07 March 2023
Juventus return their attention to Europe this week, taking to the field on 9 March. The match this Thursday against Freiburg is an absolute first - the two sides have never met each other.
There have been numerous meeting with other German clubs down through the years, however.
In each of the three UEFA Cups won by the Lady – the predecessor to the current Europa League – it was necessary to overcome one or more teams from Germany on the way to eventual triumph, for example, in the photo the cup won in 1993 against Borussia Dortmund.
CONFIRMATION IN TURIN
Juventus arrived at the last act of the club's third UEFA Cup success full of confidence. The Delle Alpi stadium was full, with the fans generating a passionate atmosphere. Unlike today, the final was played home and away. The first leg was held in Dortmund, where the Bianconeri, led by an inspirational Roberto Baggio, won 3-1.
For the home leg, there was no shortage of Die Schwarzgelben supporters, as seen in the photo, who had travelled the thousand kilometres to support their team. But the team coached by Giovanni Trapattoni confirmed their superiority with a runaway 3-0 win, thanks to a brace from Dino Baggio and the finishing touch from the German, Andreas Möller.
THE STORY BEGAN HERE
Trapattoni was at the helm for the club's third UEFA Cup, ending a journey he had started in 1977. And even in that European run 16 seasons previously there was a German side on the Bianconeri's path, Magdeburg. The team that were part of the DDR-Oberliga had eliminated Italian opposition in the form of Cesena in the first round.
However, the Bianconeri were made of sterner stuff. As they would do in '93, Juve hit the right note away, with a 3-1 win in East Germany. At the Comunale, the tie was put beyond doubt in the opening quarter of an hour by Antonello Cuccureddu.
Juve would go on to claim their first European trophy, on away goals, against Athletic Bilbao.
THREE PLUS ONE FOR THE ITALIANS
Three German teams provided the opposition on the path that led to the 1990 all-Italian final with Fiorentina. The first obstacle, in the third round, was Karl Marx Stadt, a club from Saxony, now known again under the town's original name, Chemnitz. The club arrived at the Comunale during hectic times in East Germany, a fortnight after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Juve won 2-1, with Totò Schillaci and Pierluigi Casiraghi overturning an early goal by the visitors.
The second visit to the Comunale from a German outfit was in the following round, the quarter-finals. Hamburg actually won 2-1, but it was not enough to repeat the European Cup outcome from seven years before in Athens because the Bianconeri had won 2-0 on the banks of the Elbe.
Finally, the semi-final against FC Köln (in the photo). In the first leg, the Lady risked throwing away a 3-0 lead. Rui Barros, Casiraghi and Marocchi had struck before the 55th minute but the Germans rallied and netted twice in final 10 minutes. In the return leg, Stefano Tacconi took the situation in hand, securing a goalless draw, worth access to the final against Fiorentina. Coincidentally in their semi-final the Viola had also eliminated German opposition, Werder Bremen.
