In a little over nine years, the European Cup had gone from being a competition the League winners were comfortable missing out on, to the holy grail for English clubs. The opportunity to etch yourself in history as the first English, British and even Northern European team to lift the trophy was now the giant cherry on top of the League Championship cake. In 1964, one man with an unquenchable appetite for glory was ready to take his first bite.

Of course, Bill Shankly was also looking to succeed where his brother Bob had fallen short. His Dundee side had been knocked out by Milan in the semis two seasons previously. After a solid playing career, interrupted by war, but that still saw him lift the FA Cup with Preston in 1938, Shankly’s managerial career started at Carlisle United in 1949 and was followed by spells at Grimsby, Workington and Huddersfield. Though he was popular everywhere he went and his teams improved, he failed to get any of the clubs he worked with promoted. It was a familiar story at Liverpool to begin with. When he took the job in 1959, the Reds were in their sixth season in the second division. The club was in a mess on and off the field. At the fabled, though not at the time, Melwood training ground, there was no heating and paint was peeling from the walls. Shankly’s attention to detail and expectations for excellence, ensured no stone was left unturned in creating an appropriate environment for his players and, indeed spectators. One of his proudest achievements in his early years was the installation of toilets at Anfield that flushed.

They won promotion in 1962 and finished a credible 8th in their first season back in the top flight. In the spring of 1964 a seven-game winning streak would see them edge away from Matt Busby’s Manchester United to lift their first league title in 18 years.

Shankly’s 64 league champions were the first of two great sides that he built at Anfield. They were high energy, attack-minded with an emphasis on playing the ball on the ground. ‘Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple’, said Shankly both underlying his footballing philosophy but at the same time aiming a dig at those who felt over-complicated the game.

In goal was Tommy Lawrence, a youth product, affectionately known as ‘the flying pig’ who would be a mainstay for the duration of the 60s before being replaced by Ray Clemence in 1970. Ron Yeats anchored the back-line. An imposing presence, upon his arrival from Dundee United, Shankly invited the assembled journalists to take ‘a walk round him’. A slaughterhouse worker from Aberdeen, the 6ft 2in Yeats was immediately installed as club captain. Chris Lawler and Gerry Byrne were the consistent full backs, encouraged to get forward and in midfield, Willie Stevenson and Gordon Milne were a classy pair. Stevenson had joined after being dislodged at Rangers by Jim Baxter whilst Milne’s father was a teammate of Shankly’s at Preston. In the forward line, there was a wealth of attacking talent. Roger Hunt and Iain St. John in central areas and on the wings, the mercurial Peter Thompson on the left and local lad Ian Callaghan on the right. Thompson was a right footer who had worked on his ability to put in crosses with his left, and had been lauded by the Brazilian press whilst on tour with England in the summer of ‘64. Callaghan noted for his speed and ability to get to the byline would become Liverpool’s all-time record appearance maker, featuring for the Reds 857 times.

Liverpool’s campaign began in Iceland at KR Reykjavik, the first Icelandic team to compete in the tournament. The divide between the two clubs was illustrated by the fact the KR players themselves produced the match program. In front of a watching 10,000, one of the many Scots in the Liverpool squad, Gordon Wallace scored Liverpool’s first ever goal in the European Cup after 3 minutes. He would add another on the 60th minute, Roger Hunt would also bag a brace and Phil Chisnall got the other, as the Reds traveled home with a 5-0 win. In between the two ties Liverpool made some history as their 3-2 win over Arsenal became the first ever game to feature on Match of the Day, an event host Kenneth Wolstenholme with typical hyperbole remarked ‘never mind Match of the Day, more like Match of the Century.’^ The second leg was the expected formality, although Gunnar Felixson became the first Icelander to score in the competition, as Liverpool won 6-1.

In the first round proper Liverpool would face Anderlecht who had overcome the Italian Champions Bologna by virtue of a coin toss. Bologna were coached by Fulvio Bernardini who had led Fiorentina to the final in 1958. In a remarkable season they had had a 3pt deduction for alleged doping infringements rescinded with five games to go, ending up tied with Herrera’s Inter on 54 points. As remains the custom in Italy, teams tied at the top playoff for the Championship. Remarkably, 1964 remains the only season this has occurred. Bologna won that time 2-0 but clearly their good luck had run out by the start of the new season as they chose the wrong side of the coin and Les Mauves et Blancs progressed following 0-0 tie in the deciding game held in Barcelona.

