1973/74: Feyenoord enjoy European revival

Tottenham Hotspur FC 2-2 Feyenoord
(England 39, Van Daele (og) 64; Van Hanegem 43, De Jong 85)
Feyenoord 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur FC
(Rijsbergen 43, Ressel 84)
(agg: 4-2 to Feyenoord)

Europe's original Dutch masters, Feyenoord were back brightening the football landscape in 1973/74. As well as winning their domestic title, Wim van Hanegem and company also challenged for the UEFA Cup. And then some. Östers IF, Gwardia Warszawa, R. Standard de Liège, KS Ruch Chorzów and VfB Stuttgart were all caught in the 'Feye' slipstream en route to their final showdown with Tottenham Hotspur FC.

The London side were bidding to reclaim the trophy they had lifted two years earlier and so extend the English monopoly into a seventh year. It was an ambition the likes of Grasshopper-Club, Aberdeen FC, FC Dinamo Tbilisi, 1. FC Köln and VfB Leipzig had failed to dent in a competition where the top Latin sides were early fallers. The biggest bump was sustained by tournament debutants Real Madrid CF - beaten by Ipswich Town FC in the first round - while FC Barcelona and Internazionale FC were other casualties.

So it was left to the northern Europeans to provide the drama, and this they did in spades in the final first leg at White Hart Lane. Twice Spurs had the lead, through Mike England and a Joop Van Daele own goal; twice Feyenoord replied, through the totemic Van Hanegem and Theo de Jong. Suitably buoyed, the Rotterdammers then finished the job at De Kuip, with goals at the end of either half from Wim Rijsbergen and Peter Ressel. But while Feyenoord took home a second European trophy (to add to the European Champion Clubs' Cup won in 1970), Spurs collected a European ban for the crowd trouble caused by their supporters.