European Cup Trivia

[Alex Anderson]

... The ground was behind my house ...

Yeah, for those of us who don't get to score or save the decisive penalty in the European Cup final, this is the dream.

Not too proud to admit it's been an actual dream of mine on a few occasions - and still recurring.

This is the top of the street I was born in. Photo taken from pretty much outside the close entrance:



Parents moved out when I was three. Because my sister was on the way. Freud could phone this one in ...

[Alex Anderson]

But I've digressed. Don't start me on The Winton (well, somebody did!) - that's a thread in which I'd have a properly substantial amount to say.

RECAP:

Of the eleven European Cup/Champions League finals to be decided by penalties, which five goalkeepers saved the final kick of the shootout? And which six players converted the final kick.


Saviours; Dudek 2005, Van der Saar 2008 (three to go)

Converts; Kennedy 84, Shevchenko 2003, Drogba 2012 (three to go)

CLUE: Two of the remaining converts had won a previous final on penalties, both for different clubs. One didn't take a pen in their previous shootout victory - the other did and missed.

[Alex Anderson]

[jwdd27]

^^ That lot above didn't have to worry about getting the ball past Helmuth Duckadam, who I presume is a remaining saviour.

C. Ronaldo took the glory shot for Madrid in 2016, having missed for Man United 8 years before.

[Alex Anderson]

jwdd27 - nerves of steel from the spot ... twice.

Two more to go in each category:

Saviours; Duckadam 1986, Dudek 2005, Van der Saar 2008

Converts; Kennedy 84, Shevchenko 2003, Drogba 2012, Ronaldo 2016


Big Helmut, of course, saved - bona fide saved - all four Barca kicks he faced in Seville.

And Ronaldo managed to milk his shootout miss in Moscow v Chelsea almost as much as his conversion for real v Barca in the San Siro.

And, of course, he'd be first to point out he also scored the penalty which decided the 2014 final (just not in a shootout), even though he hardly reacted on the night ...

[Satchmo Distel]

From the team picture: Final with most different colors of boots?

[Central Rain]

Van Breukelen in '88?

[Alex Anderson]

YES! Big Hans gets the Big Hands on the twelfth kick of the night, the first to be saved, and wins the cup with the big ears for PSV. (This time it's poor Antonio Veloso feeling the curse of Béla Guttmann)



Saviours; Duckadam 1986, Van Breukelen 1988, Dudek 2005, Van der Saar 2008 (one left to get, troops)

Converts; Kennedy 84, Shevchenko 2003, Drogba 2012, Ronaldo 2016 (two left)


CLUE: The remaining two converts were team-mates for one of the finals in question.

Plus you'd better get this wrapped up quick coz we're due another shootout in this season's final - they usually come in biannual batches, see: 1984, 86, 88 ... 2005, 2003 ...

[Central Rain]

I have a dim recollection that one of them was Darko Pancev. Which probably means that one of his '91 team mates was at Juve in '96. However, at this point the recollections get even dimmer.

[Alex Anderson]

Correct again, Central Rain - as is your deducing.

Darko Pančev 1991, putting away Marseille in Bari after the biggest dissie of a final ever.

Saw him scoring live in Glasgow earlier in that run but enough of my star-fucking ... one convert and one saviour to go.

[denishurley]

Jugovic?

[Alex Anderson]

Every great team needs someone to put away the chances, denishurley. Beautifully finished.

Vladimir Jugović, Juve's fourth penalty taker (and a 44th minute sub for a certain Antonio Conte) in the 1996 final, in Rome, against Ajax, who only converted two of their four kicks, is our sixth and final decisive kick converter.

He played the whole final for Red Star in 1991 but didn't take a kick in that shootout (maybe he was next on the list if Darko hadn't sorted it).

So, only one goalie to go and I'm surprised he's the last one to be got. Not exactly a shy man and his decisive save in this shootout wasn't his first.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

It was Oliver Kahn, wasn't it, in 2001. A final remarkable in that the only times the ball went into the net were from the penalty spot (Bayern and Valencia both scored from the spot in normal time; Bayern, indeed, missed one too) before the shootout, that went to something like 8-7 before Kahn's climactic save.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Along with the 0-0s - 1986, 1988, 1991, 2003 - 2001's another answer for "which finals only saw goals from penalties?". 1985's another one, now I think of it. 1-0 (pen).