Anderlecht had fielded seven players in the starting line-up for Belgium versus England one month previous to the Liverpool match. The game, which Hunt, Milne and Thompson all started for England, had finished 2-2 but the Belgians had been regarded as the superior side. Shankly indeed called the result a ‘farce’. Worried about Anderlecht’s star Paul Van Himst, he designated Gordon Milne to pick the forward up, and slotted in Tommy Smith (wearing #10, traditionally the number of an inside forward) alongside Yeats at the back. Thus, Liverpool effectively switched from the W-M to a 4-2-4. It was a gamble as up and to that time, Smith in his previous five first team appearances had played up-front, even bagging two goals at the start of the season. It was the beginning of a great partnership. Smith was notably uncompromising in the tackle but also comfortable on the ball. Whilst Yeats won the ball in the air, it was Smith who swept behind and built play from the back.

Traditionally Liverpool had played with white shirts and white socks, but legend has it that they first wore all-red in this game. Research from the Liverpool Echo showed that whilst they had red shorts on, the socks remained white, with a red trim^. For the return leg in Belgium they did wear red socks and proceeded to do so through their victorious FA Cup run, by which point the die had been cast and Liverpool would forever be all-red. It was to be the first famous European night at Anfield, beginning a love-affair with a competition that only Real Madrid and Milan can compare with. In familiar terms that could easily be adapted to contemporary victories of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, Horace Yates in the Liverpool Daily Post stated this was ‘match for greyhounds, with the stamina of marathon runners, and Liverpool astounded everybody by the way they maintained a cracking tempo without the slightest sign of showing bellows to mend.’^ St. John put them ahead after 10 minutes on the rebound after Hunt’s shot had been saved following a through ball from Smith. Hunt would get his goal before half-time and Yeats made it three five-minutes after the break with his first-ever goal at Anfield and it finished 3-0.

In Belgium, Liverpool resolved to soak up the pressure, showing an awareness, even at that stage, of the nuances of the European game. They frustrated the Belgians, and Hunt rubbed salt in the wounds with an injury time winner.

Shankly lauded his players after the first leg, describing Anderlecht as one of the ‘greatest sides in Europe’ and though there was an element of typical Shankly bluster, there was no denying the Belgians were a formidable outfit, who played outstanding football. St. John reckoned they were the best team they played in the competition that season.^

Waiting for Liverpool in the next round would be FC Köln, the inaugural Bundesliga Champions. West Germany’s defeat to Yugoslavia in the 1962 World Cup and the country’s rapid economic and political post-war recovery were key drivers in the development of a national league and an increase in the maximum wage. Köln were already one of the most successful teams in the Oberliga West and were National Champions in 1962. It was Bill’s brother Bob, who had eliminated them in their debut European Cup campaign, which was over as quick as it started. The 8-1 defeat at Dens Park, remains to this day their record loss. On this occasion, the tie would remain in the balance until that last kick of the ball, and beyond. It would take three games, one postponement and two coin tosses to determine who would reach the semi-finals.

The first leg in Germany finished goalless with Lawrence in the Liverpool goal outstanding. Shankly, like Paisley and Fagan, Benitez and Klopp after him, realized the power of Anfield and, despite this being his first campaign, the need for patience in European football. Liverpool had defended with a solid line of five behind the ball but Shankly was in no mood to concede his side should have been braver, telling reporters that Liverpool ‘have nothing to apologise for. We came here to play football and we go away with a highly satisfactory result.’^

The return leg was scheduled for March 3rd but had to be postponed because of a snowstorm that engulfed Anfield. After a wintry day, which had seen some light snow in the morning, the warm afternoon had convinced the Danish referee Frede Hansen, the game was ready to go ahead. As the snow came down in the lead up to Kick-Off, Köln’s players got themselves stripped and out on the field for warm-ups in an attempt to pressurise the officials into playing the game. It was to no avail, and with 50,000 in the ground, the game was called off at 7.20pm, ten minutes before the scheduled kick-off. The Germans were apoplectic and believed that Shankly had swayed the decision of the officials, but it was unlikely given Liverpool were already dealing with a fixture pile-up in domestic fixtures.

