The most successful season in Manchester United’s history – the so called “treble season“ is being remembered today in a form of hectic end of season in which famous club from Old Trafford won it all.
There were three crucial matches at three different venues for three trophies. The last 270 minutes of football, which would eventually define a magnificent season and possibly reserve a special place in European history books, were played in a period of eleven days, often described as “the best of their lives“, whether you ask Manchester United fans or the players like Gary Neville and David Beckham, who made it happen.
The league was clinched on the last day of the season, played on 16th of May. Spurs gave a few scares to the home-side, but Beckham and Cole made sure there would be no late surprise in the title race with crucial goals. The FA Cup was won six days later, with a routine 2-0 victory against Ruud Gullit’s Newcastle to secure at least the domestic double.
The final and probably the most important match of the season was Champions League final, played on 26th of May at Camp Nou. The team standing in United’s way were German giants Bayern Munich who had some incredible players in their team, such as Oliver Kahn, Lothar Matthaus, Stefan Effenberg and Mario Basler. Injuries and suspension represented a problem for both squads. United couldn’t play Roy Keane, Paul Scholes or Henning Berg and Bayern were without Bixente Lizarazu and Giovane Elber, but the Bavarians were declared favourites going into the match. The match itself was not filled with the most astonishing football that European Cup finals have ever seen.
Bayern took an early lead with a low free kick from Basler and dominated the game with numerous chances created in front of the ever-fantastic Peter Schmeichel. Two efforts hitting the woodwork and couple of brilliant saves kept United in the game until the famous injury time effort from the Red Devils. Two corners, panic in the German box, one Schmeichel charge, two Beckham deliveries, two scrappy goals from Sheringham and Solskjaer made the glorious night, which is chanted about to this very day by the United faithful up and down the country.
Finals and lifting the cup itself will always remain as the most vivid of memories of the year United conquered the Europe, but the journey to Barcelona, through which the Reds went unbeaten, started nine months earlier.
The format of the competition in those years implied two qualifying rounds, which filtered out 24 clubs. Those 24 teams were put in six groups, followed by knock-out rounds which contained winners of the group and two best runners-up. United were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Monaco via away-goal rule in the previous Champions League season after winning the group with 15 points out of possible 18. Only two English clubs participated in the elite European competition and while Arsenal were sorted into the groups, English champions United had to play in the second qualifying round, where they were drawn against Polish champions Lodz.
A 2-0 home victory (goals by Giggs and Cole) and a goalless affair away in Lodz were enough to see Manchester United qualified for the next stage.
The Reds were drawn in a “group of death” along with German runners-up Bayern Munich, Spanish champions Barcelona and Danish title winners Brondby. The first game of the group stage was played at Old Trafford against Barcelona, where United took an early 2-0 lead through Giggs’ headed goal and Scholes’ left-footed volley after Yorke’s overhead kick was saved. Louis van Gaal’s Barcelona equalised after only 15 minutes played in the second half, courtesy of poor mistakes by Berg and Stam. Beckham quickly restored the lead with his classic free-kick, but the current Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique, equalised from the penalty spot and the game ended in disappointment for the home fans.
United travelled to Olympiastadion in Munich next, where they found themselves behind after 11 minutes. The referee failed to spot 3 offside situations in just a few seconds before Elber slotted comfortably past Schmeichel. Dwight Yorke headed in a Beckham’s right flank cross and the score was level at half time. Scholes’ persistence paid off at the start of the second half. He made a thrilling midfield run past standing Bayern defenders and rushed at Kahn to slot in a simple tap-in. The away team had the lead of 2-1 until the 90th minute, when Elber squeezed in his second of the game after Schmeichel failed to connect with a high throw-in.
Two games against the group outsiders followed. Brondby shocked Barcelona in Copenhagen, but United were too strong for the Danish side. They put three goals past the home goalkeeper in just half an hour (goals by Giggs (2) and Cole) before Schmeichel made an error and let in a low free-kick. Keane, Yorke and Solskjaer scored their second half-goals before the Great Dane made another mistake, this time in injury time to make the final score 6-2.
