ANDERLECHT v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR  -  First Leg

Date : -  Wednesday 9th May 1984

Venue : -  Park Astrid, Brussels.

Crowd : -  38,000

Weather : -  Dry, but rainy later.

Referee : -  Bruno Galler (Switzerland)

Score : -

Goalscorers : -           

Anderlecht : -  Munaron, Grun, de Greef, Czerniatinski (Vercauteren), de Groote, Scjfo, Vandereycken, Hofkens, Vandenbergh (Arnesen), Olsen, Larsen.

Tottenham Hotspur : -  Tony Parks, Danny Thomas, Chris Hughton, Paul Miller, Steve Perryman; Graham Roberts, Micky Hazard, Gary Stevens (Gary Mabbutt 81), Tony Galvin; Mark Falco, Steve Archibald.

The first leg of the competition was played on a rainy night in Brussels and the pitch was heavy and muddy.  A technically proficient Anderlecht side had knocked out Nottingham Forest in the semi-final by scoring three goals at home (later to be the subject of an investigation into bribery of the match officials) to overcome a first leg away defeat.  It would not be an easy task for Spurs, but they entered the Vanden Stock stadium with a large following, who had been upset by the shooting dead of a Tottenham fan in a bar in the City the day before the game.  The Police had been a bit heavy handed with Tottenham fans on the way to the game, with many kept at service stations away from the city until they were bussed in direct to the stadium.

However, Tottenham started the game in good style, trying to keep possession of the ball and they created the better chances with Mark Falco twice going close, but not forcing Munaron to save. 

The breakthrough came in the 58th minute, when a Micky Hazard corner from the left wing was met with great determination by Paul Miller's forehead and the ball flew past the Anderlecht keeper to give Tottenham the lead and a vital away goal.

This brought a response from Anderlecht, who had rarely threatened until this point.  The Tottenham defence were solid in repelling their attacks, but almost went 2-0 up when Mark Falco powered through as Spurs relieved the pressure with a break away attack, but the striker once more was off target with a shot that blazed over the top.

A moment that would affect the second leg of the final came in the second half when Steve Perryman was booked for a foul and this added to a previous yellow card meant that the team captain would be suspended for the home leg in two weeks time.  Despite that, he dug in to make sure that the team had something to defend in that game.

Heartbreakingly, with just five minutes left, Anderlecht grabbed an equaliser and it owed much to the wet conditions.  Dane Frank Arnesen, on as a substitute, fired in a low shot, which young keeper Tony Parks kept out, but the wet ball squirmed away from him and following up, defender Morten Olsen forced the ball over the line from close range.  it was a disappointing end to the game for such an admirable defensive performance, but a draw was something to take back to White Hart Lane for the second leg.

When queuing up to get into the ground, a police dog sank it's teeth into the arm of the Spurs fan in front of me.  He hadn't done anything, apart from be there, but luckily, it did not get through the coat.

Inside the ground, the Police almost caused a riot among Tottenham fans as they tried to rip the flags and banners draped over the fences surrounding the terracing.  The Spurs fans went to get their flags back, but the Police took this as an act of aggression and stormed into the terrace behind the goal battering supporters indiscriminately with their batons.

ANDERLECHT v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR  -  Second Leg

Date : -  Wednesday 23rd May 1984

Venue : -  White Hart Lane

Crowd : -  46,258

Weather : -  Rainy, chilly.

Referee : -   Volker Roth (Germany)

Score : -

Goalscorers : -           

(after extra time - 90 mins: - Score 1 - 1; aggregate score : - 2-2)                                                                        
Spurs won 4 - 3 on penalties.

  Penalty takers : -           

Tottenham Hotspur : -  Tony Parks; Chris Hughton, Paul Miller (Ossie Ardiles 77), Gary Mabbutt (Ally Dick 73), Danny Thomas; Graham Roberts (c), Tony Galvin, Micky Hazard, Gary Stevens; Mark Falco, Steve Archibald.
Unused subs. : - Ray Clemence, Mark Bowen, Garth Crooks

Anderlecht : -  Jacques Munaron, Georges Grun, Walter De Greef, Alex Czerniatinski (Kenneth Brylle 104), Michel De Groote, Frank Vercauteren (c), Rene Vandereycken, Willem Hofkens, Enzo Scifo, Morten Olsen, Frank Arnesen (Arnor Gudjohnsen 79)
Unused subs : -

A game which was tense and slightly spoiled by Anderlecht's offside tactics and the referee's insistent whistling ended in an explosive manner that took it into extra time and penalties, before Tony Parks became Tottenham's hero in victory.