In the days before online ticket sales, providing those who were in attendance with a ticket for the newly arranged game created a major administrative headache, as all ticket-holders were to be given a voucher before leaving. Leaving itself was difficult as turnstiles were only one-way and in the resulting chaos a number of spectators were injured. The game was eventually played two weeks later on St. Patrick’s Day and also finished scoreless. This time it was Lawrence’s opposite number, Hans Tonnes Schumacher, who took the plaudits with an impeccable performance. Liverpool wanted Glasgow for the third and decisive match, Köln preferred Rotterdam. Perhaps due to their grievance over the postponed game, the game was set for the latter.

Nearly 50,000 fans, largely German, attended the game at the De Kuip stadium. Goals from St. John and Hunt looked to have sealed the tie for Liverpool, especially as Köln were effectively down to 10 men after their best defender, Wolfgang Weber was injured after a late tackle by Milne. Weber would start against England a little over a year later in the World Cup Final, and it was another of his teammates in that final Wolfgang Overath, who would make a telling contribution in midfield as Köln began a spirited fightback. Just before half-time, Thielen glanced an in-swinging free-kick past Lawrence, to halve the advantage, and three minutes into the second period, the teams were once again deadlocked. Whilst Lawrence could do little for the first goal, the ‘flying Pig’ was somewhat slow to get down for Hannes Löhr’s driven shot from 25 yards. Köln looked to have completed a famous fightback when Hornig scored late-on, but the goal was disallowed because of a hold on Lawrence. Extra-time came and went with no goals, so after five hours of football in which the two teams were tied for all but 26 minutes, it was left to a toss of a coin to determine one of the semi-finalists in the greatest club competition in the world.

But the drama was only beginning! Players, officials and photographers crammed around the Belgian referee Robert Schaut who threw the disc high in the air, one side red, the other white. Down it came, perfectly stuck in the mud on its side. Köln and Liverpool, even drew the coin toss. At the second attempt, it came down red facing up and Ron Yeats held his arms aloft whilst the German players hung their heads in despair.

It was a ridiculous way to settle such an important tie and though the coin toss’ days were numbered, it would live on for a few more years and continue to determine the outcome of major games. Shankly’s solution was to award victory to the team with the higher number of corners. Nevertheless, in their first run at the competition, the team, three years removed from the English Second Division had equalled the achievements of Hibs, Manchester United, Rangers, Spurs and Dundee in reaching the semi-finals. Could they go one step further?

Lying in wait would be Inter or Scottish Champions Rangers. The Glasgow side who were by now experienced hands in the European Cup, had needed three games themselves to dispose of Red Star Belgrade. A 3-1 home win was cancelled out by a 4-2 defeat in Serbia. The playoff was held at that bastion of English Football, Highbury, home of Arsenal. Rangers had played here in 1960, defeating Sparta Rotterdam and they kept up their 100% record, producing a commanding performance to win 3-1. It would be six more years before Highbury would get to host its own tenants in the European Cup match. Rangers defeated Rapid Vienna in the first round, but the victory came at a cost. The talismanic Jim Baxter, regarded as one of the finest midfielders in British football, broke his leg in the away leg and would miss the Quarter-Final. Tragically, it would be this lay-off which would see Baxter turn into a heavy alcoholic leading to his retirement at 31 and death at 61, following two liver transplants.

