OTD in 1973, Ajax smashed Bayern in the European Cup quarter-final

The match was held in Amsterdam and the teams were led out by their legendary captains

Johan Cruyff

and

Franz Beckenbauer

.

were dominating European football with their ‘Total Football’ style and had won the last two European Cups. On the other hand,

had six players from the West Germany team that won the 1972 European Championship. They went on to write history in the European Cup a few years later, but that evening they were struck by Ajax’s dominance. The first half ended in a 0-0 draw, but

Arie Haan

scored the opener for Ajax in the 53rd minute. The Dutch giants doubled their lead with a stunning strike from

Gerrie Muhren

in the 66th minute. However, Ajax continued their attacks and got their third goal by Arie Haan’s header four minutes later. In a game that was named ‘The best European game ever’ by French newspaper

L'Equipe

, Johan Cruyff sealed the crushing 4-0 win for Ajax with a late header.

The legendary Bayern goalkeeper

Sepp Maier

remembers the painful defeat:

'It was a nightmare. Never had I lost in such a dreadful way. I ended up getting out of bed, gathering all my football stuff and throwing it into the canal.'

Ajax won the second leg with a 2-1 result and defeated

in the semi-final. They marked their historical run of three consecutive European Cup titles by winning against

in the competition’s final.

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