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Game #3702

Aston Villa

Wednesday, 26 May 1982

Won

Final

Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩

European Cup Final

Attendance: 39,776

Bayern Munich

De Kuip, Rotterdam

Villa beat the star studded German champions Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup in Rotterdam as Tony Barton achieves the greatest prize in club football after just 26 games in charge. Peter Withe hits the winner midway through the second half amidst delirious scenes of celebrations that last for many, many days.

Aston Villa

1-0

FC Bayern Munich

Assist(s) | Tony Morley | 67' |

KEY MAN

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MATCH TIMELINE

Wednesday, 26 May 1982

🔁 | 9’ Sub off, Jimmy Rimmer, Sub on, Nigel Spink
🟨 | 38' Booking, Gary Williams
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-0 Bayern Munich
⚽ | 67’ Goal, 1-0, Peter Withe, Assist by Tony Morley
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern Munich

ON THIS DAY

Tony Barton's Villa win the European Cup at the first attempt in just his twenty fifth game as Villa boss and twelve months on from their League title win under Ron Saunders.

Aston Villa

European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1981-82

Bayern Munich

European Cup / Champions League: 🏆🏆🏆
UEFA Cup Winners Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
Bundesliga Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
DFB-Pokal Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1980-81

FIXTURE HISTORY

Bayern Munich

Previous 5 vs. Bayern Munich: None
None
None

FIXTURE DETAILS

Season | 1981-82 |
Matchday | #61 |
Manager Game | #25 |
Wednesday, 26 May 1982

MATCH SUMMARY

Manager: Tony Barton | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | Surrey, 1982-1984
Referee: Georges Konrath | 🇫🇷 | Schwindratzheim, 1975-1984
HT Score: 🟨 0-0
FT Result: 🟩 Won
FT Score: 🟩 1-0
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Georges Konrath | 🇫🇷 | Schwindratzheim, 1975-1984
Previous 5: None
Last Match: None
Cards: 🟨

CARDS

Villa

🟨

Bayern Munich

None

Georges Konrath

TEAM NEWS

Gary Shaw replaces David Geddis.

TEAM STATS

Starting XI Average Age
| 27.42 |

Oldest Player |
GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 34.31 |

Youngest Player |
F Gary Shaw | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 20.52 |

Tony Barton | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

MANAGER

MANAGER

Tony Barton | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

Pál Csernai | 🇭🇺 |

Aston Villa

GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 🔁 |
RB Kenny Swain | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
RB Gary Williams | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 🟨 |
CB Allan Evans | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |
CB Ken McNaught | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |
M Dennis Mortimer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Des Bremner | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |
M Gordon Cowans | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
W Tony Morley | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 🔥 |
F Gary Shaw | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CF Peter Withe | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | ⚽ |

Bayern Munich

GK Manfred Müller | 🇩🇪 |
CB Klaus Augenthaler | 🇩🇪 |
LB Hans Weiner | 🇩🇪 |
LB Udo Horsmann | 🇩🇪 |
LB Paul Breitner | 🇩🇪 |
M Wolfgang Kraus | 🇩🇪 | 🔁 |
M Bernd Dürnberger | 🇩🇪 |
M Wolfgang Dremmler | 🇩🇪 |
CF Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 🇩🇪 |
CF Reinhold Mathy | 🇩🇪 | 🔁 |
CF Dieter Hoeneß | 🇩🇪 |

SUBSTITUTES

🔁 | GK Nigel Spink | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | for GK Jimmy Rimmer | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 | 9’ |

SUBSTITUTES

🔁 | M Wolfgang Kraus | 🇩🇪 | (RB Kurt Niedermayer | 🇩🇪 |)
🔁 | CF Reinhold Mathy | 🇩🇪 | (CB Günter Güttler | 🇩🇪 |)

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

M Colin Gibson | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
M Andy Blair | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 |
M Pat Heard | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |
CF David Geddis | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 |

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES

SQUAD STATS

1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 11/11

Squad:
Home Nation 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 : 16/16

MATCHDAY SQUAD

SQUAD STATS

MATCHDAY SQUAD

UNAVAILABLE

Not recorded

UNAVAILABLE

Player Positions:

GK : Goalkeeper
CB, D, B : Centre Back, Defender, Back
FB, LB, RB, WH : Full Back, Left Back, Right Back, Wing Back, Wing Half


M, CH, LH, RH : Midfielder, Centre Half, Left Half, Right Half
W, OL, OR : Winger, Outside Left, Outside Right
F, IF, IL, IR : Forward, Inside Forward, Inside Left, Inside Right, Second Striker, False 9
CF : Centre Forward

Match Symbols:

⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution

🟨 | Booking

🟥 | Sending off

🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game

DEBUT APPEARANCES

FINAL APPEARANCES

MATCH STATS

Not recorded

TABLE

2021-22 Matchweek 38.jpg

PROGRAMME

Quotation Marks.png

MATCHDAY QUOTES

"Obviously they [Bayern] are useful but if we are at our best we will do it because we are a better all-round side.

"I was confident about our chances before I saw Bayern play last Friday and they didn't produce anything to make me change my mind.

"Bayern have individuals like Rummenigge, Breitner, Hoeness, Kraus and Dremler.

“But with Aston Villa we are a team and they will have to worry about all of us.

"We are as well prepared as we have been for any game in Europe this season although I feel you can overplay the attention you give to opponents.”

"I can't imagine this game being more demanding or a greater test of character than the second leg of the semi final against Anderlecht.

"Only three months ago this club was fourth from bottom of the First Division and being regarded as relegation candidates.

“Now we have the chance to become Kings of Europe.”

Tony Barton, Tuesday, 25 May 1982.

---

“We have watched video recordings of Villa's semi final game against Anderlecht, and I think they will be harder to beat than Liverpool.

"Villa don't play English football as we know it. They have a much more modern style.

“We feel it better to be playing Villa in Rotterdam than over two legs. German sides have had bad experiences playing in England."

PAUL Breitner, Bayern Munich. Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

"They have a good mixture of youth and experience and I don't see why we should be rated such strong favourites.”

Karl Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich. Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“We are the favourites but I regards the odd as silly.

“It will be a very even game and it could go either way.

“I am very impressed with Villa.

“Like us, they want to attack and it could be a game of many goals.”

Uli Hoeness, Bayern Munich manager. Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“I always get a feeling when I am going to do something special and I have got it now.

“This could be my stage.

“I’ve scored in Villa’s last two games and I’m full of confidence.

“I can sense when I’m going to his a spectacular goal. The bigger the occasion the better I feel.

“I will always try something special which has give me a reputation for these kind of goals.

“It doesn’t always come off which brings me a lot of criticism.

“But I can take that. People only remember the ones that go in.

Tony Morley, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.


---

“With both teams playing at their best this will be a good game.

“Bayern score goals but they also concede a lot.

“And we are capable of scoring against anybody.

“The fact Bayern are favourites doesn’t surprise me. They are a well known force in Europe and have been here before.

“It doesn’t worry me either. We were the underdogs against Dynamo Berlin, Kiev and Anderlecht and coped well enough.”

Tony Barton, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“Magnificent! The young goalkeeper [Nigel Spink] was magnificent and everyone was tremendous.

“We lived a bit dangerously at times but in the end we won it for Aston Villa, for Birmingham, for England and for Great Britain.

“It was certainly the most important day in the history of the club.

“We now have a money spinning World Club Championship match against the South Americans and can also look forward to two attractive games with Barcelona for the European Super Cup.

“But most important of all, it means we are back in Europe again next season.

“We are now regarded as the best side in Europe and consequently can demand big guarantees whenever we play friendly matches abroad.”

Tony Barton, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“Obviously I was a but nervous when Jimmy Rimmer had to come off after just nine minutes, but I’m glad to say things went really well for me.

“I still don’t believe it.

“I have played in only two matches and here I am with a European Cup winners’ medal.

Nigel Spink, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“You were absolutely fantastic.”

Jimmy Rimmer to Nigel Spink, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“He [Jimmy Rimmer] did injure his neck in training a couple of days ago, but he had an injection and felt no reaction after a still training session.

“But in the first minute, he stretched for a high ball and the neck went again.

