Aston Villa faced Barcelona for the first time in the late 1970s, witnessing Johan Cruyff’s magic in person.
Aston Villa are set to take on Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. It will be their first clash in 43 years and their first meeting in UEFA’s top-flight club competition.
Previously, they met four times, with two meetings taking place in 1978 during the UEFA Cup campaign. Both locked horns in the quarter-finals. The Catalan side managed to ease past Villa with a 4-3 win on aggregate.
The other two meetings came in the historic UEFA Super Cup in 1982. Held in January 1983, Villa were able to bounce back with a 3-0 win after extra time in the second leg, having lost 1-0 in the reverse fixture.
Ahead of tonight’s duel at Camp Nou, there is no better time than now to look back at their first encounter. It was the first leg of the 1978 UEFA Cup quarter-finals.
The Lions hosted the Catalan giants for the first time in March 1978. Barcelona were led by the legendary Rinus Michels on the touchline and the 31-year-old Johan Cruyff on the pitch. It was a challenging task after eliminating Athletic Bilbao.
Ron Saunders’s men had a number of notable players who would later become key figures when they lifted the European Cup four years later. The likes of Dennis Mortimer, Gordon Cowans, Ken McNaught and goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer were vital figures in the team, alongside two players who later became Villa bosses in the 1990s, Brian Little and John Gregory.
Both teams took to the pitch with a similar formation, 4-3-3. Villa had a rare chance to witness the Dutch star’s magic at Villa Park. He performed well and even shook their defence with an opener in the 20th minute. Unfortunately, he had to be replaced in the second half due to injury. Yet, Villa could not find an equaliser. They even conceded a second goal as Rafael Zuviria took advantage of Carles Rexach’s cross from the left flank near the goal line to find the back of the net in the 80th minute!
With ten minutes left, Gordon Cowans and Co intensified their attack and finally broke the deadlock in the 87th minute. Ken McNaught headed home as he dived in front of the goal. Two minutes later, Villa finally brought the score level. The frontman John Deehan struck the ball into the empty net following a deflected shot in the six-yard box. Barcelona’s shot-stopper Pello Artola had failed to make the clearance properly beforehand.
In the second leg at Camp Nou, the Clarets and Blue, unfortunately, could not hold on to their advantage after taking the lead in the 57th minute through Brian Little. Rinus Michels, who employed a 5-2-3 formation, managed to pull one back ten minutes later through Migueli and finally scored another goal through Juan Asensi to put them ahead. Villa headed for the exit following their 2-1 defeat.
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