1967/68: Hamrin doubles up

Hamburger SV 0-2 AC Milan
Feijenoord Stadium, Rotterdam

Hopes of a German hat-trick were dashed by Kurt Hamrin, the Swedish winger who had led Fiorentina AC to glory in the first UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final. His new club, AC Milan beat German opposition in the semi-final and the final to put their name on the trophy for the first time.

Play-offs needed
Curiously, both finalists needed three games to progress from the quarter-finals. After two games had failed to produce a result, Hamburger SV and Milan notched 2-0 play-off wins over Olympique Lyonnais and R. Standard de Liège respectively to reach the semi-finals where Hamburger SV were held 1-1 at home by a Cardiff City AFC side spearheaded by John Toshack. They then won 3-2 in Wales to clinch a place in the Rotterdam final. FC Bayern München, who had eliminated Panathinaikos FC, Vitória Setúbal and Valencia CF, were favourites to renew their title but Milan knocked out the defending champions by winning 2-0 at home and grittily defending their advantage in Bavaria.

Counterattacking strategy
With famous names like Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Giovanni Trapattoni and Nevio Scala in their line-up, Milan defended stoutly in the Rotterdam final watched by 53,000 and struck like cobras on the counterattack, with the young Gianni Rivera the fulcrum of their creative play. The darting Hamrin inflicted terminal damage, scoring after three minutes and adding the second 15 minutes later. Even the attacking power of Uwe Seeler failed to prevent the Italians from recording a well-deserved triumph.