“Obviously it was not the ideal time for young Spink to go on, but I’ve always thought he will make the ideal replacement when Rimmer goes, and he certainly proved it in this game.

“Some of the saves he pulled off were quite magnificent and he showed not a trace of nerves.

“But everybody played their part in the win.

“It was a real team effort and I’m proud of every one of the lads.

“We have been the underdogs all the way through, but we have certainly shown a few people a thing or two.”

Tony Barton, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“It bobbled at the last moment and for a split second I though I was going to miss it.

“I’m glad to say I didn’t though and its got to be the most important goal of my life.”

Peter Withe, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“It has really put us on the map.

“From a personal point of view, this it the highlight of my career.

“I’ve only been in charge at Villa for three months and now I am the manager of the European champions.

“This is not the end of it, though, for there is no reason why we should not emulate Forest and Liverpool and win it again.”

Tony Barton, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

"Naturally I am delighted that after taking over only three months ago I should be associated with the greatest success in the club's history."

Tony Barton, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

“I wasn't really surprised at my form because I have been playing well in the reserves all season.

“I suspected that I might have to go on. I had a few butterflies at first but they soon left me.

"I'd be quite happy to go back to the reserves for the next 12 months.

"I've never really thought about going elsewhere.

"I know the manager has confidence in me because he signed me and I see my future at Villa."

Nigel Spink, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

"I wanted to stay on —but I knew I could not afford to let the lads down. Nigel did a marvellous job."

Jimmy Rimmer, Wednesday, 26 May 1982.

---

"Villa deserved to win.

“They did the decisive thing by scoring a goal.

“I was surprised at the slowness of the game in the first half.

“Both sides were very cautious.

“But we must blame ourselves for not winning, because we had enough chances.

“I was hoping that an inexperienced goalkeeper would have been to our advantage, but Spink played magnificently."

Bayern coach Pol Csernai.

---

*The Birmingham Evening Mail*
Wednesday, 26 May 1982
*By Leon Hickman*

*STAND-IN SPINK A HERO ON GLORY NIGHT*

Withe’s K.O. crowns all the effort.

Aston Villa, champions of Europe.

Those five words say everything about five rounds of victories in this most prestigious of club competitions.

But they say little emotional intensity of 90 minutes that were decided by Peter Withe’s ricochet goal which was enough to defeat Bayern Munich on a glorious night in the Feyenoord Stadium, Rotterdam.

As the ball left the extrovert Liverpudlian’s foot after 67 minutes the celebrations began in this port at the mouth of the Rhine.

I swear I could hear them echoing across the North Sea, westwards to the West Midlands and from there back across Britain, Europe and those corners of the world where Aston Villa faithfuls were living in hope.

In the Falklands, too, the victory will bring many a warm glow to the hearts of those engaged in the cold and bloody tasks that lie ahead.

Aston Villa champions of Europe. Now truly a great club again. Still that GREAT.

If England or Scotland can gain a few yards by it in the World Cup, then toss back another glass of champagne, and savour the sixth successive British club conquest on the Continent.

British football breathes, lives and flourishes. It will mean far, far more than just an estimated £2 million extra to Villa’s bank balance. It means lasting fame.

Villa overcame the confidence-shaking that must have followed goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer’s great decision to leave the field in the tenth minute because of a ricked neck. Poor Jim.

Eight previous cup matches with but a single goal surrendered, and a thing like that should happen to such a professional.

And when Bayern for half-an-hour shredded the Villa defence with a thrilling symphony of attacking play, they overcame that, too.

Bayern, who for all their protestations felt that Villa were there for the taking, had themselves been taken. Twelve previous Cup Final victories of one sort or another and to come unstuck at the 13th. Who says there is nothing in superstition?

There were, of course, heroes but none more so than Nigel Spink, a raw and lofty novice of First Division football and one previous full game to his credit.

Twenty-three-year-old Spink replaced Rimmer to make three startlingly good saves and also to ridicule the fact that his experience this season totals only 36 reserve Central League games.

And then there is Tony Barton, full manager for not quite two months, who stood for a second alone in the middle of the stadium while the chanting Villa fans greeted his 12 heroes, put his hands to his eyes and wept.

