Zoff recalls 1990 success with Juventus

When Juventus and ACF Fiorentina go head to head in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 over the next fortnight, they will do so in a repeat of the 1990 final, a two-legged affair fondly remembered by Dino Zoff.

Fierce rivals since Juventus pipped the Tuscan side to the Scudetto on the last day of the 1981/82 campaign, the Bianconeri, coached by Zoff, prevailed in the clubs' only previous Europe tie. That gave former Italy goalkeeper Zoff his second UEFA Cup winners' medal after his role as a player in Juve's 1977 away goals defeat of Athletic Club.

Adding to the appeal of the all-Italian encounter is Sunday's Serie A meeting of the teams four days before the Viola visit the Juventus Stadium – venue for this season's showpiece – for the first leg.

"Those are extraordinary memories, because to win a UEFA Cup as a coach was something special," Zoff told UEFA.com. "Furthermore, we won the Italian Cup [a few days earlier] as well, with a great team. Great credit goes without doubt to the players. We had a fantastic second half of the season in the UEFA Cup, in the Italian Cup and in the Italian league. So that year was full of great satisfaction."

Second-half goals from Pierluigi Casiraghi and Luigi De Agostini gave Zoff's men a 3-1 first-leg advantage, Fiorentina's Renato Buso having swiftly cancelled out Roberto Galia's third-minute opener at the Comunale stadium. A scoreless return match played on neutral territory meant Juventus could celebrate the second of what has become three UEFA Cup triumphs.

"We had to solve the biggest problems in the home game because they caused us some in Turin," recalled Zoff, now 72. "They also scored, but then we took a 2-1 lead and made it 3-1. That gave us a good chance to win the trophy because the second leg was played in Avellino, not in Florence. That helped us bring the trophy home."

To hear more from Zoff, click on the video player above.