The Champions League is the biggest prize in club football, and the joy of being crowned as the Champions of Europe is second to none. In this article we will be going back through the years, all the way back to 1974. We will be looking at the 1974 European Cup final between Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, which was the only Champions League final in history to have been replayed.

• The 1974 European Cup final between Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid is the only one in history to be replayed.

• Bayern Munich won the replay 4-0 after the initial match ended 1-1 in extra time.

• Atletico Madrid's aging squad struggled in the replay, with most players over 30 years old.

• The victory marked the first time the European Cup went to Germany.

Tournament format

It is important that we explain the format of the European Cup at the time here, as it is completely different from how it is in the present-day Champions League. There were a total of 5 stages, which included the first round, second round, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final. Thus, the European Cup at the time was basically a knockout tournament with each round consisting of 2-legged ties Between the teams.

League performance of both teams

Both teams had totally different fates when it came to their league standings at the end of the season. Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga champions after winning the league by just 1 point. They earned a total of 49 points, while Borussia Mönchengladbach came second at 48.

Coming to Atletico Madrid, the Rojiblancos finished the league 6 points above rivals Real Madrid with 40 points. However, this wasn't enough as they only managed to finish at 2nd position. Barcelona were the champions of Spain that season as they won the league with 50 points.

Route to the final for both teams

Bayern Munich reached the final after overcoming the likes of Åtvidabergs FF, Dynamo Dresden, CSKA Sofia, and Újpesti Dózsa. The closest they came to losing was against Åtvidabergs FF in the first round, as the Bavarians won that match on penalties.

Atletico Madrid on the other hand overcame Galatasaray, Dinamo București, Red Star Belgrade, and Celtic to reach the final.

The final

The European Cup final of 1974 between Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid was played on 15th May 1974. It was an extremely tight game, and it went into extra-time as the scores were 0-0 even after 90 minutes.

It was during extra-time in the 114th minute that Luis Aragonés finally ended up scoring the first goal of the match for Atletico Madrid. The Rojiblancos were within touching distance of European glory. However, the very dying moments of the game saw a goal by Bayern player Schwarzenbeck in the 120th minute. The match ended 1-1 after extra-time. A replay was announced, for the first and only time in the competition's history.

Atletico Madrid's team at the time mostly had players over the age of 30, and had already played 120 minutes of football.The replay was scheduled to happen just 2 days after the initial final. Atletico Madrid's worst nightmares ended up becoming true, as the replay ended up being a completely different game.

A team with their majority players above 30 simply couldn't cope up with the Bayern Munich squad of 1974, as the Bavarians ended up winning the match 4-0 with a brace from Uli Hoeneß and Müller.

It was the first time in history that the cup went to Germany, while Atletico Madrid's European dreams ended up being shattered.

FAQ

What happened in the 1974 European Cup final between Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid?

The 1974 final, unique in Champions League history, ended 1-1, leading to a replay. Atletico Madrid, with an aging squad, lost 4-0 to Bayern Munich just days later.