Those fans, ten thousand of them, out-shouted the Germans just when the team needed them.

For during that 30 minutes of Bayern supremacy they let their men know there was still glory beckoning.

And at the end the 11 who finished the game plus the doleful Rimmer saluted the supporters, a gambolling, hugging, excited mass of a team surrounded by photographers who made way for their near-delirious party to their victory round.

Then Dennis Mortimer, a thoughtful skipper who did so much to keep the Villa boat on an even keel after former manager Ron Saunders walked out in those unhappy days earlier this year, took hold of the high-shouldered silver European Cup and thrust it challengingly at the sky.

What a moment! And the fans sang ‘we love you, Villa. We love you’.
In the most handsome gesture that I saw, Barton then walked to Bayern manager Uli Hoeness, shook his hand and offered him a comforting word.
It is typical of this generous and sympathetic man that he should do such a thing.

His triumph has been expected and yet it could not go to a better man, whatever the sometimes baffling future of football may hold for him.
His name is written in history now and, unassuming as he is, he will nevertheless relish that.

And just for a moment a thought for former manager Ron Saunders. Whatever the current feeling about him at Villa Park, it would be churlish to deny that he created this team.
No one can tell whether they would have won this trophy for him, but the habits and discipline that were tested and proved last night were his.

The embellishments were Barton’s and assistant manager Roy MacLaren’s.

If this has been an unbelievable few months for Barton it has been even more incredible for chairman Ron Bendall and his son, Don.

They gambled in giving the manager a contract and the gamble has been wondrously successful. For that Birmingham owes them a lot.
They and every member of the club left within 90 minutes of the end for a celebration in an Amsterdam hotel.

They called it a family occasion and if they can create and maintain that kind of atmosphere in Villa Park then a much-needed job will have been completed.

Barton’s Army gave the team a magnificent reception as they ran out on a sweltering evening in a three-quarter full stadium.

In contrast to Anderlecht, where there had been so much trouble, I saw only one cushion thrown from the Villa end.
The fans in the ground behaved themselves admirably and it was noticeable that Villa stewards took up positions which would have evoked admiration from Field Marshal Montgomery.

If ever evidence was needed that the police of Brussels made a mess of their tactics a month ago then it was here.

Villa still have to pay the serious penalty for that disgrace and next season the supporters will be banned from the first home match of the European campaign.

As the teams lined up, a red sky-rocket lit up the Bayern end, crossed overhead while occasional crackers were set off in the stands.

Seconds after the start Gordon Cowans broke out of defence with a long run which Withe wasted with a back-heel.

Seconds later Evans’s header flew across the face of goal and Bayern wilted under the early pressure.

The Germans’ slow build-up was typical but when they burst to aggressive action Rummenigge shot weakly.

Gary Shaw was over-elaborate when Withe and Cowans opened a way through but Villa had settled down and beaten off any tendency to freeze up through nerves.

Durnberger hacked down Bremner as the lively Scot headed for left-wing space.

But in the sixth minute Villa produced the first decisive action of the night when Withe outjumped the defence for a resounding header which flew close to the bar.

Evans was concentrating on Rummenigge and brought the superstar down with a blood-vessel-bursting tackle in the middle of the field.

Rimmer had spent a quiet ten minutes when he suddenly began signalling the bench he wanted to come off.

A forlorn figure, he abandoned his goal to Spink, shaking his head in dejection.

It was Spink’s second game for the first team. His other two-and-a-half years ago against Nottingham Forest, on Boxing Day, when Forest themselves held the European Cup.
Storybooks make fortunes out of such tales. Here it was coming true in front of us.

However, it was Muller in the Bayern goal who showed signs of fallibility. He was too intense to hold Morley’s cross at the near post.

There was no panic among Villa players at Rimmer’s sudden disappearance, indeed they were so unaffected that Morley, already mosquito-bite dangerous on the left, had Bayern’s defence anxiously wondering how they were to stop him.
Evans was taking few risks - or prisoners - and sent the stately Breitner crashing to the turf. Neither Shaw nor Withe touches had so far carried conviction but when Withe finally turned, leaving Weiner stumbling, a right-foot shot spurted yards away from goal.

