Coupe des Coupes 1982 1983 Aberdeen Bayern

 

 Quarts de Finale Retour

16 mars 1983

Pittodrie Stadium

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The Dons had booked their passage to the quarter-finals, which in those days were held over to March of the following year. Aberdeen therefore had several months in which to drool over the prospect awaiting them. Ferguson had wanted a big name, and he got his wish. Names did not corne bigger than Bayern Munich.  In the League, Aberdeen kept in touch at the top of the table with a crush- ing 5-1 defeat of rival pretenders Dundee United. Big Doug Rougvie was in irrésistible form, scoring twice, to the delight of the Aberdeen support. Rougvie was another unlikely hero. He had been with the club since 1972 and had bided his time before becoming a first-team regular. His giant frame was a daunting sight for opponents, but Rougvie was no admirer of réputations and was ideally suited for the battles that came his way. Cuit status beckoned.  By the turn of the year it was clear that Ferguson would need to draw deeply from his squad. The Dons were gunning on three fronts and a dream treble was on. Only the League Cup was beyond them, Dundee United having dumped them from the quarter-finals.  Whatever the team had learned from previous European campaigns was put to good use in Munich’s Olympic Stadium. A travelling Red Army of around 1,000 made the trip and were rewarded with a display of true grit. The Germans had derided the Scottish challenge. Franz Beckenbauer was quoted in the Aberdeen Press & Journal before the tie:  ‘Aberdeen are technically inferior to Bielfeld, who Bayern beat 5-0. I expect Bayern to outplay them. As soon as the Scots set outside their country, they are only half as good as they are at home.’ 

 

Yet it is hard to imagine a finer performance by a Scottish side on foreign soit Solid in defence, Aberdeen surprised their hosts by displaying a tactical nous nurtured in the Ferguson way. A goalless draw set the stage for another famous European night, which was a common feature of Wednesday evenings during those halcyon days. Most supporters will claim this to be the biggest game ever staged at the venerable old stadium. For long spells the Dons looked out of it but they managed to hold on until a spectacular Pflugler strike put the visitors 2-1 ahead. Bearing in mind the away-goals rule, Aber¬ deen needed to score twice to win.  Alex Ferguson rolled his last throw of the dice. On came John Hewitt. Within minutes the game was turned on its head. First Alex McLeish headed home a Strachan free-kick. How opportune that the McMaster-Strachan ‘messed up’ free-kick routine finally paid a handsome dividend. A minute later Hewitt squeezed a volley through the legs of Muller after the keeper had kept out Eric Black’s header.  The closing minutes were like hours. It was a time for big hearts, and it required stout work from Willie Miller & Co to see the Dons through. A team of Scottish upstarts that could play a bit had humbled Bayern Munich. 

 

 

It appears that only Uli Hoeness, the Bayern manager, had heeded the warning signais. Observing the Dons beforehand he had warned that they would provide a formidable obstacle, but his opinions were lost in a sea of German arrogance. When ail was said and done, Aberdeen woke up to the fact that they were in the semi-finals of the European Cup-Winners’ Cup.  Also through were Real Madrid, Waterschei from Belgium, and former adversaries Austria Vienna. Ferguson did not hide the fact that he relished a crack at the little-known Belgians, with Madrid as his dream final. The Austri- ans were experienced and would be a tough prospect, but Waterschei on the other hand were beatable. The Dons’ boss got his wish, with the first leg at Pittodrie. The excitement généra ted around the city was extraordinary. Never before had the Dons been so much in the limelight. Ferguson remained outwardly unmoved, but he knew his team would hâve to do the business at home.  Waterschei were the other shock team that year. They were based in the town of Genk and were unfashionable in every sense. Aberdeen assistant boss Archie Knox took in the Dons’ opponents and was convinced that, if Aber¬ deen could get at their defence early, they could be unsettled.  Ferguson had often deployed the mercurial Doug Bell in key European games. Now he was given a starting berth and his inclusion was vital. Two early goals had Pittodrie in raptures. The Dons were in command, cutting through their opponents almost at will. There was no let up, and by the end Aberdeen had crushed the Waterschei challenge 5-1. Such a margin in a European semi-final exceeded ail expectations, but the Aberdeen machine had been in full flow. 

 

The return two weeks later was little more than academie. Ferguson took the opportunity to draw deep from his squad, in the wake of a bruising Scot- tish Cup semi-final against Celtic. That Hampden clash presented a battle that the Dons could hâve done without, but the physical nature of the contest was hardly unexpected. A Peter Weir header was enough to carry the Dons to their first final of the season. 
Three days later they reached their second. Waterschei salvaged some respect with a 1-0 win on the night, but Aberdeen’s achievement was marred by the loss of Stuart Kennedy, whose injury meant he would never play again. 
Their place in two finals confirmed, the Dons had six games left in which to clinch the League championship. But points had been squandered in March and April, and Dundee United seized their chance. Not for the first time, Aberdeen had opened the door for the Tannadice club. However, the Dons had more important matters on the horizon.  It was a relaxed Aberdeen squad that prepared for their biggest ever game. A shadow side defeated Kilmarnock 5-0 in a League fixture brought forward by two days to allow the team more time in which to préparé. Alex Ferguson was in surprisingly jovial mood as the team took their first training session on the Ullevi pitch in Gothenburg. More than 15,000 of the Red Army were undertaking the trip by air, land, and sea, leaving the city of Aberdeen severely under-populated.