A decade before Ali and Frazier met in their famous trilogy, two of European football’s heavyweights met in their own epic series. Between 1964 and 1967 Inter Milan and Real Madrid faced off in three knockout ties, two of which would determine the winner of the European Cup.

At the helm of both clubs were two iconic coaches: Helenio Herrera at Inter, Miguel Muñoz of Real Madrid and a host of iconic players.

Tie 1: European Cup Final 1964

Herrera reached the final in his first attempt with Inter and met a familar foe in Madrid in the final. It was Muñoz, Di Stefano and Puskas who had put his Barcelona side to the sword in the semi-finals in 1960. He was ready for revenge.

In the four years that had passed Real had done little to refresh their core and Di Stefano and Puskas were now both 37. Defeat to Benfica in the 1962 final had been chastening and a preliminary round exit in 1962/63 to Anderlecht had added further evidence to suggest the team was now in complete decline. But such rumours had been greatly exaggerated with holders Milan dispatched in the quarter-finals the highlight of their run to the final.

Inter had made their way to the final after victories over Everton, Monaco, Partizan and Borussia Dortmund. Yugoslav Branko Tesanić was in charge of the Dortmund game and suggestions that Inter were in the habit of bribing refs were heightened when he met a fellow Yugoslav on holiday that summer and let him know Inter had paid for his trip.

The final was held at the Praterstadion in Vienna, which just over 20 years earlier, in a sign of the change occurring in Europe post-war, had been used as a prison for Polish-Jews during the Nazi regime.

Inter’s defensive solidity was in full-view in the first half, with tight-marking limiting opportunities for Real. They took a 1-0 lead into half-time, courtesy of Mazzola’s 20-yard shot. Facchetti played him a pass in the inside left channel and made a run for a return pass, dragging two Real defenders with him. Mazzola exploited the space and by the time pressure was put on the ball, he released a dipping shot which flew past Vicente. In the second-half, Real should have equalised, Puskás shot hammering back off the post, but the rebound was screwed wide by Amancio.

Madrid’s ageing defence was exposed for the second and third goals. A bouncing clearance was recovered by Mazzola and he laid it into Milani, whose 25 yard shot was parried into the net by Vicente. After Felo had pulled one back for Real with 20 minutes remaining, Mazzola killed the game off. Santamaría, for so long a colossus at the back, attempted to overhead kick the ball clear, but it bounced back off the chasing Mazzola, putting him through on goal and he coolly poked the ball into the far corner.

Puskás gave his shirt to the opposition’s best player telling Mazzola: ‘I played against your father. You did him proud, and I want to give you my shirt.’ Puskás had indeed played against Valentino Mazzola, for Hungary against Italy in Turin in 1947.

For Herrera to beat Real was sweet vindication after his sacking from Barcelona four years earlier. It provided justification for his methods and set the stage for another run at the competition the next season. They needed the victory as they would lose Serie A to Bologna following the Cup win in an amazing season which saw the title decided on a two-legged playoff.

For Madrid, it was the end. During the game, Munoz told Di Stéfano to ‘fuck off’, and he responded in kind. Inter’s tactics, combined with his ageing powers, had seen him marked out of the game and he no longer possessed the speed to separate himself in close quarters. Bernabéu offered him a role at the club in a position of his choosing but, crucially, not a position on the field. Offended and still confident he could do a job, Di Stéfano joined Espanyol

Tie 2: European Cup Semi-Final 1966

Inter had equaled Benfica’s feat of two successive titles and were chasing their own three-in-a-row when the two sides met again in the semi-finals in 1966. They were on their way to their third Serie A title in four years. Inter were entering Real dynasty territory.

Real who had competed in the competition every season were in danger of missing out for the first time. La Liga had concluded on April 3rd and Atletico Madrid pipped their city rivals to the title by one point. Real may have lost their dominance of the European Cup after 1960 but they had established remarkable consistency at home, winning the league every season from 1960/61. There was a lot of weight on the shoulders of those white shirts when they walked on to the Bernabéu pitch on April 13 for the first leg.

It was also a very different Real side. Of the 11 who lined up against Inter, only four remained from the ‘64 final; Gento, Amancio, Zoco and Pachin. The average age of the team was 25.5 years old. Only Gento (32) was above 30. In ‘64 it was 29.5. And, significantly, the team was entirely Spanish. Following the national team’s dismal performance in the ‘62 World Cup,the ban on foreigners had been enacted and Munoz had to fashion a youthful all-Spanish team.