A 46,000 crowd gathered to see if Tottenham could overcome the technical ability of the Belgians, after the first leg ended delicately poised at 1-1.

Spurs almost went ahead in the ninth minute, when Tony Galvin made a left wing run and crossed to the edge of the six yard box and Steve Archibald met it at the near post, flicking the ball with the outside of his boot and taking it just outside the far post by inches.  Immediately, Anderlecht countered and Czerniatinski was put through the middle and Tony Parks was required to come out to block at his feet.

Spurs were putting in some strong tackles, while the visitors were happy to pass the ball around, but when Falco received the ball 25 yards out, he flicked it up and hit a shot on the turn that forced Munaron to a low save in the 14th minute, while Gary Stevens fired over the top five minutes later when he found himself just inside the area.  There was another close shave for Anderlecht when a 21st minute Micky Hazard free-kick was cleared straight to Gary Mabbutt outside the box and his left-foot drive was just the wrong side of the post as far as Tottenham were concerned.

A Spurs player almost got on the score-sheet when a low ball into the box was cleared by Danny Thomas, but the ball narrowly went over the bar of his own goal just after 25 minutes.  Then three minutes after that incident, fellow full-back Chris Hughton lost possession in the opposition's half, but a quick break saw Frank Arnesen get into the penalty area on the right side and Parks had to be out sharply to force the Dane to shoot a fair way wide of the target.

Some late challenges by the Belgian side were annoying Spurs players and after one more, Graham Roberts threw an arm at Georges Grun, who then took a kick at the back of the Spurs captain's calf.  Despite this, it was only just before half time that a booking was made by the whistle happy German referee, when Arnesen was booked for a series of moans at the official.  With this a flurry of late attacking intent finished the half 0-0, but only just.  Vercauteren flashed a low ball across the face of goal at the Spurs end, while Galvin set up Hazard from the left wing and the midfielder's shot with the outside of the right boot went just over the bar from 20 yards out.

The second half kicked off with Anderlecht attacking the Paxton Road goal.  The first chance came at the Park Lane though, with Roberts winning a 56th minute header and as the ball bounced up, Gary Stevens went for it, but caught Munaron with a kick and the keeper reacted angrily.  It lead to bookings for both players after the referee had separated the melee that ensued. 

On 60 minutes, the moment Spurs fans feared arrived.  Playing the ball out from the back, Morten Olsen made a foray out of defence as he often did and played a through pass to Alex Czerniatinski running into the left corner of the penalty area.  As Parks came out to meet him, the Pole slipped the ball past the goalie with the outside of his right foot to put Anderlecht 2-1 ahead on aggregate.  The ground fell silent save for a few hundred Belgian fans at the other end of the ground.

Things could have got worse three minutes after the goal, as Willem Hofkens found himself through to the edge of the penalty area on the right side, but lost his bearings and hit a weak shot wide with only Parks to beat.  Spurs almost undid the Anderlecht offside trap on 70 minutes, when Graham Roberts chipped the ball over the on-rushing defence, but as the ball landed Micky Hazard got in the way and was ruled offside.

Mark Falco was the next player in the book for a late tackle and he was involved in setting up Tony Galvin with a header down to volley a couple of feet wide of the post from about eight yards out.  Galvin had previously fired over when well placed in the box.  Paul Miller had been having a battle with a number of Anderlecht players and he was fouled by Scifo, but left a trailing leg in to become another name in the referee's book.  Burkinshaw was keen to keep the pressure on the Belgians, so brought on the pace of Ally Dick on the wing to replace Gary Mabbutt.

With half an hour of the second half gone, a corner came in and Graham Roberts rose to meet it with a free header, but could only put it over the bar, just before Spurs brought on Ossie Ardiles for Paul Miller.  And the Argentinian was involved in a free kick routine, when Galvin was baulked five yards outside the right corner of the penalty area.  Ossie's cross in found Archibald losing his marker at the near post and getting low to head the ball goal-wards, but Munaron dived low to save.  Three minutes later, Archibald took down a ball in the penalty area, surrounded by defenders, before getting a shot on goal that the keeper had to push wide for a corner.

With 84 minutes on the clock, Galvin controlled the ball from a corner and poked it forward into the six yard box where Falco got something on it and forced a defender to block with two hands, but the referee did not see it.  The loose ball ran to Ardiles, who smacked it at goal from a couple of yards out and amazingly, the ball hit the bar and bounced out, with it being helped out of the penalty area.  Micky Hazard picked it up halfway inside the Belgian's half and helped it back into the box, where it found Graham Roberts powering through Hofkens and Olsen to chest it down and ram it past the right hand of the Anderlecht keeper for the equaliser.  The stadium erupted as the team celebrated

However, the visitors were not finished and Czerniatinski managed to wriggle past Chris Hughton and through on Parks, could only hit a weak shot straight at the keeper.  Spurs then had a penalty shout when Danny Thomas' long right wing cross was headed on by Mark Falco and Morten Olsen's hand made contact with the ball, but once more, the officials failed to deal with the incident.  Two minutes remained when Enzo Scifo curled a shot from outside the penalty area to the far post over Parks, but the effort was just too high.

More chances came in the dying stages of normal time than in the rest of the game and in the last minute, Hazard made a good run and back-heeled to Steve Archibald, who drove a low shot in from 20 yards that looked like it was creeping inside the post, but Munaron made a diving save to hold the ball.  There was still time for Gudjohnsen and Olsen hit shots over the crossbar before the final whistle.

Extra time lay ahead and Tottenham had the first chance in the second minute, when Falco headed down and the ball was hacked off the goal-line but straight up in the air.  Munaron missed the ball completely as it landed in the six yard box and it dropped to Archibald, just a yard out, but he could not get a proper touch on it and the keeper smothered the ball.  A couple of minutes later, Scifo slid a pass across the face of the goal, but it was too far ahead of Gudjohnsen and when play moved to the other end, Galvin cut in from the right wing to shoot low, but his shot was saved low at the post.  Just before the half time whistle in extra time, Roberts powered through midfield and laid the ball off to Archibald, whose low shot was easily gathered by Munaron.

Tottenham kicked off the second half and the ball was picked off by Anderlecht, who broke forward through Grun, who struck a 30 yard shot that went just past the post.  The second period was more cagey, with only a couple of opportunities for Tottenham, with a corner kick that went to Galvin beyond the far post and it was knocked back in from the right for Archibald to head back across goal.  Ardiles tried an overhead kick, but missed the bal and Gary Stevens could not get on the end of it as it went across the goal.

The whistle at the end of extra time signalled a penalty shoot out to take place in front of the Paxton Road end.

The first kick was taken by Graham Roberts, who took the captain's responsibility to fire the ball into the top left corner of the goal, sending the keeper the wrong way.  Morten Olsen took a similar choice as captain to step up to take the first penalty for the Belgians and hit it to Parks' left, but the young Spurs keeper dived to push the shot away to keep it at 1-0 to Tottenham.

Mark Falco took the second penalty for Spurs and sent Munaron the wrong way with a shot low into the right side of the goal for 2-0, while it became 2-1 when Brylle sent Parks the wrong way with a penalty shot to his left.  Gary Stevens drilled the ball down the middle past the staggering Munaron, who didn't dive but moved to one side to make it 3-1 and then Enzo Scifo side-footed his spot-kick to the left with Parks diving the other way.  3-2.

Next Steve Archibald converted to give Tottenham a 4-2 lead with a coolly taken effort low to the right and out of the keeper's reach and Frankie Vercauteren pulled it back to 4-3 as Parks dived left and the ball went down the middle.

So, up stepped Danny Thomas, with the chance to win it for Tottenham.  His shot was a couple of feet high and Munaron did well to dive right to push it out and leapt in the air to celebrate.  However, Arnor Gudjohnsen still approached his penalty with the score 4-3 to Spurs.  He took it, put it inside the post about waist high and Parks produced a leap sideways that got both hands to the ball and pushed it away to signal scenes of celebration on the pitch and in the stands, as Spurs won the UEFA Cup 4-3 on penalties, with a young goalkeeper the hero of the day and a manager who ended his career at the club with a trophy victory.

It was following this game that departing manager Keith Burkinshaw made his comment about "There used to be a football club over there."  This referred to the floating of the club on the Stock Market and the way the club was being run, which had lead to his decision to leave after the final.

On another rainy night, Tottenham fans gathered outside the Red House on the High Road until the players and manager came to a window with the trophy.