On May 30th 1984, Liverpool played AS Roma in the 28th European Cup Final (as it was known in those days) playing on the Roma "home ground", The Stadio Olimpico. The "Romans" lost the trophy match on penalties. The shoot out might be remembered mainly as the Liverpudlian goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar's, wobbly legs, known as "spaghetti legs, an "off putting performance" as the Romans prepared to take their penalties!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDn9xSZjThk
Alan Kennedy was also just as important in the decider, for his ice cool winning penalty kick. Alan reported that he was confident and knew exactly where he was going to put the ball. Steve Nicol missed the first Liverpool penalty and the Romans were ahead with an exquisite two-step penalty by their captain, Agostino di Bartolomei. He was a "deep-lying" play maker in the Roma side, only scoring 66 goals in 308 games for his club, with 7 coming in the club's championship season. Agostino by the way means "great". As the final was a "failure" for him and the club not able to carry away a European trophy, Agostino and club manager Nils Liedhohn were sent on their way, both moving to the then, struggling Milan. This move didn't suit Agostino and he was soon moving his way down the leagues to see out his career.
He tried to set up a "football school" but he found himself in debt and struggling with depression, so much so that ten years after the Liverpool defeat, di Bartolomei shot himself in the heart, an excrutiating form of suicide. "I can't see a way out!" he wrote on a suicide note, which came as a complete shock to his family. Thousands of adoring fans attended his funeral along with the bulk of his 1980s Roma squad.
On May 30th 1979, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, took unfashionable Nottingham Forest to a European Cup Final 1-0 victory over the Swedish Champions, Malmo, in Munich. It was the 23rd final. An amazing achievement – one which Forest repeated the following year to become the first club ever to win the European Cup more often than their own domestic League title. Do you remember who scored the goal? Today Forest celebrate being back in the big time (Premier League) following their play off (VAR??) victory over Huddersfield Town at Wembley yesterday.
In 1973, on May 30th, the 17th Cup Final saw Ajax beat Juventus 1-0 in Belgrade.
On this day 1957, Real Madrid beat Fiorentina 2-0 in the European Cup Final in Madrid, with goals from Alfredo di Stefano and Gento. In 1973, same day, Ajax beat Juventus 1-0 in the Belgrade Final.
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