sui Arsenal Eng 0-2 0-3 0-5
Olympique Marseille Fra Ajax Ned 1-2 1-4 2-6
Celtic Sco Sliema Wanderers Mlt 5-0 2-1 7-1
x Borussia Monchengladbach were originally drawn at home and won the first leg 7-1. During the match, Roberto Boninsegna was carried off, allegedly having been hit by a beer can. The match was annulled and UEFA ordered a replay in West-Berlin, which took place after Internazionale’s home match.
Quarter-Finals
Ajax Ned Arsenal Eng 2-1 1-0 3-1
Feyenoord Ned SL Benfica Por 1-0 1-5 2-5
Ujpesti Dozsa Hun Celtic Sco 1-2 1-1 2-3
Internazionale Ita Standard CL (Liege) Bel 1-0 1-2 *2-2
Semi-Finals
Ajax Ned SL Benfica Por 1-0 0-0 1-0
Internazionale Ita Celtic Sco 0-0 0-0 0-0 5-4p
Final, Feyenoord Stadium, Rotterdam, 31 May 1972, att 61000
Ajax (0) 2 Internazionale (0) 0 47′
1-0 A: Cruyff 78′
2-0 A: Cruyff
Ajax (trainer Kovacs) Stuy; Suurbier, Blankenburg, Hulshoff, Krol; Neeskens, Haan, G.Mühren; Swart,Cruijff, Keizer
Internazionale (trainer Invernizzi) Bordon, Burgnich, Facchetti, Bellugi, Oriali; Giubertoni (Bertini 12), Bedin, Frustalupi; Jair (Pellizarro 58), Mazzola, Boninsegna Referee: Helles (France)
Second Champions Cup in a row.
Inter was outplayed. Standing from left: Bordon, Fabbian, Bellugi, Corso, Facchetti, Invernizzi (all.), Ghio, Giubertoni, Boninsegna, Mazzola, Vieri.
Sitting: Bertini, Oriali, Jair, Burgnich, Cacciatori, Bedin, Frustalupi, Silva, Pellizzaro, Della Casa (mass.)
Simply the best.
Under appreciated Ferenc Bene.
Bene lifts the cup… the Championship trophy or the Hungarian Cup? National success never transformed into international neither for him, nor for Ujpest Dozsa, nor for the national team of Hungary. Fading power.
1st. leg:
Ajax:Heinz Stuy - Horst Blankenburg, Wim Suurbier, Barry Hulshoff,Ruud Krol, Arie Haan, Johan Neeskens, Gerrie Mühren,Sjaak Swart (Johnny Rep), Johan Cruijff, Piet Keizer. Coach: Stefan Kovacs.
Piet Keizer receives the Cup.
Independiente was outplayed, sometimes by their own (dirty) game. No luck this year, so what can be remembered is their unusual kit – blue so dark, it looked like black.
Often this photo is presented as one of the final – yes, the team is the same, but Ajax played entirely in white in Avellaneda. Standing from left: Heinz Stuy, Barry Hulshoff, Wim Suurbier, Blankenburg, Ruud Krol; Bottom : Johan Cruyff, Arie Haan, Sjaak Swart, Johan Neeskens, Gerrie Muhren, Piet Keizer.
Simply the best in the world! They survived threats (Hulshoff had to be assigned as bodyguard to Cruijff in Argentina), dirty play – which they matched fearlessly, tough opponent and got the world crown. They proved they were best of all, but this was the only time the great Ajax played for the Intercontinental Cup.
Cup winners, but not really noticeable team – only the captain Vadim Nikonov was considered promising player in 1972. He never became a star. Good for the small boys, though.
Independiente: Santoro, Commisso, Sá, Garisto, Pavoni, Pastoriza, Raimondo,
Independiente got the trophy!
Universitario (Lima) lost the final by one goal. May be unlucky after an excellent campaign – especially because they played part of it without 5 national team players! They were the first Peruvian team to reach the final.
South American champions for a third time! Although the picture is from the semi-final, this was squad winning the final.
The team was getting old – there were some players (Santoro, for instance) who appeared in the first won final in 1964, but they had not only experience and smooth understanding – they had younger and eager reserves. For the moment, they equalized the record of Estudiantes (La Plata) and Penarol (Montevideo), leading with them the South American clubs with 3 Libertadores Cups each.
Sweet success, but it was only the beginning of the greatest period of the club.
