 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | European Super Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 16 January 1985 | ||||||
| Venue | Stadio Comunale,Turin | ||||||
| Referee | Dieter Pauly (West Germany) | ||||||
| Attendance | 55,384 | ||||||
←1983 1986 → | |||||||
The1984 European Super Cup was anassociation football match between Italian teamJuventus and English teamLiverpool, which took place on 16 January 1985 at theStadio Comunale. The match was the annualEuropean Super Cup contested between the winners of theEuropean Cup andEuropean Cup Winners' Cup. This was the first European Super Cup to be played over a single leg; due to fixture congestion, only the Turin leg was played.
Juventus were appearing in the Super Cup for the first time. Liverpool were appearing in the competition for the third time, they had won the competition in1977, and lost in1978 to Belgian teamAnderlecht. Juventus won the1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, beating Portuguese teamPorto 2–1 in thefinal. Liverpool qualified by winning the1983–84 European Cup. They beat Italian teamRoma 4–2 in a penalty shootout after thefinal had finished 1–1.
Watched by a crowd of 55,384, Juventus took the lead in the first half whenZbigniew Boniek scored in the 39th minute. Boniek scored again in the second half to give Juventus a 2–0 lead which they held on to until the end of the match to win their first Super Cup. The two clubs met later in the season in the1985 European Cup final, which resulted in the death of 39 spectators due to adisaster that occurred prior to kick-off. Juventus won the match 1–0.
TheEuropean Super Cup was founded in the early 1970s, as a means to determine the best team in Europe and serve as a challenge toAjax, the strongest club side of its day.[1] The proposal by Dutch journalistAnton Witkamp, a football match between the holders of theEuropean Cup andCup Winners' Cup, failed to receiveUEFA's backing,[1] given the recent Cup Winners' Cup winnersRangers had been banned from European competition.[n 1] Witkamp nonetheless proceeded with his vision, a two-legged match played between Ajax and Rangers in January 1973.[1] The competition was endorsed and recognised by UEFA a year later.[1]
Juventus qualified for the Super Cup as the reigningEuropean Cup Winners' Cup winners. They had remained unbeaten throughout the1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, and beatPorto 2–1 in thefinal.[3] It was Juventus' first appearance in the competition.[4]
Liverpool had qualified for the competition as a result of winning the1983–84 European Cup. They had beatenRoma 4–2 in a penalty shootout, after the match had finished1–1.[5] Liverpool were appearing in their third Super Cup. They won the competition on their first appearance in1977, beating German teamHamburg 7–1 on aggregate.[6] Their other appearance in1978 resulted in a defeat to Belgian teamAnderlecht.[7]
Traditionally, the Super Cup was played over two legs, but due to both clubs experiencing fixture congestion, was played as a one-off match inTurin in January 1985.[8] The city was chosen randomly at the suggestion of Juventus presidentGiampiero Boniperti and Liverpool chief executive officer Peter Robinson.[9]
Bad weather in Turin created doubt about whether the match could be completed. However, the referee decided to go ahead with the match. Liverpool were without strikerKenny Dalglish who was suspended. Liverpool struggled to gain a foothold in the match in the first half and were behind when Juventus scored in the 40th minute. A mishit pass byMassimo Briaschi foundZbigniew Boniek whose subsequent shot from the edge of the Liverpool penalty area beat goalkeeperBruce Grobbelaar to give Juventus a 1–0 lead. Liverpool had a chance to equalise before the end of the first half, but midfielderJohn Wark put his shot wide of the Juventus goal. Liverpool started the second half without defenderMark Lawrenson who had injured himself during the first half, he was replaced byGary Gillespie. Liverpool tried to level the match in the second half, but their best chances came from midfielderRonnie Whelan whose shots from distance did not result in any goals. Juventus extended their lead late in the second half when Boniek scored again. A cross from Briaschi found Boniek, whose shot beat Grobbelaar to extend Juventus' lead to 2–0. Five minutes later, Juventus nearly extended their lead again. However, strikerPaolo Rossi's shot was saved by Grobbelaar. Juventus held onto their lead to win the match 2–0 and win the Super Cup.[10]
         Juventus |      Liverpool |
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The two sides met again at the end of the season in the1985 European Cup final. However, the events of the match were overshadowed by thedisaster that occurred before kick-off. Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a retaining wall to collapse, killing 39 people and injuring hundreds. English clubs were banned indefinitely from European competition, with a condition that when the ban was lifted, Liverpool would serve an extra three-year ban.[11] The ban eventually lasted for five years with Liverpool serving an additional year, clubs returning to European competition in the 1990–91 season.[12] Juventus won the match 1–0 to win the European Cup for the first time.[13]
Liverpool finished second in the First Division during the1984–85 Football League. They were thirteen points behind championsEverton. Juventus finished the1984–85 Serie A in sixth place, seven points behind championsHellas Verona.[14]