Inter had progressed comfortably, beating Dinamo Bucharest 7-0 on aggregate, with an emphatic 6-0 win at the San Siro. By now, however, they were not just Champions of Europe, but the World. After losing 1-0 in Buneos Aires to Independiente, they won 2-0 at home. As remained the case with Inter-continental Cup, aggregate scoring only took affect if the third deciding game was tied after extra-time. At the Bernabéu, of all places, Inter sat back, fully in the knowledge a tie would be enough, and nicked the game in extra-time via a great goal from Corso who chested down a knock-back, let the ball bounce and powered it into the net. Inter paraded the trophy around the home of the team they had beaten to reach the final, and in the words of ABC de Madrid, ‘showed they were either blind or arrogant.’^

The side who played Rangers in Italy featured eight of the starters in the ‘64 European Cup final with the great captain Armando Picchi and Jair not available. Three-minutes of Spanish sorcery at the beginning of the second-half proved the difference in the first-leg. Luis Suarez’s goal on 48 minutes and then a double from summer arrival Joaquín Peiró on the 50th and 51st minutes appeared to have ended the tie but Jim Forrest, in the midst of a 57 goal season, gave the Light Blues some hope for the return as Inter won 3-1.

Almost 80,000 packed into Ibrox on a brisk and foggy March evening (200 miles south Liverpool was engulfed in a snowstorm) and they took the roof off Archibald Leitch’s masterpiece after six minutes. Roger Hynd, stepping forward from the back, gathered a throw-in, nodded the ball down into his own path and struck from 25-yards. The ball bounced wickedly in front of Giuliano Sarti who spilled the shot and Forrest was quickest to react, hammering the rebound in from eight yards. Hynd was looking to secure a reunion with his Uncle, Bill Shankly in the semi-finals but it was not to be. Rangers, unfamiliar in an all-white kit, came closest to levelling the tie with 20 minutes remaining. George McLean’s shot beating Sarti but cannoning back off the underside of the crossbar as Inter marched on.

“AN INCH FROM GLORY!” lamented The Daily Record the following day, as Rangers took consolation from beating the World Champions. They even received compliments from Herrera who said: ‘Rangers are a very good side, make no mistake about it. They did really well against us and we were greatly surprised by that early goal by Jim Forrest.’^

It was Inter’s first defeat in the competition and the campaign was certainly an improvement for Rangers, following their dismal loss to Real Madrid the previous year and in many ways, this season was more impressive than the ‘60 campaign whereby they reached the semi-finals. Unfortunately for them, the following week, Celtic F.C. appointed Jock Stein as their manager and Rangers would not feature in the European Cup again until 1976.

Inter had now conquered the blue halves of Glasgow and Liverpool. The Green section of Glasgow would have to wait a few years, but now they were headed to Liverpool and Shankly, was ready for them.

The beauty of a random draw is that it cares not for reputation. The other two quarter-finals were a perfect illustration of this. On one hand, we had the wonderfully named Dutch side Amsterdamsche Football Club Door Wilskracht Sterk (DWS) which translates as Strong Through Willpower facing Vasas ETO Győr. Whilst in the other tie, we had a repeat of the 1962 final and a match between the two most successful teams in the competition. Benfica versus Real Madrid.

Győr were coached by the Magyar legend, Nandor Hidegkuti. A small city of 80,000 people, he had accepted the job in 1963, as it was the only one available after his return to Hungary. He had spent three years in Italy, the bulk of which as Fiorentina manager, where he led them to victory over Rangers in the inaugural Cup Winners Cup Final. The next day following his acceptance, at Győr, Benfica called to offer him the manager’s job. Alas, it was too late and Hidegkuti, a man of his word, began fashioning a team from local talent and cast-offs from the big Budapest sides. As it turned out, the Hungarian season that year contained only 13 games, due to the Football Association changing their calendar to a spring-autumn schedule. Hidegkuti’s side pipped Ferencváros on the last day who lost at lowly Dorog.

Győr had beaten Chemie Leipzig (6-2) and Lokomotiv Sofia (8-7!) whilst DWS had marvellously come past Fenerbahce (3-1) and Lyn of Oslo (8-1). DWS had won back to back second and first division titles. Their coach was former Blackburn and inside forward Les Talbot and in goal was future World Cup finalist Jan Jongbloed. DWS were rigid in defence and earned a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam. On the banks of the Danube, László Povázsai scored an 87th minute winner and Hidegkuti’s band of misfits were in the semi-finals of the European Cup.

After being turned down by Hidegkuti, Benfica had employed another Hungarian, Lajos Czeizler, who, ironically, Hidegkuti, had replaced at Fiorentina. He led them to a league and cup double but left at the end of the season. He was replaced by Elek Schwartz, another Hungarian although by now a naturalised Frenchman.

