1974: Aragonés brings joy to Atlético
Thursday 10 April 1975
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Luis Aragonés won his first European competition in 1975 (©Getty Images)
CA Independiente 1-0 Club Atlético de Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid 2-0 CA Independiente
Atlético win 2-1 on aggregate
For the second year in succession the European champions decided against contesting the European/South American Cup, with FC Bayern München leaving Luis Aragonés' Club Atlético de Madrid to take on CA Independiente.
Young coach
Aragonés had been an Atlético striker the previous season and was determined to stay humble with his former team-mates after taking over from Juan Carlos Lorenzo as coach, saying: "I'll still be just one of the lads but the players will need to understand my new responsibilities." The young coach saw his side lose 1-0 in the away leg, played in March 1975, with Agustín 'Mencho' Balbuena scoring the only goal, but his charges prevailed in the return fixture.
Decisive role
Adelardo was a forceful presence in the second leg, and remembered: "It was my job to mark Independiente's danger man, Ricardo Bochini, who was thought to be one of the best players in the world at the time." He did his job well, allowing future RC Deportivo La Coruña coach Javier Irureta to level the tie on aggregate with a 21st-minute strike before Rubén Ayala won the day with a goal five minutes from time.
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