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On May 28, 1997, Marcello Lippi’s Juventus lost the Champions League final to the surprising Borussia Dortmund managed by Ottmar Hitzfeld.

In the magnificent setting of the Olympiastadion in Munich, the Bianconeri lost their third final of the prestigious Cup, in a match that on paper seemed like it should not have been a contest.

ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO ( PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI )

The path to the final

The Bianconeri, after their success in the previous season of the competition (victory against Ajax on penalties), were placed in Group C alongside Manchester Utd, Fenerbahçe, and Rapid Vienna. The group stage was easily resolved, with 5 wins and 1 draw resulting in a first-place finish.

An easy quarter-final against Rosenborg (3-1 aggregate). The semi-final was a repeat. Juventus faced Ajax once again. This time, there seemed to be no contest. The Old Lady triumphed at the Amsterdam Arena (the first for an Italian club against the Dutch in a confederation competition) with a 2-1 victory and at home, in the Delle Alpi, with a resounding 4-1 win.

The German team, on the other hand, was placed in Group B with Atlético Madrid, Widzew Łódź, and Steaua Bucharest. For the yellow and blacks, a second-place finish tied with the Spaniards, but advanced due to a 1-0 victory at the Calderon after a 2-1 defeat at home.

Quarter-finals against Auxerre, newcomers to the competition, were defeated with a total score of 4-1. The semi-final against Manchester United was more complicated. Double 1-0 victories for Hitzfeld’s Germans, with some difficulties especially in the match in England.

Borussia Dortmund-Juventus: the match

And so, the final on May 28 in Munich arrived. Juventus, for obvious reasons, were the favorites in the predictions. Perhaps due to their previous year’s victory, or due to the almost nonexistent experience of the Dortmund team at this level.

Both teams had no surprises in their lineup. BVB with: Klos; Reuter, Kohler, Sammer, Kree, Heinrich; Lambert, Sousa, Moeller; Riedle, Chapuisat.

Juventus responded with: Peruzzi; Porrini, Ferrara, Montero, Iuliano; Di Livio, Deschamps, Zidane, Jugovic; Vieri, Boksic.

The game began. The Bianconeri, immediately on the attack, posed a threat as early as the 3rd minute with Vladimir Jugović, who seemed to be fouled in the German penalty area, but the Hungarian referee Sándor Puhl saw no infringement.

However, at the half-hour mark, during the Italians’ best moment, the Germans took the lead with a goal from Karl-Heinz Riedle, who chested down a cross from Paul Lambert from a corner kick and beat Angelo Peruzzi coming out. Five minutes later, Riedle doubled the lead with a header, again from a corner kick.

There was still time for a post hit by Zinedine Zidane and a goal disallowed for Christian Vieri due to a handball. The first half ended with a score of 2-0 in favor of Hitzfeld’s men.

In the second half, Lippi introduced Alessandro Del Piero, who had been kept on the bench as a precaution due to an injury. With Del Piero’s entrance, the Turin team became much more offensive. The spaces granted by Dortmund’s defense were few, but the Bianconeri’s pressure was continuous, and another woodwork saved the Germans when Vieri hit the crossbar with a deflection from goalkeeper Stefan Klos.

Twenty minutes later, Juventus narrowed the gap with Del Piero, who beat Klos with a splendid backheel. Furthermore, in the following play, the same Alex was denied a possible penalty by Puhl.

Six minutes passed, and Juventus, pushing forward in search of an equalizer, were caught on the counter by Borussia, who, with Lars Ricken, who had only been on the field for a minute, launched a shot from distance that beat Peruzzi off his line.

The result remained unchanged until the final whistle. Dortmund, with many former Juventus players in their squad (Júlio César, Kohler, Möller, Reuter, and Sousa), celebrated their first and only Champions League victory in history.