On May 28, 1997, the Bianconeri were stunned by Germany’s Borussia Dortmund 3–1 in front of 59,000 fans.
Playing in their second consecutive UEFA Champions League Final, the 1997 edition was to be Juventus’ finest moment. However, it was not to be as Dortmund lifted their one and only piece of European silverware that night in Munich.
Juventus had won the competition twice prior. In 1985, the team won a bittersweet final at Heysel in Belgium. Thirty-nine people lost their lives before kick-off due to a wall collapsing in the stadium, as Juventus supporters attempted to move away from rival fans.
In 1996, Gianluca Vialli captained Juventus to a final win over Ajax. Level after 120 minutes, Juventus defeated the Dutch side on penalties. Thanks to that penalty win, the club were now attempting to become the first repeat winners of the tournament since AC Milan did it in 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Four years before the 1996-97 Champions League Final, Juventus had humiliated Dortmund in the UEFA Cup Final. Over two-legs, Juventus racked up an aggregate 6–1 win with Dino Baggio scoring three of the goals. Dortmund and their supporters hadn’t forgotten that experience.
Four year on, Dortmund now had defender Jurgen Kohler and midfielder Andreas Moller in their side. Both Germans had suited up in Juventus colours for the 1993 UEFA Cup. In 1997, both were integral parts of Ottmar Hitzfeld’s team.
Marcelo Lippi’s Juventus were the odds on favourite as the final approached. With the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Alen Boksic, Didier Deschamps, Christian Vieri and Alessandro Del Piero. Indeed, there was little wonder why Dortmund were given little to no chance of winning.
“Juventus had arrived as the sleek, expensive favourites. Italy’s dowager football club and its black-and-white army of supporters were stunned into silent disbelief,” said Jeff Powell in Sportmail
Dortmund smothered Juventus early, but the match could have ended much differently as Vieri hit the woodwork early on and had an opening goal ruled out. But just as Juventus felt aggrieved, it was Dormund’s Karl-Heinz Riedle who scored the game’s opener on 29 minutes, following a Paul Lambert cross.
Five minutes later it was Riedle again as the German headed home a corner. Juventus were stunned, speechless and clueless on how to breakdown the staunch German rearguard.
Running out of time, a bewildered Lippi made the first substitution at the second half restart. Del Piero joined the fray for right-back Sergio Porrini and made an immediate impact. Del Piero halved the Dortmund lead in less than 20 minutes as he back-heeled Boksic’s cross past Stefan Klos.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HWZ6Poph7k[/youtube]
However, that was as close as the Bianconeri would get.
Now at 2–1, Dortmund turned their attention to preserving their lead. Hitzfeld took off both strikers in an attempt to repel the oncoming wave of Juventus attacks. His gamble would pay off in just six minutes as Dortmund killed off the game.
Local boy Lars Ricken, a mere 20-year-old, brought on for striker Stephane Chapuisat less than a minute earlier, latched on to a pass from ex-Juventus player Moller. The youngster looped a long-range shot over goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi, ending any hope of an Italian comeback.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctQFcIAhhA0[/youtube]
