It may seem like a bygone era in the age of the super-rich domestic game, however, an English team playing Champions League football genuinely made for prime box office television during the 90’s.
With the competitions mesmerising anthem followed by the safe handed commentary of Brian Moore, there was a genuine David v Goliath-esque feeling in the air when the mighty Red Devils would take on the frightening prospect of Marcello Lippi’s Juventus during their 1997/98 campaign. If United were to get a result, they would need to defy numerous football predictions not in their favour to do so.
And what an outfit the Turin side was. The mercurial Alessandro Del Piero partnering the permanently not quite offside Filippo Inzaghi upfront, Edgar Davids, Didier Deschamps and Antonio Conte all sharing cleaning up duties on behalf of Zinedine Zidane in the middle – there were very few world footballers able to improve such a side. As accustomed to big occasions Fergie’s fledglings were slowly becoming, their opponents arguably had the better of them in nearly every position.
Just a season prior, United’s foray into the Champions League ended with two defeats in the group stage to the Old Lady, both matches found Alex Ferguson’s side looking a far more naive outfit than their future European dominating incarnation.
Of course, the fact that they’re attacking prowess was bolstered by the incoming Teddy Sheringham this time around helped matters undeniably.
For all the home sides bolshiness, Old Trafford was quickly silenced almost immediately when Del Piero, clearly in an offside position, beat a flat-footed back-four to round both Henning Berg and Peter Schmeichel with a stunning reverse turn before passing into an empty net.
United fans could be forgiven for sensing a familiar defeat to a side edging them in the pedigree stakes. However, a free-flowing United fought back in devastating and Premier League promoting fashion.
Of course, when you hear the words ‘free-flowing’ and ‘Manchester United’, images of Ryan Giggs running wing-backs ragged springs to mind. Indeed the Welshman proceeded to tear the Italians apart for the remaining 89 minutes with a stunning performance.
The two-time Champions League winner’s mazy run and cross set up Sheringham for a headed equaliser 8 minutes from half-time. Not only were Juve unaccustomed to such devastatingly self-indulgent English entertainment as the one man dribble, but the fact that Giggs tore them apart with such ease also put them on the back foot for the rest of the group fixture.
A boldness of play which brought the ugly side out the likes of Paolo Montero and Deschamps, the latter seeing red for his over-eagerness to intimidate.
The Red Devils proceeded to press and eventually grabbed their second when Paul Scholes took advantage of some calamitous play from a defensive unit that, well, simply should know better. The England international seizing possession before scoring with ease after rounding 90’s legend Angelo Peruzzi.
Just as many members of the home contingent were dwelling on whether their side should shut up shop with just a minute to play, Giggsy latched on to a Teddy Sheringham lay-off and proceeded to make mincemeat of seasoned pro Montero and send an unstoppable drive past Peruzzi for a 3rd – all summed up perfectly by the grammatically dubious cries of ‘don’t believe that’ from Moore in the commentary box.
Perhaps with the Juve shaped albatross off their necks, Alex Ferguson’s side faced the Italians yet again in arguably the clubs biggest win of the decade the following season, ironically enough, by the same scoreline during a frantic semi-final second leg win. Undeniably, the seeds were sown for that classic win a season before – a true slice of Champions League nostalgia.