Inter’s approach was according to type and they committed to defence despite going behind early on in the first half. The rigid, organized defence was at sixes and sevens after a Gento cross and the ball fell to Jose Martinez Sanchez ‘Pirri’ who slid the ball past Sarti after his first shot had been saved.

In the other goal, Real goalkeeper Antonio Betancort spent the second half hobbling around his goalmouth after receiving extensive treatment to a leg injury. And yet, Inter did not look to seize this opportunity, after all, their record at home was formidable as they had yet to lose a European Cup game. ‘Madrid will burn in the San Siro’ claimed the ever diplomatic Herrera after the 1-0 defeat.

It would be a night to remember for Real. For so long, THE team of the competition, this new generation were faced with delivering on the reputation of their predecessor. The previous year, Inter had wiped out their deficit by the time the fans had just sat down in their seats. This time, instead, the hill to climb had become a mountain. A Madrid counter attack saw Gento set Amancio free and he had the composure to roll a left foot shot passed Sarti. Inter now had to face a taste of their own medicine, with the ever-willing Pirri man-marking Luis Suarez out of the game.
Giacinto Facchetti scored a classic Facchetti goal with a driven finish across Araquistian, who had replaced Betancort in the Real goal, but it was too little too late and Madrid held on to progress to their eight final.

After the game Herrera resolved to change his approach. With no hint of irony, he declared that his team ‘were always vulnerable against a team wholly committed to defence’ before announcing in future that ‘I shall attempt to win ties away from home as well.’

Real would defeat Partizan Belgrade in the final. The Serbs had defeated Manchester United in the other semi-final and went 1-0 ahead through Velibor Vasović. With twenty minutes remaining Amancio leveled and six minutes later Real had their sixth European Cup courtesy of Fernando Serena. They would have to wait thirty two years for their seventh.

Tie 3: European Cup Quarter-Final 1967

The teams met again at the quarter-final stage the following season. Real were given a bye into the second-round where the knocked-out 1860 Munich 3-2 on aggregate. The German side had been 2-0 up on aggregate but Real turned it around yet again at the Bernabeu.

Inter broke new ground, facing the champions of the USSR, Torpedo Moscow in the first-round, the first time a Soviet team had competed. After a 1-0 win Milan, a gritty 0-0 draw at the Central Lenin Stadium saw Inter progress to the second round, whereby they defeated Vasas.

In terms of squad, Inter were now the side of experience or age, depending on your opinion. Eight of their starting eleven had started the 1964 final. One man who was new to the side was youth product Renato Cappellini who returned to the club after having spent a couple of years out on loan at Genoa. He enjoyed a breakthrough season in 66/67 and he would make his maek against Real.

In a tight affair in the first leg at the San Siro, Cappellini scored the only goal of the game on 54 minutes. Jair was awarded a soft free-kick, took it quickly and found Mazzola on the edge of the box. He curled a teasing out-swinging cross into the box, and Cappellini met it, heading back across goal and wrong footing Betancort.

We were now in the same situation as the year previous in the second-leg. The away team defending a 1-0 lead. The outcome would follow the pattern.

Inter scored a famous win t the Bernabéu with Cappellini again grabbing the decisive goal as Herrera’s vow to attack when away from home came true. A shot from Domenghini travelled through a crowded box and Araquistáin, back in the Real goal, could not hold on to it. Cappellini got to it first, sliding in at the back box and the tie was effectively over.

Suarez, back on home soil, had a vintage performance and after a mazy run, his cross was turned into his own net by Zoco as he stretched to cut it out. Both goals were rather fortunate, but these are the fine margins that decide games between European heavyweights. ‘Real might have survived if they had used similar tactics to the first leg, waiting and hoping for a break’ said Herrera. ‘But what coach could tell his team not to attack at home. If he failed, he wouldn’t last a day.’ What coach indeed, Helenio?

It would be the peak for Inter. One last hurrah. Exhausted after seven years of Herrera’s oversight, and missing Suarez and Jair, Inter were battered by Celtic in the final as the Cup finally left Latin Europe. Il Mago would last one more year before moving to Roma to become the highest paid coach in the World. Inter would return to the final in 1972 and again their catenaccio came up short against a vibrant youthful attack in Ajax Amsterdam.

For Real the wait would be longer. They would return to the final in 1981 but fall to Alan Kennedy’s goal in Paris. It would be 1998 before the lifted the famous trophy again, Predrag Mijatović’s goal giving them a 1-0 win over Juventus.