The return of Germano to the defence, though certainly not as mobile as he had been prior to his injury, naturally strengthened the Eagles rearguard. But it was at the opposite end of the field that they were making the biggest impact. Eusébio was now back full-time, following the conclusion of his military service and Jose Torres was continuing his development as a not only a target man but a lethal finisher. To illustrate their attacking prowess, between December 8, 1963 and January 1, 1965, 404 days in total, Benfica scored in every single game, 47 consecutive matches.

By the time the quarter finals rolled around, Benfica had scored 16 goals as they eliminated Aris of Luxembourg and the Swiss side La Chaux-de-Fonds. Torres had seven, Eusébio four. Desperate to recapture their crown and bust Guttmann’s curse, they were itching for a shot at Real, sans Di Stéfano.

Spain had had a superb summer, with the National team winning the second edition of the European Championships which they hosted. Gento did not feature in the event because of a falling out with the coach (and former Real manager), José Villalonga but Amancio had an outstanding tournament, scoring the winning goal in extra-time against Hungary at the Bernabéu. In the final they would face the Soviet Union and Franco gave his approval to Spain taking on the communists, obviously feeling more confident than in 1960. His faith was well-placed as Spain won 2-1. Marcelino of Zaragoza with the winner, six minutes from time.

Real had a comfortable journey into the quarters also, 9-3 against Boldklubben 1909 and an impressive 6-2 aggregate win over Dukla Prague. The heavy lifting was done in the first leg in Spain. Amancio now playing as an inside right, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 win. Things would not be so easy in Lisbon.

In Berne, two years previously, the baton of attacking football had been handed from Real to Benfica. But on that occasion, going toe-to-toe had not worked for los meringues. Munoz thus went for a more defensive approach, but with a youthful backline, he was playing with fire. Benfica’s performance was a return to the ‘blitzkrieg’ days of Guttmann. Augusto had them 1-0 up inside ten minutes, stooping to head a rebound home following a corner. By 25 minutes, they were ahead by three, both courtesy of the right foot of Eusébio. The first was a magnificent run, but was aided by some, definitely by 21st century standards at least, comical defending. Picking the ball up just inside his own half, left of the center circle, Eusébio slowly advances forward, all the while the white shirts backing up to avoid a confrontation. Eventually, the Black Pearl quickens the pace, around 25 yards from goal, powering between the challenges of Santamaría and Miera and, in customary fashion, hitting a rocket from the edge of the box past the helpless Betancort. It was the same ending for his second. This time a first time shot from the edge of right-corner of the box. Watching these games back, Eusébio seems like a player from another age compared to the other 21 men on the field.

The scoreline at half-time (3-0) was rather harsh on Madrid. At 2-0 they were denied a clear penalty when Crus pushed the ball over the bar with his hand, after Puskás lobbed Costa-Pereira. After Reg Leafe and Arthur Ellis’s exploits in 1960, this decision by Kevin Howley added further fuel to Real’s theories that English referees were out to get them. They got their goal, 10 minutes into the second-half when Amancio turned home a Gento shot. If they’d been able to keep it at 3-1 they may have had a chance in the second leg but Simoes restored the three goal advantage with a 20 yard volley with a quarter of the match remaining. The icing on the cake came two minutes from time. Eusébio teed Coluna up perfectly from a free-kick and he powered a header in at the front post to give Benfica a 5-1 advantage.

At the Bernabéu, Ramón Grosso, the youth product who had served his time at Real’s feeder club Plus Ultra, gave them some hope, scoring after 10 minutes but Eusébio’s goal before half-time, extinguished any hope. Puskás made it 2-1 before the end, after he had missed a penalty, but for the second time they would come up short against Benfica and the gap between the two teams was growing

In the semis, Vasas put up a spirited fight in Hungary, but a goal from Augusto mid-way through the 2nd half gave Benfica a slim advantage to take back to the Luz. They didn’t need it. Braces from Eusébio and Torres in the first half completed the scoring, and they were off to their fourth final in five seasons. They would have to wait a week to find out their opponents as Inter hosted Liverpool on May 12th in the second-leg of their semi-final. If you were wandering the streets of Lisbon, looking to place a bet on whom it would be, you would have put all your Escudos on it being Bill Shankly’s boys.

