On this day in 1982, Aston Villa won the European Cup, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 at Feyenoord’s De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam. Peter Withe’s goal was the difference in front of 46,000 supporters, but the result was a major upset as Bayern were big favourites to come out on top.
Villa reached the final by beating Icelandic outfit Valur 7-0 on aggregate in the first round, East Germany side Dynamo Berlin 2-2 (away goals) on aggregate in the second round, the Soviet Union’s Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 on aggregate in the quarter-final and Belgian club Anderlecht 1-0 on aggregate in the semi-final.
Against Bayern, Villa didn’t take the lead until the 67th minute. Tony Morley put in a low cross and Withe was on hand to convert the opportunity. He nearly missed the opportunity, hitting the inside of the post with his effort, but it went in and Villa held on for the surprise victory.
Then-youngster Nigel Spink put in a heroic performance between the sticks, replacing Jimmy Rimmer in the ninth minute due to a neck injury. Spink had made only one league appearance for Tony Barton’s side prior to the final but was outstanding in Rotterdam.
