 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 1990–91 European Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Afterextra time Red Star Belgrade won 5–3 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 29 May 1991 (1991-05-29) | ||||||
| Venue | Stadio San Nicola,Bari | ||||||
| Referee | Tullio Lanese (Italy) | ||||||
| Attendance | 51,587 | ||||||
←1990 1992 → | |||||||
The1991 European Cup final was afootball match held at theStadio San Nicola inBari,Italy, on 29 May 1991, that sawRed Star Belgrade ofYugoslavia[a] defeatMarseille ofFrance in apenalty shoot-out. After normal time andextra time could not separate the two sides, the match was to be decided on penalty kicks.Manuel Amoros's miss for the French side proved crucial, as Red Star held their nerve to win their first European Cup title. As of 2025, this remains the last European Cup final that both clubs were making their debut appearances in the competition's final.
| Team | Previous final appearances (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|
 Red Star Belgrade | None |
 Marseille | None |
| Red Star Belgrade | Round | Marseille | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
 Grasshoppers | 5–2 | 1–1 (H) | 4–1 (A) | First round |  Dinamo Tirana | 5–1 | 5–1 (H) | 0–0 (A) |
 Rangers | 4–1 | 3–0 (H) | 1–1 (A) | Second round |  Lech Poznań | 8–4 | 2–3 (A) | 6–1 (H) |
 Dynamo Dresden | 6–0 | 3–0 (H) | 3–0 (A) | Quarter-finals |  AC Milan | 4–1 | 1–1 (A) | 3–0 (H) |
 Bayern Munich | 4–3 | 2–1 (A) | 2–2 (H) | Semi-finals |  Spartak Moscow | 5–2 | 3–1 (A) | 2–1 (H) |
Red Star arrived in Italy unusually early, on Thursday, 23 May 1991, six full days ahead of the final. The team set up base in the town ofMonopoli, 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of Bari. There they stayed in Il Melograno Hotel, an isolated accommodation on the town outskirts, and trained at thefacilities ofAC Monopoli.[3] Due to a lot of interest from richer European clubs already being raised for the future services of young Red Star players, the club management tried to ensure its footballers were fully focused on the task at hand. The players were placed in semi-quarantine immediately upon arrival in Italy, which meant being separated from wives and girlfriends without the ability to receive incoming phone calls in hotel rooms, though able to make outgoing calls.[4]
Over the coming days, the club also organized for a large entourage consisting of club legends, friends of the club, etc., to arrive in Bari in order to watch Red Star in its first European Cup final. Therefore, notable former playersRajko Mitić,Dragoslav Šekularac,Srđan Mrkušić,Stanislav Karasi, andŽivorad Jevtić, former coachMiša Pavić, and several Serbian celebrities and personalities such asLjuba Tadić,Ivan Bekjarev, andBora Đorđević, all made their way to Italy.[5]
        Red Star Belgrade |      Marseille |
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Assistant referees: | Match rules
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