5 Classic Games In Juventus History
Juventus is one of the more popular clubs in Europe thanks to a long history of success where there has been a long list of trophies and legendary players. Along the way, there have also been some classic matches where Juventus has come out on top. Let’s take a look at five of those matches that every Juventus supporter should be familiar with as they’re part of the club’s overall legacy.
The First Euro Cup Win
Prior to being known as the UEFA Champions League, the European Cup was where the top clubs throughout the continent came together to determine the best of the best. Heading into the 1985 European Cup, Juventus had never won the title before. In the preliminary round, Juventus easily advanced past Ilves, then got through Grasshopper, Sparta Praha, and Bordeaux to advance to the finals.
Liverpool awaited Juventus to determine the champion and neither team scored in the first half. Finally, Juventus netted the match’s only goal with a penalty kick from Michel Platini. Liverpool spent the next half-hour trying to even the score, but Juventus held strong and claimed its first European title.
2003 Champions League Semifinals
It isn’t always the final game of a major tournament that gets remembered fondly. After all, everyone remembers when the United States defeated the Soviet Union in hockey during the 1980 Olympics, but that wasn’t even the final game. A similar situation happened in the 2003 Champions League tournament. Juventus advanced from a group that contained Valencia, Roma, and Deportivo de la Coruna.
Then, Juventus knocked out Barcelona in extra time during a thrilling quarterfinal matchup. Juventus would lose the finals to Milan in penalties, but the semifinal against Real Madrid was one for the record books. Real Madrid took the first match 2-1, but Juventus stormed back in a big way at home. David Trezeguet scored in the 12th minute, while Alessandro Del Piero (43’) and Pavel Nedved gave Juventus a two-goal aggregate advantage. Zinedine Zidane tried to get Real Madrid back into it with an 89th-minute goal, but it was too late as Juventus won 3-1.
The Largest Win in Club History (1926-27 Coppa Italia)
The Coppa Italia was established in 1922, and Juventus has claimed the championship more times than any club. Vado won the inaugural title, but there would be no winners until 1936. It isn’t because the tournament wasn’t played, however, it just was canceled due to a lack of interest after starting up. The largest win in Juventus history came from one of those canceled tournaments, however, so it’s easy to remember.
Juventus didn’t have to participate in the first round, and in the second round, they took on Cento. The match ended up being an absolute beatdown, with Juventus taking home a 15-0 victory. It was the only ever matchup between the two clubs, and Virginio Rosetta scored the first three goals of the match. Eugenio Rossi added three more while Enrico Savio scored a match-high five.
Beatdown of Inter (1961)
While Cento was one of those clubs that you’d expect Juventus to walk all over, Inter isn’t one of those clubs. The two sides have been rivals for a very long time, and both have had some big victories over the years. The rivalry started in earnest with their 1961 matchup in Turin which saw Juventus break away early and never look back. From the 11th minute to the 17th minute, Omar Sivori scored a hattrick to put Juventus ahead 3-0.
The lead would extend to 7-0 after Sivori netted two more while Bruno Nicole added another and Francesco Riefolo netted an own goal. Sandro Mazzola got Inter on the board, but Juventus scored twice more near the end of the game, including another from Omar Sivori in the 88th minute to cap off a double hattrick to wrap up the 9-1 victory.
Champions League Victors
After winning the European Cup in 1985, the name of the tournament changed to the Champions League in the early 1990s, and Juventus has won the Champions League once since the change. That came in the 1995-96 tournament and marked the biggest victory in Juventus history. Juventus won its group which also consisted of Borussia Dortmund, Steaua Bucuresti, and Rangers.
Juventus then upset Real Madrid with a 2-0 win in the second leg of the quarterfinals to take a 2-1 aggregate victory. They staved off a fierce comeback attempt by Nantes in the semifinals, then met with Ajax for the title. Juventus scored in the 12th minute, but Ajax responded in the 41st. Neither team would score until penalties, with Juventus netting all four attempts to win the match.
