1963 European Cup final
Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 1962–63 European Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 22 May 1963 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Referee | Arthur Holland (England) | ||||||
| Attendance | 45,715[1] | ||||||
The 1963 European Cup final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium in London, England on 22 May 1963 as the conclusion to the 1962–63 European Cup.
The match was contested by AC Milan of Italy and two-time defending champions Benfica of Portugal – the first final not to feature a team from Spain.
A brace from José Altafini helped Milan to a 2–1 victory as they won the trophy for the first time.
Background
Benfica had won the previous two editions of the competition, defeating Barcelona 3–2 in the 1961 final and Real Madrid 5–3 in the 1962 final.[2]
AC Milan had contested the final once previously, losing 3–2 to Real Madrid in 1958.[2]
This was the eighth European Cup final and was the first to not feature a Spanish club. Real Madrid had contested six of the previous seven finals while Barcelona represented Spain in the 1961 final – the only previous final not to feature Real Madrid.[2]
Route to the final
| Milan | Round | Benfica | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
| Union Luxembourg | 14–0 | 8–0 (H) | 6–0 (A) | Prelim. round | Bye | |||
| Ipswich Town | 4–2 | 3–0 (H) | 1–2 (A) | First round | IFK Norrköping | 6–2 | 1–1 (A) | 5–1 (H) |
| Galatasaray | 8–1 | 3–1 (A) | 5–0 (H) | Quarter-finals | Dukla Prague | 2–1 | 2–1 (H) | 0–0 (A) |
| Dundee | 5–2 | 5–1 (H) | 0–1 (A) | Semi-finals | Feyenoord | 3–1 | 0–0 (A) | 3–1 (H) |
Benfica
Benfica qualified for the competition as defending champions and they were given a bye in the preliminary round.[3][4]
In the first round, Benfica faced IFK Norrköping of Sweden. After a 1–1 draw in the first leg away from home, Benfica won the second leg 5–1 at home to advance 6–2 on aggregate.[4]
Benfica then faced Dukla Prague of Czechoslovakia in the quarter-finals. After Benfica won the first leg 2–1 at home, the teams played out a goalless draw in the second leg in Prague as Benfica advanced.[4]
In the semi-finals, Benfica faced Feyenoord of the Netherlands. After a goalless first leg in Rotterdam, Benfica won the second leg 3–1 at home to advance to the final.[4]
Milan
Milan qualified for the competition as winners of the 1961–62 Serie A.[5]
In the preliminary round, Milan defeated Union Luxembourg of Luxembourg 8–0 a home in the first leg and 6–0 away in the second leg to advance 14–0 on aggregate.[4]
Ipswich Town of England were Milan's opponents in the first round. After winning the first leg 3–0 at home, Milan lost the second leg away from home 2–1 to advance 4–2 on aggregate.[4]
Milan then faced Galatasaray of Turkey in the quarter-finals. After winning the first leg 3–1 away from home, Milan won the second leg 5–0 at home to advance 8–1 on aggregate.[4]
In the semi-finals, Milan's opponents were Dundee of Scotland. A 5–1 win in the first leg at home was followed up by a 1–0 defeat in the second leg away from home as Milan advanced to the final 5–2 on aggregate.[4]
Match
Milan won the match 2–1.[6]
Details
Milan
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Benfica
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See also
- 1962–63 European Cup
- 1963 European Cup Winners' Cup Final
- 1963 Intercontinental Cup
- 1990 European Cup final – contested between same teams
- AC Milan in European football
- S.L. Benfica in international football
Notes
- ^ A Brazilian expatriate, Altafini had represented his native Brazil at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but in 1961 he changed allegiances to Italy. He notably played for Italy at the 1962 World Cup.[7]
References
- ^ a b "UEFA Champions League – Statistics Handbook 2012/13" (PDF). UEFA. Union of European Football Associations. p. 129. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ a b c Stokkermans, Karel (10 June 2025). "European Champions' Cup/Champions League". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ Ross, James M. (6 January 2016). "European Competitions 1961-62". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ross, James M. (4 June 2015). "European Competitions 1962-63". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ Mariani, Maurizio (26 October 2000). "Italy 1961/62". RSSSF. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ^ Delaney, Miguel (1 September 2013). "AC Milan 2 Benfica 1". The Blizzard. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Al-Sammari, Suhayl (7 August 2017). "Legend of Calcio: Jose Altafini". Forza Italian Football. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
External links
- 1962–63 season at UEFA.com
- 1962–63 season at European Cup History
- Video highlights from official Pathé News archive