Liverpool were not the first British team to play in the semi-finals of the European Cup. As we know five teams had gone before them: Hibs, Manchester United, Rangers, Spurs and Dundee. Only United in 1958, had played the first leg at home and that was in the aftermath of Munich. In all the other occasions, the teams had returned to their home crowd with a deficit to overturn and, sometimes, an insurmountable challenge. Every single team was at least two goals behind. On those occasions the British crowds, so close to the action, could create intense atmospheres for the visiting ‘cracks’, but these were tinged with the reduced hope of progression that the first leg had ensured. It was a novel concept in the country at that time, to begin a game already behind on the scoresheet.

All of this is to say, that Liverpool v Inter on May 4th, 1965, because of a special set of circumstances that had not occurred to that point, was perhaps the greatest night of European Cup football that had been seen in Britain since the competition started. United’s comeback win over Bilbao had been special, but that was a quarter-final and it was Bilbao, not Real Madrid. Spurs win over Benfica in ‘63 was magnificent, but they were two goals behind before they kicked off and the fans left the stadium, disappointed not elated. Only Real Madrid v Eintracht Frankfurt could compare, but that was exhibition over exhilaration.

The previous Saturday Liverpool had won the FA Cup beating Leeds Utd in extra-time. Saint-John scored the decisive goal with a now iconic, diving header. Early on at Wembley, full-back Gerry Byrne broke his collarbone following a challenge with Bobby Collins. As it was the pre-substitute era, Shankly avoided the temptation to move him on to the wing, opting to keep his personnel and shape consistent. Byrne completed the 120 minutes with ‘(his) arm dangling almost motionless by (his) side’^ but he certainly couldn’t play v Inter. Replaced by the veteran and future ‘bootroomer’ Ronnie Moran, Byrne was still able to play a major part on the night along with Gordon Milne who had missed the final due to injury. The gates at Anfield had been locked an hour prior to kick off and the excitement level of 55,000 inside was at fever pitch and chants of ‘We want the Cup’ belted out from the Kop. Shankly retells what happened next in his autobiography:

‘I asked Milan to go out early, but they kept hanging around the dressing room. I said, “It’s time to go now”, and eventually they made a move and went out on to the pitch. That’s just what I wanted, psychologically, because I then sent out Gordon and Gerry with the FA Cup, followed by the team. Dear God, what an eruption there was when our supporters caught sight of that Cup. The noise was unbelievable. The people were hysterical.’^

They were about to get delirious. Three minutes into the game, Callaghan collected a ball on the right, dribbled inside and curled the ball into the box and an unmarked Hunt guided the ball with his right foot on the bounce into the left corner. A tremendous finish that Herrera later described as a ‘not a British goal. It was a continental goal.’^ For all Hunt’s quality, Inter’s renowned backline and their aggressive marking, was nowhere to be seen and this would not be the finest exhibition of their defensive prowess.

Speaking of uncharacteristically poor defending, Ron Yeats was culpable at the other end seven minutes later as Inter levelled the scores. A Peter Thompson shot was blocked and Facchetti cleared it hopefully into the inside left channel. Yeats, coming across to tidy up, tried to control the ball with his left foot instead of sweeping it away with his right foot, stumbled and gave the ball away to Joaquín Peiró. The Spaniard raced into the penalty area, cut the ball back to Mazzola, who composed himself and shot into the top corner from 12 yards. It was the type of goal that would come to cost British clubs in many a future year – a lapse in concentration, a sudden pounce on the error, explosive speed on the break and composed, clinical finishing. Anfield, momentarily, was silenced. Inter now having restored parity were now happy to let the game settle into a pattern. Resolute defending was punctuated by sharp counter attacks when the moment presented itself.

