Barry

European Champions Cup

Crvena Zvezda won the European Champions Cup on May 29, 1991 in Bari, defeating Olympique de Marseille on penalties 0:0 - 5:3. Plans for a European title at the Maracana had been in the works since the mid-1980s. Zvezda had been achieving solid European results for the previous two decades by building a team from its Youth Academy, with the occasional signing of young talented players from small clubs, mostly in Serbia. The management team at the time, Dragan Džajić - Vladimir Cvetković, decided to take a different path, by signing the best players on the domestic market, to create a team that could immediately compete at the continental level, and in a few seasons be a candidate for European trophies.

Gathering

The first step in a new direction took place in the summer of 1986, when Bora Cvetković and Milivoj Bračun were brought from Dinamo Zagreb, and the greatest talent of Yugoslav football, Dragan Stojković, was brought from Radnički Niš. A year later, Dragiša Binić followed in the footsteps of Pixie, who, together with Cvetković, formed the fastest attack in Europe, and Dinamo was left without its third, most talented player - Robert Prosinecki. By the summer of 1988, the best remaining players in the league - Dejan Savićević and Darko Pančev - were also dressed in the red and white jersey. With a little refinement, the team was ready for the highest achievements.

Although coaches changed every year, Zvezda managed to maintain a style of play based on fast attackers and top-quality midfielders, and almost knocked out the strongest European club of that era - Milan - in the first attempt. In that season (1988/1989), our team lost the title in a duel with Vojvodina (which would later also have great significance), so the second attempt at the European campaign was dedicated to the UEFA Cup. December 6, 1989 is one of the key days on Zvezda's path to Bari and Tokyo - on that day, the brilliant team led by Dragoslav Šekularac from the bench in Cologne, after a 2:0 victory in Belgrade, suffered a heavy defeat (3:0) and was eliminated in the third round of the UEFA Cup, learning the hard way a key lesson in competitive football.

The pieces continued to fall into place - Miodrag Mile Belodedic came from Romanian Steaua and spent an entire year at the club, playing only friendly matches, as he was only allowed to debut in official matches in the spring of 1990. In the summer of the same year, Šekularc was replaced on the coaching bench by Ljupko Petrović, the very man who had taken the title from Zvezda to Novi Sad a year earlier. Petrović had coached Rad the season before and worked with Zvezda's junior Vladimir Jugović, a talent of a completely new profile for Serbian conditions and a man who had pushed the boundaries of racing possibilities.

The club was seriously weakened by the departure of captain Stojković, who that year was undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, which he confirmed at the World Cup in Italy. Pixi left the Maracana for Marseille, not suspecting that he would see his former teammates the following May. Despite losing their captain, Zvezda remained extremely strong, well-filled in every position.

The stage was set. Zvezda had smoothly won the penultimate title of champion of the entire Yugoslavia, and the time had come for the carefully assembled team to prove itself on the highest stage. There could be no more excuses, even if the political situation had not posed a challenge for Petrović and the players, each missed year brought the possibility of another key player leaving the club in a major transfer.

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Autumn

Historical circumstances played into Red Star's hands - the champion of the strongest European league that season was a relatively mediocre Napoli, and English champion Liverpool was still suspended because of Heysel, which reduced the group of potential world-class rivals to the defending champion Milan, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and the extremely strong and ambitious Olympique Marseille. With a little luck in the draw, Red Star could reach the semi-finals of the European Champions Cup, for the first time in 20 years, and there anything was possible.

At that time, Red Star was by far the most successful club in the Balkans and the whole of Eastern Europe in European Cups. Since the semi-finals of the second European Champions Cup, when it was defeated by Fiorentina, our club has welcomed spring in Europe 14 times, and has been semi-finalists in all three cups six times. On the eternal UEFA list, Red Star has been steadily in the top 15, and in terms of the number of participations in European Cups, it has lagged behind only the Real Madrid - Barcelona tandem.

The draw in the first round put the not particularly attractive Swiss Grasshoppers on Zvezda's path, led by an old acquaintance coach Otmar Hitzfeld (four years earlier defeated at the Marakana by Aarau) and with the then still unknown Alain Suter and Ciriak Sforza. The "Grasshoppers" shocked the Marakana with the leading goal by Peter Kotsle, and Dragiša Binić, who was returned to the club during the summer after a two-year stay in the West, managed to equalize. After the 1:1, many fans of the red and whites feared another farewell to Europe already in the fall.

The second leg at the Hardturm Stadium showed the true potential of Ljupko Petrovic's team. Prosinecki opened the scoring streak in the Champions League by scoring twice, with Panchev and Radinovic adding one each, so another goal from Kecle did not shake anyone.

The second round provided a real spectacle at the Maracana, as Glasgow Rangers, coached by Walter Smith, were visiting. The Scottish champion wanted a good result on October 24, but the packed Maracana encouraged our club's players to another great match in which chances were numerous in front of Chris Woods' goal. After just a few minutes, Brown scored an own goal, and Robert Prosinecki's free kick doubled the lead. The final 3:0 for an explosion of joy was secured by Darko Panchev.

"Cobra" punished their opponents again in the second leg at "Ibrox", with attractive scissors kicks, after which the legendary Ali McCoist could only equalize. The only downside to the two-match match with the Scottish club was the injury suffered by captain Stevan Stojanović, but Zvezda had already won the European spring by then, so there was enough time for Dicka to recover.

