Battle of the Potato Field: The final between Real and Liverpool in Paris in 1981

The grass quality was catastrophic because of a rugby game, the Mighty Reds stars put plasters on the shirts instead of warming up, the Blancos players were defined as anonymous and Everton fans went out to celebrate the win along with the Reds.

The events from 41 years ago will sound completely delusional in their current destination

Michael Yochin

27/05/2022

Friday, May 27, 2022, 6 p.m.

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Ticket: Today's Summary Clip, 26.5 (Sports 1)

Alan Kennedy, the left-back of Liverpool who unexpectedly became the hero of the Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris in 1981 with a dramatic winning goal, missed the rematch against Bayern Munich in the semi-final due to a broken arm.

He was injured in the zeroed draw at Anfield in the first game and did not travel with the Reds to Germany two weeks later.

What did he do when his teammates drew 1-1 and went up thanks to the away goal scored by Ray Kennedy at the Olympic Stadium?

It will not be easy for you to guess.

He followed developments on the radio.

There was just no TV broadcast.

Yes, "only" 41 years have passed since the previous final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris, but the changes that football and the world in general have undergone are impressive.

Many things that happened then, in May 1981, will seem absurd, delusional and utterly impossible nowadays.

Take, for example, the condition of the lawn in the Park of the Princes.

A few days earlier, a rugby game had taken place on him, and the very word "grass" was an exaggerated compliment to the surface on which the two rivals had to contend.

It was a potato field at best, accurate flat passes could not be delivered because the ball bounced and deviated from the track, and dribbles were irrelevant at all - making technical players like Lori Cunningham, Real's nimble English star, much less effective.

In general, Cunningham was very brave to step on the grass in these circumstances after a long injury, and even Liverpool star Kenny Dalgliesh was not supposed to take a risk after being miraculously trained at the last minute - but played, because he did not want to miss the final.

It is doubtful that such a big game has ever been played in such catastrophic conditions, where quality football could not have been expected in advance.

It is not surprising, then, that not many opportunities were recorded near both gates, and for the neutral spectator this was not a particularly exciting experience.

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Liverpool defender David Johnson in the 1981 Champions Cup final against Real Madrid against Oli Stilica (Photo: GettyImages, DOMINIQUE FAGET)

Kennedy suddenly got along with Kennedy

Take, for example, the fact that Real Madrid has been defined as a kind of "mystery" in the British media.

In fact, not only did the journalists not know much about the players in white, but also the Liverpool stars themselves.

Kenny Dalgliesh, Gram Sons and Alan Kennedy later testified that they could not identify a significant portion of the opponent's games.

They knew, of course, Cunningham himself, the German Oli Stilica who had already faced the Reds in the 1977 Champions Cup final in the Borussia Mönchengladbach uniform, the veteran captain Santiana, the versatile defender Jose Antonio Camacho and the nimble striker Juanito who had just dismantled the England squad In a Wembley friendly game two months earlier, but here it's over.

The tactical preparation did not even mention what is customary in professional football today.

To be honest, there was one real player on the pitch that even Spanish fans barely knew.

Young goalkeeper Agustin was called up due to the injury of Mariano Garcia Ramon, and only made his league debut in April.

Naturally, Liverpool manager Bob Paisley marked him as a weak point and ordered his players to challenge him even with long-range kicks - a particularly sensible instruction with the plethora of bumps everywhere.

Another Real player who was defined as the weak link was right-back Rafael Garcia Cortes, so left-back Alan Kennedy and left-back Ray Kennedy had many attacks.

Usually they did not quite get along, because the genius Ray did not tolerate Allen's basic limitations, but this particular evening they ended with a wide smile.

Ray was the one who sent the outing in Allen's direction in the 82nd minute, and the rest is history.

Alan Kennedy decides the Champions League final in Paris (Photo: GettyImages, Dominique FAGET)

Brian Cluff predicted the outcome

Take, for example, the fact that the Liverpool players were unable to make the warm-up properly because they were busy with a much more "important" task.

The organizers found out two hours before the opening whistle that the umbrella uniform maker's emblem could not appear on the red shirts due to the ban on TV commercials, and should therefore be removed.

Thus the players themselves were required to cut pieces of plaster and paste them on their shirts.

It did not go smoothly, a lot of time was wasted and Paisley was not even able to complete the speech ahead of the confrontation.

"Not bad, you'll be even more determined now," said the legendary manager, who made sure to be positive and get his players to overcome obstacles.

In the league, by the way, Liverpool have not been able to overcome the problems this season.

After being crowned champion in 1979 and 1980, she finished only fifth in 1981, nine points behind champions Aston Villa.