It was from that training ground that Shankly invested so much time and energy into, that Liverpool’s second goal came from. Just past the half-hour, Liverpool won a free-kick, about 25 yards from goal. Callaghan and Stevenson stood over it. The former made a play to strike the ball with power, but run over it and past the defensive wall into the box. Stevenson followed closely behind and played the ball into Hunt, who again was standing completely unmarked inside the D, and the tall frontman clipped the ball over the defensive line into the path of the onrushing Callaghan, whose speed some him arrive just before Sarti and he duly finished a wonderful move to put Liverpool back in front. Controversially, Chris Lawler, who’d been married on Monday, scored again before half-time, after he beat three defenders, but he had his goal ruled out for offside. All contemporary match reports suggest there was nothing wrong with the strike.

It was the Italians who were complaining about offside with Liverpool’s third goal, which came 15 minutes from time. The Reds dominated the second half and spurned a number of opportunities, but it was the Wembley hero, Saint-John, who added a crucial third goal. A lovely outside of the boot pass from Smith found Hunt in the penalty area. He showed quick feet to evade his marker and when Sarti, who otherwise was immense in goal, spilled the shot, Saint-John tapped home the rebound. The crowd chanted ‘Go Back to Italy’ and ‘Easy, Easy’. You would have been hard pressed to find anyone in Liverpool that night who did not think they were going to the final.

The Press certainly thought so. ‘Shankly’s World Beaters!’ was the headline in the Daily Mirror the next morning. Michael Charters in the Liverpool Echo reckoned the win ‘should be sufficient to see them safely through to the final’ and the Italian Lo Stadio claimed Inter ‘were on their knees’. After the match Herrera was magnanimous telling Shankly: We have been beaten before, he said, but tonight we were defeated.’^ Ominously, however, an Italian journalist had also told him that Liverpool ‘would never be allowed to win.’

The second leg of the semi-final, goes down as one of the most infamous nights in early European Cup history. Liverpool’s subsequent six triumphs (at the time of writing) have not left the scars of bitterness that, say, Derby County’s loss to Juventus in 1973 would. It established a myth (not entirely untrue) of the cheating and corrupt foreigner. In ‘57 Man United had lost to the superstar football of Real Madrid and Spurs had run the mighty Benfica close, but on those occasions both teams were recognised for their attacking prowess. And though those games were intensely competitive, there was a sense of spirited fair play exhibited. Of the best team winning on the best day. The British teams would need to go back, work on their game, and come back for another crack. Not on this occasion.

Liverpool were staying at Lake Como and the game was preceded by a bizarre episode in which Shankly had met with the local Monsignor to request they didn’t ring the church bells which were keeping his players up through the night. A polite refusal was made, and the bells kept ringing.

If sections of the English press thought the tie was over the Italian newspapers had encouraged fans to get to the game and ‘better the Beatles’. 90,000 responded and filled the San Siro with flares and smoke bombs going off, conditions that would become associated with Italian crowds but at the time it’s unlikely the Liverpool players would have seen anything like it. ‘(T)he second leg of the semi-final was not a game, it was a war’ recalled Shankly.^

The bulk of the controversy centres around the two goals Inter scored in the opening 10 minutes. The first goal was a free-kick from Corso, who like Didi, was noted for his falling-leaf technique. The claim from Liverpool was that the referee, Jose Maria Ortiz de Mendebil, had awarded an indirect free-kick. Tommy Smith recalling the events in the Daily Mail in 2008 stated: ‘To this day I can still see the referee holding his arm up to signal an indirect free-kick.’^ Mendebil was implicated years later following an investigation by the Sunday Times journalists Brian Glanville and Keith Botsford. Inter v Liverpool was one of 11 matches they beleived to have involved bribery orchestrated by Inter secretary Italo Allodi and fixer Dezso Solti (Bela Guttmann’s passenger in his car crash in Italy – see The Coach chapter).

On reviewing the footage of the controversial goals it is difficult to make a clear case of wrongdoing. On the free-kick he certainly raises his hand, but this is done vigorously in what appears to be an attempt to move the Liverpool players back the required 10-yards. The foul itself, Yeats on Suraez, is also not one that would warrant the awarding of an indirect free-kick. In either event, Lawrence makes a diving attempt to save the kick, surely putting himself at risk of touching the ball on its way in.

