1968/69: Prati rises to the occasion

Milan 4-1 Ajax
(Prati 8 40 75, Sormani 67; Vasović 60p)
Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Manchester had two goes at winning the 1969 European Champion Clubs' Cup, but English champions Manchester City lost to Fenerbahçe in the first round, while holders Manchester United fell to Milan at the second-last. The Italian side's 2-1 aggregate success was all the more admirable given that they had managed to stop Denis Law scoring.

The Scottish international had hit seven goals in United's 10-2 rout of Waterford United, and another two in the second round against Anderlecht. No matter: it was Nereo Rocco's side, conquerors of Malmö and Celtic, who were through to the final at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium, their opponents being Ajax.

Rinus Michel's team had beaten Benfica 3-0 in a quarter-final replay with two goals from a young Johan Cruyff. This after overhauling a 3-1 first-leg deficit by winning the second leg by the same margin in Lisbon. Ajax then defeated Spartak Trnava of Czechoslovakia - one of few Eastern European teams to have avoided a boycott of the tournament - 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals.

Yet the Dutch side's inexperience would tell against them on the big day. Pierino Prati, with the first hat-trick in a final since Ferenc Puskás in 1962, and Angelo Sormani gave the Rossoneri a comfortable 4-1 victory. Milan were European champions for a second time, adding club football's prize bauble to the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup they had lifted a year before.