In his 2007 interview the coach German Zonin vigorously negated the bribery story – according to him, Zarya won the title fair and square. Zonin’s denial is understandable – there is no coach to admit bribery. Besides, this is the only title Zonin won in his long career. So, what is true? Small clubs, with good, even not outstanding squads, occasionally win titles. As a rule, such surprising winners never repeat their success, quickly sinking to familiar mediocrity. It is well traveled path: big clubs immediately snatch whatever talent emerged in the small club, and the winning team is shattered. From this standpoint, Zonin appears truthful… unless one reads between the lines. Zonin praised the Communist satrap of Voroshilovgrad at the time: the City’s Party Secretary ‘cared a lot for the sports’ and ‘supported the club with everything’. It is more than likely the Party boss went much wider in his support – making deals with other Party secretaries, who in turn ‘influenced’ the clubs in their domains to give a point or two. Money – or other things – went along. A coach did not have to be involved. He even did not have to know – such things were arranged on Party level, and were typical in Communist Eastern Europe. But there is another interesting detail: Zonin blamed Dynamo (Kiev) for the immediate decline of Zarya – they took two key players, Onishchenko and Vyacheslav Semenov. No real fuss over Onishchenko, for he was originally Dynamo player and going back was understandable. Semenov, according to Zonin, was another story – vastly talented, the coach claims, he was very important to Zarya. Dynamo not only did not need him, but actually ruined him during his short stay in Kiev. So far – the typical small club story… except: Kiev, as republican centre, ‘naturally’ takes the cream of the whole of Ukraine. No way for small club saving their good players – bigger and more powerful Communist bosses order the smaller fry and that’s was that. Dynamo took only two players from Zarya, one of them originally a Dynamo player anyway. The second – not needed and benched. This largely means Zarya did not really have interesting players – rather, run of the mill squad. Confirmed by other evidence: some players, Semenov included, briefly played for the national/Olympic Soviet squad. Very briefly and only at the time when Zonin himself was assistant coach of the Olympic team. Only Onishchenko became a real star and constant national player – but playing for Dynamo (Kiev). Nobody else impressed and lasted. Zarya players were not interesting for other clubs – no Moscow club wanted them, not Dynamo (Kiev), not even the second big Ukrainian club – Shakter (Donetzk). Apart from Onishchenko, only the goalkeeper Alexander Tkachenko built good reputation – eventually not only playing for many years, but moving to Zenith (Leningrad). Yet, even this transfer is suspect: it happened when Zonin coached Zenith, which was not at all big club at that time. Zarya were obviously good by the standards of small clubs; the squad had good chemistry, reaching their peak in 1972, but hardly superior team even then. Muddy the bribery story may be, as such stories ever go, but very likely. More than likely. Nevertheless, nothing was said at the time, the title stands. Which at the end makes briberies irrelevant – at least in terms of historic record and largely by the history of the club. Champions. Once. Once upon a time.
Standing from left: Otarola, Escalada, O. Gutiérrez, Rubén Díaz, Montilla, Panizzo. Front: Belvedere, Cavallo, Mamberto, Valentín Sánchez, José S. Romero, Fraile.
2. Almirante Brown 32 19 7 6 10 3 3 9 4 3 52 29 45
3. Nueva Chicago 32 15 12 5 10 3 3 5 9 2 51 29 42
4. Temperley 32 15 10 7 9 6 1 6 4 6 50 38 40
5. Deportivo Morón 32 14 9 9 6 2 8 8 7 1 44 34 37
6. San Telmo 32 11 11 10 7 5 4 4 6 6 32 36 33
Back row from left: José M. Gatti, J. M. Collodel, José Caffaro, Ricardo Troncone, Rímolo, Ramiro Pérez.
8. Almagro 32 9 12 11 5 7 4 4 5 7 43 46 30
10. Talleres (RE) 32 9 11 12 8 6 2 1 5 10 41 44 29
12. Quilmes 32 10 8 14 9 2 5 1 6 9 48 60 28
14. Tigre 32 7 13 12 4 7 5 3 6 7 38 46 27
Standing from left: Jorge Sigman, Omar Masciotra, Lanata, Anaud, Hugo Mazzini, O. Martínez.
All Boys won the Primera B and was promoted to Metropolitano Primera A. Great achievement.
The club from the capital, ADO Den Haag, were… well, just a small club. Aad Mansveld occasionally played for the national team. Ton Thie was relatively respected player in Holland. The two Swedish players – Augustsson and Berg – were fairly obscure. Dick Advocaat? The famous coach and player have nothing in common – same person, but the player nobody ever heard of. ADO Den Haag were far away from Ajax and total football. True, they put a fight at the Cup final, but lost nevertheless. As finalists, they played in the Cup Winners Cup in 1972-73 edition of the tournament – and expired early, without notice. Total football was exceptional and Holland was not going to become superpower on club level.
1. San Lorenzo de Almagro 13 10 3 0 29 6 23 Finalist
2. River Plate 13 10 2 1 50 23 22 Semifinalist
3. Vélez Sarsfield 13 8 2 3 31 19 18
From left: Tébez, Zuvialde, Eusebio Ibáñez, Neumann, Monárdez, Gusmán, Vergara, Gramari, Barroso, Maryllack, Reggi.
7. Independiente (A) 13 4 5 4 24 20 13
8. San Lorenzo (Mar del Plata) 13 5 2 6 24 28 12
Standing from left: Villalón, Héctor Corvalán, Jerez, Blasco, Torga. 
12. Bartolomé Mitre 13 1 2 10 11 36 4
13. Independiente (T) 13 0 3 10 10 46 3
1. Boca Juniors 13 10 2 1 31 15 22 Semifinalist
2. Colón 13 8 2 3 21 16 18
3. Argentinos Juniors 13 7 3 3 26 16 17
Back row from left: 
5. Racing Club 13 6 1 6 20 18 13
Back row from left: De Sá, Syeyyguil, Reinaldi, Laciar, Guerini, Tocalli. 
Second row from left: 
Back row from left: González, Cortez, Quatropani, Signorelli, Lizzi, Palacio. First row: Del Valle, Paz, Spadaro, Rodríguez, Vega.
Standing from left: Camargo, Fornari, Legrotaglie, Patire, Aceituno, Grudzien. Front: Algocino, Guayama, Castellanos, Pereyra, Ibáñez
Back row from left: Rogel, Peracca, Rubén Sánchez, Nicolau, Marzolini. 
1. San Lorenzo de Almagro 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 Champion
2. River Plate 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
After winning Metropolitano, San Lorenzo won the Nacional – excellent double!
Some established stars, like Grosso and Zoco; some younger strong talent, like Amancio and Santillana. Strong team, but no more than that. Mostly for Spanish consumption and perhaps the team at the lowest point by Real standards. The 1970s were dark years for the club.
Any recognizable name? Perhaps Irureta… perhaps Adelardo… perhaps Ufarte… chances are only Atletico fan can faintly recognize some players. Club legends, surely… and nothing more.