Real Madrid won their seventh European Cup after a 32-year drought on May 20, 1998. This is one of the most important things they have done in their long history In a thrilling match at the Amsterdam Arena, the Spanish giants played Juventus, the defending winners and finalists for the third year in a row.
25 years ago: Real Madrid wins European title after 32 years
Listen to Kiyan Sobhani and Kristofer McCormack of Managing Madrid talk about Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Juventus in the 1998 Champions League Final in a history podcast.
Real Madrid got into the Champions League because they were second in La Liga the year before. They were put in Group D with Porto, Rosenborg, and Olympiacos.
They were first in their group because they won four games and tied one. They got 18 goals and only gave up 3.
In the quarterfinals, they played Bayer Leverkusen, who had finished second in Group E, behind Monaco. In Germany, the first game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Real Madrid won the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu by a score of 3-0. Christian Karembeu, Fernando Morientes, and Fernando Hierro all scored for Real Madrid.
They played Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals. Borussia Dortmund won Group C by beating Parma, Sparta Prague, and Galatasaray. Real Madrid won the first game at home, 2-0, thanks to goals from Fernando Morientes and Christian Karembeu.
The second leg, which took place in Germany, ended in a 0-0 tie, which put Real Madrid in the final.
The year before, Juventus had won Serie A and earned a spot in the Champions League. They will play with Manchester United, Feyenoord, and Koice in Group B.
They won four games and lost two to finish second in their group with 12 points. They scored 14 goals while giving up 9.
They played Dynamo Kyiv in the quarterfinals. Dynamo Kyiv had won Group A, beating Newcastle United, PSV Eindhoven, and Barcelona.
In Italy, the first game ended in a 1-1 tie. The second leg took place in Ukraine, and Juventus won a shocking 4-1.
In the semi-finals, they played Monaco, who had shocked everyone by beating Bayer Leverkusen, Sporting CP, and Lierse to win Group E.
In the first game, which took place at home, Juventus won 4-1. Juventus lost the second leg in France by a score of 3-2.
The final was on a Wednesday night at the Amsterdam Arena, which was the home ground of Ajax when it opened two years earlier.
The judge was a German man named Hellmut Krug. He was also in charge of the UEFA Cup final between Inter Milan and Salzburg in 1994.