When Swain tripped Horsmann in the 21st minute, referee Konrath had given eight free kicks to Bayern against two to Villa.

Evans was powering his way through the middle and then Cowans reached Shaw for the young striker to wheel on the byline and centre only a couple of yards away from the aggressive Withe.
Bremner’s long shot after 28 minutes was poor reward for an imaginative build-up between Withe and Mortimer.

But at this stage the West Germans seemed bankrupt of attacking ideas. Then like that rocket overhead they flashed Withe with Durnberger menacing when he ran around Swain, for Bayern’s first on-target shot.
Spink clutched this at full length and saved just as crucially from Rumenigge on the half-hour after Breitner had dashed away.

Evans then threw himself in the way of Mathy’s shot as Villa reeled, they were fortunate to escape. Rummenigge showed why he has twice been voted European Player of the Year with a 15-yard overhead kick, decisive and spectacular, which ran in on the byline beside Spink’s post.

The snake had uncoiled but Villa survived.

Villa failed for the second time to pick up Breitner and it was only a desperate lunge by McNaught that prevented a deflating first goal.
Withe, acting in frustration and losing control, chopped down Kraus and was booked for the offence.

Villa had become tense after Rummenigge’s show of glittering skills but, even so, it was 42 minutes before Bayern’s first corner, arriving as the magnificent multitude of Villa fans behind their goal became silent.
Rummenigge, superb in so much that he did, ended the half with two late shots.

Urgency was still missing from Villa’s game afterwards when the match started with Bayern’s sophisticated pace rather than at Villa’s more hectic version.

Morley, quiet after his determined opening 15 minutes, was evident in a couple of moves but when Mathy was replaced in midfield by Gutler, Bayern began a series of moves breathtaking in their quality.

Skipper Breitner’s ability to open out the Villa defence was underlined when he chased the rebound of his own free kick to leap acrobatically into a 20-yard volley.

Evans felt that Rummenigge was after the European actor of the year award as well when he made a dramatic fall to what looked like a good tackle.

Augenthaler, a one-man Light Brigade, dashed past Evans who fell as though shot in front of him. The centre back, however, badly misapplied his right-foot shot.
Augenthaler again pounded down the middle and Breitner swept the ball outside for the unchallenged Durnberger to drive low and bring a marvellous plunging save from Spink.

When Spink was eventually beaten by Augenthaler’s header, Swain headed coolly from the line. Villa were in a fearsome bother a moment later, too, and again Spink rescued them, this time at the near post from Hoeness.

Under strong pressure now, the central defence left Hoeness free, only for the Bayern top-scorer to miss completely from five yards out.

Twenty minutes into the second half Morley produced Villa’s first shot which went high over the bar. But the winger suddenly produced a moment of match-winning brilliance which had taken 66 minutes to arrive.

Shaw beat Dremmier on the right and Morley, taking the path with a disco-dancer’s hip wiggle, passed along Augenthaler, skidded the ball along the line to the six-yard area for Withe to prod in by way of goalkeeper Muller and the post to score.

Bayern were rarely to threaten again. They twice cut out through passes intended for Rummenigge before Cowans darted from the right to drive left-footed into Muller’s arms.

Hoeness’s ill-directed header was Bayern’s first response and then the German Cup winners were forced to raise the tempo. Spink was a little slow to move from his line and in the end just managed to grab the ball before racing to Rummenigge.

With 12 minutes to go Neidermayer replaced Kraus. There was, so far as Villa fans were concerned, every excuse for the time-wasting during the agonising last minutes.

But hearts stopped at the Villa end when Hoeness checked on to a through ball and shot with three minutes to go.

Linesman Joel Quinion earned the undying gratitude the people of Birmingham by raising for offside.
And then it was all over.

Bayern sat dejected in the centre circle after 43 seconds of injury time which for the Villa contingent must have seemed like 43 years.

Aston Villa, champions of Europe.
In the end, the Villa flock sang ‘Rule Britannia’ lustily as the players left the stadium. It was the most emotional sound of this marvellous occasion.

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