The home tie was even more convincing. Beckham’s free-kick, Cole’s brilliant chip, Phil Neville’s only home European goal and Dwight Yorke’s header of Beckham’s vintage cross made it 4-0 before half-time. Scholes added the fifth with a left footed finish after slaloming through the Brondby defence for the club’s biggest home victory of the season.
Barcelona awaited United after two Bayern Munich defeats and the Spanish side needed a win to maintain their hopes of reaching the next stage of the competition. This match remained in memory because of the fantastic partnership of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole. United found themselves trailing after only one minute, but Yorke scored his first of the evening with an outside-of-the-box strike. Famous action followed: a dummy and a one-two between Cole and Yorke resulted in former slotting it past the keeper for United’s lead of 2-1. A big Schmeichel misjudgement allowed Rivaldo to score a free-kick before Yorke headed in a Beckham cross. The unbelievable Rivaldo’s chest-control and a bicycle kick levelled the scores, but Barcelona were unable to beat Schmeichel again and it ended with the same score as the reverse fixture at Old Trafford.
The last game of the group stages was reserved for a crucial home clash against Bayern. The winner would secure themselves a place in the knock-out phase, but the series of events resulted in both going through. Roy Keane’s low shot from outside the box took United to changing rooms with a narrow lead, but Bayern managed to score a scrappy goal from corner-kick and the game finished 1-1. United were through to the next round, along with their German counterparts, who topped the group.
Inter Milan were United’s next opponent. The first game of the tie was played at home and two first-half classic ‘Beckham to Yorke’ balls were enough to see United going to Milan with a comfortable 2-0 aggregate lead. The second leg was much more nerve-wracking for United fans. Inter, with Ronaldo and Roberto Baggio up front, had their chances, but an immense performance by the United defence led by Henning Berg and Schmeichel in goal held on to the lead from the first leg. One ball split the away back-line meaning Inter scored with 20 minutes to go, but after a long nail-biting period of dominance by the Nerazzurri, Scholes found himself unmarked in the box and finished Cole’s headed pass under Pagliuca to ensure United a semi-final with another Italian giant – Juventus.
The first leg was again a home match and United knew the work must be done at Old Trafford, aware of Juventus’ unbeaten home record, but also the fact that they never beat an Italian side in Italy. Current Italy coach and former Juventus manager Antonio Conte shocked the stadium with a 25th minute strike and only “lady luck” and Peter Schmeichel saved United from the catastrophe. The second half saw a completely different situation. This time United were missing all the chances but they rather characteristically left it late. Giggs’ left-footed volley after a couple of rebounds came in “Fergie time” and United knew they had to score at least two goals in Torino to reach the final.
“It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field” said Alex Ferguson regarding Roy Keane after victory against Juventus. The captain carried his team to success with inspired performance, which saw United rising from being knocked-down to beat their opponents. Fillipo Inzaghi, the legendary goal poacher got two characteristic goals in the first twelve minutes of the second leg, getting on the end of a quality cross for the first and having his shot deflected for his second. The Juventus team boasting Zidane, Inzaghi, Deschampes, Conte and Edgar Davids already saw the Champions League final beckoning, but then up stepped Roy Keane. Beckham took the corner and the Irishman rose above everyone to narrow the deficit. A yellow card which meant he cannot play in the final didn’t stop him in his mission and he inspired his team who turned it around in just 10 minutes. Cole passed to Yorke who headed it in for 2-2 which meant United would go through on away goals if the score remained the same.
A number of chances for both sides came and went, United and Juve hitting the post on multiple occasions. However, Andy Cole removed every doubt. His “partner in crime” Yorke beat two Juventus defenders before Peruzzi knocked him down, but Cole was active and finished from tight angle which meant United would going into a final showdown against their group stage nemesis – Bayern Munich.
The aforementioned match followed. One of the most memorable finals in Champions League era resulted in Manchester United winning the European Cup for the second time in their history, making them to this day the only English team to win the league, the cup and European cup in the same season, something only three clubs did until 1999. Let it happen again – Louis van Gaal, we wait in optimism to see what riches you can bring us.
