UEFA Super Cup Win

Lore & Background

It was Parma's first UEFA Cup final victory, with Juventus having won three in the past. This was the fifth time a continental final had been played by two teams from the same country and the third all-Italian final. The first also featured Juventus, who overcame Fiorentina by three goals to one over two legs in the 1990 UEFA Cup final. It was Parma's first appearance in a UEFA Cup final, but represented the third consecutive year in which they had contested a European final, following European Cup Winners' Cup final appearances in 1993 (a win) and 1994 (a defeat). It was Juventus' fourth appearance in a UEFA Cup final; the previous finals were all two-legged affairs ending in victory for the Turin club, against Athletic Bilbao in 1977 on the away goals rule, Fiorentina in 1990 and Borussia Dortmund in 1993.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Stadio Comunale was thick with anticipation as the second leg began. The roar of the Turin faithful was deafening, a wall of sound that seemed to lift the players off the grass. Zbigniew Boniek, dancing through the Liverpool defense with characteristic flair, found the net first to ignite the stadium. Moments later, Paolo Rossi, still finding his rhythm after international duty, curled a strike past the keeper into the net. As the final whistle blew, the players fell to their knees, not just in relief, but in awe of what they had achieved: a European Super Cup, a testament to a golden generation that refused to lose.

Reader's Guide

Parma played their home tie at their home ground, Stadio Ennio Tardini. Juventus chose to play their home leg away from Turin at the San Siro, home ground of Inter Milan and Milan, because they had difficulties with the landlord at their own stadium, Stadio delle Alpi, and had experienced poor attendances there, in contrast to the big crowds they attracted playing in other cities. They had already played the semi-final of the competition in Milan.

Did You Know?

• Juventus played their home leg of the 1995 UEFA Cup final at the San Siro in Milan, not at the Stadio delle Alpi in Turin.
• The second leg of the 1995 UEFA Cup final was played at the San Siro in Milan, not at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma.