Mazzola remembers Inter's crowning glory
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
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"We won against the team of my dreams," says Sandro Mazzola as he recalls FC Internazionale Milano's 1964 European Champion Clubs' Cup success 50 years on.
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FC Internazionale Milano won the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the first time in Vienna in 1964, but Sandro Mazzola – who scored twice in their 3-1 final triumph – remembers being more than a little daunted by their opponents Real Madrid CF.
The former Italy forward recalls lining up alongside the Merengues' striking great Alfredo Di Stéfano in the tunnel before kick-off and feeling more than a little weak at the knees. "At a certain point I found myself opposite Di Stéfano," he told UEFA.com. "For me, he was two metres tall. He was the god of football – he was the person I'd always admired. So I stayed there petrified!"
Mazzola was to upstage Di Stéfano on the night, though, with his two goals crowning a splendid individual performance and prompting a memorable celebration afterwards. "The captain lifted the trophy, then we ran around the pitch with [Armando] Picchi, who was a great, great captain," he explained. "Every now and again he allowed us to touch it and to lift it, and it didn't seem real to us. When we went back to the hotel and we couldn't sleep, we stayed up all night chatting – only then did we realise we had won the European Cup."
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