The second goal came a minute later. Mazzola plays a teasing ball in behind the defence for Peiro to chase. Lawrence, alert to the danger, comes across and scoops the ball ahead of the Spaniard. In doing so, he bumps Peiro to the floor, which may explain his eagerness to try to get one back on the keeper. Lawrence, bounces the ball twice, Peiro steals in, nicks the ball off him and then curls a great shot into the back of the net. Cue pandemonium from the men in Red. With modern eyes, it is difficult to see what Peiro did wrong. He steals the ball whilst it’s being bounced, ergo not in the goalkeeper’s hands, and is going for the ball the whole time. There does not seem to be any contact on Lawrence’s hands, as claimed by Shankly afterwards. It is possible that interpretation of the rules were different then. George Best famously had a goal disallowed in 1971 when he did similar against Gordon Banks but even then many reports from the night after blamed Lawrence for the goal.

Still, the game was tied on aggregate, and Liverpool would make it to half-time only two behind on the night. At half-time, Shankly switched Callaghan and Thompson to create more penetration and Liverpool, though creating little clear cut opportunities, were finally settling back into the game when Facchetti’s grand moment arrived. Mazzola slipped the ball inside to Corso, who with the outside of his left foot clipped the ball into Facchetti’s feet as he made a run into the inside left channel, slipping between Yeats and Moran, he took one touch and drilled a powerful shot past Lawrence. Inter were in their second consecutive final.

Prior to the deciding Köln game, Shankly had described the Germans as ‘an ordinary side’ but ‘Inter Milan – that’s different! We would like to have a crack at them in the semi-final. A very good side. Not negative like some people say. Theirs is positive defence. They lull you and then strike. Make you pay for your mistakes.’^ Though Shankly knew the dangers, he was powerless to stop them.

The 60s were due a poor final after a terrific run and they duly got it in 1965. Before the game even took place, there was more controversy for UEFA to deal with. The final had been awarded to Milan so Inter would play at home. Benfica threatened to boycott and/or send their youth team. UEFA responded by telling Benfica they would have to pay for the loss of revenue. They duly gave in and for the first time, the final would be held in Italy.

To make matters worse, heavy rain had turned the pitch into a swamp and the game duly into a farce. Passes were left short, running with the ball in front of you turned into dragging it along with you, like taking an unwilling dog for a walk. Fittingly, it was a ball that got caught in the rain that provided the winner. Just before half-time Corso and Mazzola combined, once again, to slip into Jair. His shot from the right side of the penalty area squirmed under Costa Pereira and trickled over the line.

It would be one of the keeper’s last actions. After the interval, he was injured and had to be withdrawn. Thus, in a situation that beggars belief to today’s fan or follower, Germano had to go in goal and Benfica played the rest of the European Cup Final, the most important game in World club football, with 10 men and an outfielder in goal. Peiro hit the post later on, but Inter had little need to force the issue and could rely on their mighty backline to repel any Benfica attacks.

Herrera, seen as the villain to many, dressed appropriately in a trench coat, had his second European Cup.

Inter’s style appropriated much derision, Hugh McIlvaney comparing Real Madrid to Inter suggested it was ‘a matador’s cape and a laboratory technician’s smock.’^ Watching the game back, the Inter team plays like a modern, pragmatic side. Their defensive shape is good but the attacking players link the play and connect short passes, the full-backs attack and, as the semi-final showed, can invert and cause problems in the final third. These polarizing viewpoints were beautifully outlined in the International Football Book No.8, an Annual of sorts which featured articles from prominent figures from across the Globe.

In consecutive pages Herrera and Di Stéfano make their case. The latter’s titled ‘Beauty is Going Out of Football’ the former, ‘Game is Better, Faster’. In Herrera’s words, ‘though I would prefer to see my team win a fine game, rather than win a bad one, we must never lost sight of the plain fact that the objective is to win.’ For Di Stéfano, the man of La Maquina and the ‘Blue Ballet’, ‘these ‘killer-coaches’ are given licence to roam, and their effort is to produce dull, defensive football and drive people away from the terraces’.

European football was at a crossroads. As Motson and Rawlinson stated in their History of the European Cup:

‘For the moment the game in Europe was in danger of stagnating, as teams sought to copy the vices of the victors. The European Cup stood accused of encouraging a system where the result, however shabbily achieved was p