Ipswich, Arsenal and West Bromwich were also ranked ahead of it and the mood at Anfield was not bright.

Winning the Champions Cup was critical to sustaining the kingdom's leading club brand, easy and material after two consecutive and sensational wins by the humble Nottingham Forest.

This time Forrest was eliminated already in the first round when they lost twice to CSKA Sofia and Brian Cluff expressed public support for Paisley towards the final. "He does not care about the level of the game, he will be happy to win 0: 1.

I wish it would be so, "he declared - and indeed guessed the result.

Sons, Dalgliesh and Hansen celebrate European Cup win (Photo: GettyImages, Allsport)

Ipswich ahead of Liverpool, Real Sociedad champions

Liverpool was indeed a favorite and also very experienced in the class.

She defeated Gladbach in 1977 to lift the trophy for the first time in its history and retained it in 1978 with a hard-fought victory over Bruges.

Against Real, then, she sought a third European title in five years.

On the other hand, for the Royal Club of Spain it was the first final in 15 years.

Real dominated the factory in its early years, but since 1966 it has frequently failed in Europe and the players have also found it hard to believe in themselves.

Vicente del Bosque, then a key contact with the handsome mustache, testified that after Real beat Inter in the semi-finals, the heroes looked at each other and did not believe they could do it.

It was at the end of a 1-0 loss at San Siro in a rematch, in a heroic defensive performance after a 0-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first game.

It happened on April 22 and Real was very happy after a loss, but immediately afterwards, on April 26, she was very sad after a win.

On this date, the last round of the Spanish league was held, which the team - the champion of the previous three years - reached, one point behind Real Sociedad (using a two-point winning method).

The Basques had an advantage in the direct encounters and so Real needed a win at Valladolid and a loss of the contender for the crown at Hihun.

The Whites did their thing with a 1: 3 share, and after the final whistle the players were excited to hear the news that the opponent had lost 2: 1.

The festivities got underway, but then it was announced on the radio (yes, on the radio) that Jose Maria Samura equalized in the 90th minute to 2: 2 in Hihun.

The psychological blow was not simple, and the players said that Real had a hard time recovering from it until the final, even though it had a month to do so.

The King's Cup quarter-final after the Champions League final

If you're wondering why the league ended in April and what Real did for the whole month, then here's another weird example of the revolutions football has gone through since.

In those days all the cup games were held in odd years after the end of the league.

The quarter-finals took place in early May and Real prevailed in the double encounter over Hulaba.

Then, the first game against Chihun was placed in the quarterfinals for May 20, the Champions Cup final took place on May 27 and immediately after that the Whites returned to host Chihun in the rematch at the Santiago Bernabeu on May 31.

They hoped to show the devoted fans the European Cup, but it did not work out and the exhausted players lost 3: 2 and were eliminated.

That's how his treble dream shattered.

Towards the last round of the league Real aspired to win the championship, the King's Cup and the Champions Cup, but ended the season empty-handed.

In contrast, Liverpool saved their season with the most prestigious title of all, and held an exciting procession through the streets.

"It was a great and memorable atmosphere. The whole city was painted red and blue because Everton fans also went out in droves to celebrate with us," said Alan Kennedy.

Just try to imagine such mirrors today.

It was a completely different time, completely different from what we know now.

The 1981 loss to Liverpool in Paris was and remains Real's last (Photo: GettyImages, DOMINIQUE FAGET)

Can Real lose in the final?

If anyone had told Liverpool fans then that they would experience a 30-year-old form without a championship in the future, they would not believe it.

If someone had told Real fans that their drought without winning the Champions Cup would last for 32 years, they might actually have believed that they got used to missing Dee Stefano, Puskas and Paco Hanto.

Many of those who saw the heroes in the 50s and 60s were no longer alive when Real finally won the Champions League in 1998, thanks to Predrag Mijatovic's goal against Juventus.

Since then, however, she has won every championship final to which she has qualified.

2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, and also 2018 against Liverpool in Kiev - she is unbeatable in class.

The loss to Liverpool in 1981 in Paris was and remains the last.

Now the teams return to the City of Lights for a new final.

It will be in a different stadium, on a different quality grass, everyone knows how to recognize all the players, there will be no plasters on the shirts and no game in the Spanish Cup in a few days.

Aston Villa and Real Sociedad no longer dream of winning the championship, West Bromwich Albion and Chihun in the second division, and Ipswich in general in the third division.

Only one thing is reminiscent of the events of 41 years ago - Liverpool is once again considered a favorite.

I wonder if that will be enough for her to interrupt Real's success sequence.

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