Spring

In the third round, Red Star, reinforced by Sinisa Mihajlovic, paid a million marks, set off on a German tour, and their rival was the last GDR champion Dynamo Dresden. The Saxons were by far the easiest possible rival in the quarter-finals, in which Marseille played Milan, Bayern played Porto, and Real Madrid played Spartak. At Marakana, the same picture as in October - the opponent was run over and sent home 3:0, and Prosinecki even scored again from a free kick. The remaining goals were scored by Binic and Savicevic.

The match in Dresden started badly, with a penalty for the home team in the second minute and a goal by Torsten Gičov. However, the difference in quality quickly became apparent, with Savićević and Pančev turning the score around, and a group of violent home fans causing an incident, which led to the match being abandoned in the 78th minute. UEFA registered the match as 3:0 in our favor, and Red Star reached the semi-finals of the European Champions Cup for the third time in history.

The road to the trophy continued to open - Marseille eliminated the official champions from Milan, and Real Madrid, who scored 21 goals in matches with Odense and Tyrol last autumn, were knocked out after a debacle in the duel with Spartak. The fourth semi-finalist was Bayern, after a victory in Porto.

The Bavarians have won five of their six matches, but no opponent has been nearly as strong as them. Crvena Zvezda Although the experiences with Bayern were unpleasant (they were eliminated in the third round of the UEFA Cup a decade earlier), optimism reigned at Marakana, and it was spread most by the traditionally reserved Dragan Dzajic, who announced victory in Munich.

Roland Wohlfahrt's goal only temporarily gave the Bavarians the lead, and it was this player who would move up to the top of the list of tragic figures 14 days later. At the Olympic Stadium, Red Star took the initiative. Just before halftime, Prosinecki passed the ball to Binic, who followed with a quick run and a cross to the far post, where Darko Panchev was waiting for the ball - 1:1.

At the beginning of the second half, Effenberg sold a ball, and Pančev served Savićević perfectly, who ran from the center to the penalty area and was elusive for Jürgen Kohler, and Aumann was powerless - 1:2. An unprecedented fifteen thousand Red Star fans in the north stand of the Munich stadium were in delirium.

And that was just the beginning. Fourteen days later, everything worked in the first half - Mihajlovic outwitted Aumann from a free kick and Zvezda gained a two-goal advantage. The agony began when Augenthaler's free kick went through Stojanovic's arms and legs. His legs suddenly snapped, and five minutes later Manfred Bender scored for 1:2. Bayern equalized, but did not intend to stop. In the last half hour, chances were created in front of both goals, and Zvezda's fate hung in the balance - another goal conceded meant that our team would need two goals to advance.

Luck then completely favors Red Star: the first-leg scorer, Wolfart, hits the post, and the ball bounces between two excellently positioned Bayern players. And then, for history's sake: Jugović drags the ball diagonally, exchanges passes with Pančevo, Prosinecki passes down the left side, returns it to Mihajlović, Augenthaler clumsily starts the cross, Pančevo confuses Aumann and - "The sky opened, the stadium exploded"...

Barry

Then Operation Bari began. Ljupko Petrović took the team to Italy a week before the final to prepare in peace and quiet for the clash with Olympique de Marseille. By that point, Zvezda had scored 18 goals in eight games, the French champions had scored 20, and the 100th final of European competitions, on May 29, 1991, was heralded as an attacking spectacle. But, with the trophy within reach, both Petrović and Raymond Huttals decided to play defensively.

After 120 minutes of play and only a few chances on both sides, the decision was made by taking a penalty kick. Prosinecki hit the Olmeta net with a shot from the right half-high, and already in the first series Stojanovic saved a shot from Manuel Amoros with a jump to the right. It would turn out that this was the deciding factor. The shots were scored in order by Binic (same as Prosinecki), Bernard Casoni (measured, into the small right net), Belodedic (on the ground, into the very bottom left corner), Papen (same direction, a little higher and more powerful than Belodedic), Mihajlovic (bottom right, after digging up a considerable amount of soil) and Moser (elegantly into the right corner).

Darko Pančev had the opportunity to triumph - the Golden Boot winner shot close to the middle of the goal, but hit hard and caught Olmeta in the gap, enough for the greatest joy in the club's history. Twenty thousand fans at the "Sveti Nikola" stadium and millions across Serbia and the world received the most beautiful gift. It will be remembered that in Bari on May 29, 1991. Crvena Zvezda climbed to the roof of Europe against Olympique Marseille 0:0 - 5:3 on penalties, successfully completing a five-year project.

Bari, May 29, 1991

Crvena Zvezda - Olympic 0:0 - penalties 5:3

Stadium : "Santi Nicola" in Bari.

Viewers : 56,000.

Referee : Tullio Lanese (Italy).

Penalty scorers : Prosinecki, Binic, Belodedic, Mihajlovic, Panchev for Red Star, and Casoni, Papen, Moser for Olympic.

Yellow cards : Marović, Mihajlović, Binić ( Crvena Zvezda ), Bolli (Olympic).

Crvena Zvezda : Stojanovic, Jugovic, Marovic, Sabanadzovic, Belodedic, Najdoski, Prosinecki, Mihajlovic, Panchev, Savicevic (from 85. Stosic), Binic. Coach : Ljubomir Petrovic.

Olympique Marseille : Olmetta, Amoros, Di Meco (from 111. Stojkovic), Boly, Moser, Germain, Cossoni, Waddle, Papin, Ayew, Fournier (from 72. Verkris). Coach : Raymond Goethals.