1993 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Semi-Final vs Salzburg

Lore & Background

The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA. From 1972 to 1999, it was contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the winners of the European/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. After the discontinuation of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, it has been contested by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the winners of the UEFA Cup, renamed the UEFA Europa League in 2009. Real Madrid are the most successful team in the competition, having won the trophy six times.

In Their Own Story

Rain hammered against the Parc des Princes floodlights as the first leg reached its climax. Inside, a deafening wall of blue and red sound pressed relentlessly against the Austrian defense. Raí, the Brazilian maestro, wiped sweat from his brow, eyes locked on goal after threading a pass that sliced through Salzburg's backline. As the ball found the net, the stadium didn't just cheer; it erupted in a collective realization of destiny. This was no longer merely a semi-final match; under the Parisian sky, it became a declaration: the road to Parma had officially begun.

Reader's Guide

The UEFA Super Cup is contested as a single match at a neutral venue. The match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes, the match goes straight to a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners. Before the 2023 edition, two additional 15-minute periods of extra time were played before penalties.

Did You Know?

• The competition's official name was originally the Super Competition, and later the European Super Cup. It was renamed the UEFA Super Cup in 1995.
• The 1972 final between Ajax and Rangers is considered unofficial by UEFA, as Rangers were banned from European competition.
• The 1973 final, in which Ajax defeated AC Milan 6–1 on aggregate, was the first Super Cup officially recognised by UEFA.
• Between 1998 and 2012, the Super Cup was played at Stade Louis II in Monaco.