1961 European Cup Winners' Cup Final

The 1961 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was an association football match contested between Fiorentina of Italy and Rangers of Scotland. It was the final match of the 1960–61 European Cup Winners' Cup and the first European Cup Winners' Cup final. It was the only time that the final was played over two legs. The first leg was played at Ibrox Park, Glasgow and the second leg at the Stadio Comunale in Florence. It was Rangers first European final and in doing so became the first British team to reach the final of a European football competition. It was Fiorentina's second European final having previously reached the 1957 European Cup Final.

1961 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
Event1960–61 European Cup Winners' Cup
on aggregate
First leg
Date17 May 1961
VenueIbrox Park, Glasgow
RefereeCarl Erich Steiner (Austria)
Attendance80,000[1]
Second leg
Date27 May 1961
VenueStadio Comunale, Florence
RefereeVilmos Hernádi (Hungary)[2]
Attendance50,000

Fiorentina won the final 4–1 on aggregate.[2]

Route to the final

Rangers

Round Opponents First leg Second leg Aggregate score
Preliminary round Ferencváros 4–2 (h) 1–2 (a) 5–4
Quarter-finals Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–0 (a) 8–0 (h) 11–0
Semi-finals Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–0 (h) 1–1 (a) 3–1

Rangers were required to play a preliminary round in the competition where they beat Ferencváros from Hungary 5-4 on aggregate. They were then drawn against Borussia Mönchengladbach from Germany who they then defeated 11-0 on aggregate. In the semi final Rangers were then required to play English team Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rangers won the tie 3-1 on aggregate to reach their first ever European final.[3]

Fiorentina

Round Opponents First leg Second leg Aggregate score
Quarter-finals FC Luzern 3–0 (a) 6–2 (h) 9–2
Semi-finals Dinamo Zagreb 3–0 (h) 1–2 (a) Pens 4–2

Fiorentina went straight into the quarter-finals where they played FC Luzern from Switzerland. They subsequently defeated them and Dinamo Zagreb to reach the final.

Background

The 1961 final was the only time that it had been played over two legs until the competition was merged with the UEFA Cup in 1999.[3]

Fiorentina, who were managed by Hungarian Nándor Hidegkuti, were the recent Coppa Italia winners and had reached the final of the European Cup four years earlier. Their team included many Italian internationals including goalkeeper Enrico Albertosi and Swedish star player Kurt Hamrin.[3]

Rangers were managed by Scot Symon and had reached the semi-final of the European Cup the previous year. Since the start of the 1960-61 season , the all-Scottish Rangers team also included Jim Baxter who would go on to become a legendary figure of the club. Rangers top scorer Jimmy Millar missed the first leg through injury but featured in the return match.[3]

Match details

First leg

Rangers 0–2 Fiorentina
Report Milan  12', 88'
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: Carl Erich Steiner (Austria)
Rangers
Fiorentina
GK1 Billy Ritchie
DF2 Bobby Shearer
DF3 Eric Caldow
DF4 Harold Davis
DF5 Bill Paterson
MF6 Jim Baxter
MF7 Davie Wilson
MF8 Ian McMillan
FW9 Alex Scott
FW10 Ralph Brand
MF11 Bobby Hume
Manager:
Scot Symon
GK1 Enrico Albertosi
DF2 Enzo Robotti
DF3 Sergio Castelletti
DF4 Piero Gonfiantini
DF5 Alberto Orzan
MF6 Claudio Rimbaldo
MF7 Kurt Hamrin
MF8 Dante Micheli
FW9 Dino da Costa
FW10 Luigi Milan
MF11 Gianfranco Petris
Manager:
Nándor Hidegkuti

Second leg

Fiorentina 2–1 Rangers
Milan  13'
Hamrin  86'
Report Scott  60'
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Vilmos Hernádi (Hungary)
Fiorentina
Rangers
GK1 Enrico Albertosi
DF2 Enzo Robotti
DF3 Sergio Castelletti
DF4 Piero Gonfiantini
DF5 Alberto Orzan
MF6 Claudio Rimbaldo
MF7 Kurt Hamrin
MF8 Dante Micheli
FW9 Dino da Costa
FW10 Luigi Milan
MF11 Gianfranco Petris
Manager:
Nándor Hidegkuti
RANGERS:
GK1 Billy Ritchie
DF2 Bobby Shearer
DF3 Eric Caldow
DF4 Harold Davis
DF5 Bill Paterson
MF6 Jim Baxter
MF7 Alex Scott
MF8 Ian McMillan
FW9 Jimmy Millar
FW10 Ralph Brand
MF11 Davie Wilson
Manager:
Scot Symon

See also

References

  1. Rangers lose first leg of final, Glasgow Herald, 18 May 1961 (via Google news archive)
  2. Rangers again beaten by Italians, Glasgow Herald, 29 May 1961 (via Google news archive)
  3. Murray, Keir (22 April 2008). "When Rangers met Fiorentina in '61". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
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