[Alex Anderson]

It was Oliver Kahn, wasn't it, in 2001. A final remarkable in that the only times the ball went into the net were from the penalty spot (Bayern and Valencia both scored from the spot in normal time; Bayern, indeed, missed one too) before the shootout, that went to something like 8-7 before Kahn's climactic save.

I love how, even after he's tipped Carboni's onto the bar it still looks like the Italian is stroking it into an empty net after sending Kahn the wrong way.

He did send him the wrong way but the middle one of his three saves in that shootout is definitely the most remarkable.

Zlatko Zahovic, Amedeo Carboni and - decisively - Mauricio Pellegrino. A Slovenian, an Italian and an Argentinian playing for a Spanish side, stopped by a German.

Can't help "disliking" him after what he did to Michael Mols (Had Mols not tried so hard not to land on the man who had put him up on the air - had he just stamped on him like any good Dutchman should a German - his career would have been fine) but Ollie was one helluva keeper.

Well done, Rogin. As you say, He and Canizares saved three each that night - it's that just Canizares managed one of his during the game (Mehmet Scholl). Seven pens each in the shootout, another three in normal time. The most "penalty" final ever. Game over.

But big Helmut Ducadam of Steaua's four is still the record for saves in an single ECCC/UCL final shootout so get it up ye, Kahn.

[Alex Anderson]

Along with the 0-0s - 1986, 1988, 1991, 2003 - 2001's another answer for "which finals only saw goals from penalties?". 1985's another one, now I think of it. 1-0 (pen).

Bloody good shout.

Like we were saying in the previous posts, the 2001 final had thirteen penalties altogether and Ducadam of Steaua in 1986 holds the record for most saves in a single shootout (all four of Bercalona's in Seville).

However, including shootouts and normal and extra time, which keeper has faced - and saved - more penalties in this final than any other? (again, I'm talking actual saves - stopping the pen with his body rather than the taker missing the goals altogether)

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I'm going to say Dida. 4 saves in shootouts in 2003 and 2005 and he did, strictly, save Alonso's pen in 2005 (even though Alonso scored from the rebound).

[Satchmo Distel]

Was there a gap between Kahn and Neuer as German keeper? I have a false impression of them morphing into the same player, or the gloves being passed in some mystical ceremony (see Banks to Shilton; Shilton to Clemence then back to Shilton; Shilton to Seaman).

[ursus arctos]

Kahn retired in 2006; Neuer debuted with the national team in 2010.

The interim featured guys like Jens Lehmann, Rene Adler, Tim Wiese and Hans-Jörg Butt, as well as the tragic figure of Robert Emke.

[denishurley]

Bayern had a couple of jokers in that interregnum too

[Alex Anderson]

Dida it is, Rogin. Five shootout pens v Juve in 2003 (three saved), one "game time" [??] pen v Liverpool in 2005 (which, as you say, he saved) and four in the shootout at the end of the same final (saving Riise's).

Ten pens faced in ECCC/UCL finals: five saved.

[1974ddr]

Kahn retired in 2006; Neuer debuted with the national team in 2010.

The interim featured guys like Jens Lehmann, Rene Adler, Tim Wiese and Hans-Jörg Butt, as well as the tragic figure of Robert Emke.

Nice use of the umlaut, but Enke, surely?

[ursus arctos]

Genau

[Satchmo Distel]

It's a shame that Xhaka never got the chance to play against Kahn.

[denishurley]

It's a shame that Xhaka never got the chance to play against Kahn.

Yeah, not the same against Emre Can of Liverpool, given the pronunciation.

However, Xhaka did get to play against Xhaka when Arsenal met Basle last season, just months after they had clashed in Euro 2016 as Switzerland drew Albania.

How many other pairs of brothers have played against each other in C1? I don't know the answer, by the way.