When did Aston Villa win the Champions League? Who did they play the final in 1982?
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The 2024/25 season marks Aston Villa’s first season back in Europe’s elite club competition since 1983 - however, unlike many of the teams in this year’s competition, Villa are previous winners of the tournament.
Their sole winning campaign came in 1982 when the Champions League was still known as the European Cup. In this piece, we’ll talk you through how the Villans marched to glory on the European stage, fending off all comers along the way. Not only was Villa’s European Cup win in 1982 a massive shock, it also came just eight years after they had spent a spell in the Championship, which was then called the Second Division.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdUnder the stewardship of Ron Saunders and later Tony Barton, who assumed the manager’s hot seat after Saunders resigned on February 9, Villa remain the only Birmingham club to have won the European Cup/Champions League. Unlike today’s version of the Champions League, in 1981/82, it was a straight knockout tournament. Therefore, one mistake could send teams home early.
Aston Villa 1981/82 squad
Aston Villa’s full 1981/82 squad was as follows:
Goalkeepers: Jimmy Rimmer, Nigel Spink.
Defenders: Kenny Swain, Colin Gibson, Brendan Ormsby, Mark Jones, Pat Heard, Gary Williams, Ken McNaught, Allen Evans, Eamon Deacy.
Midfielders: Ivor Linton, Tony Morley, Dennis Mortimer, Mark Walters, Gordan Cowans, Paul Birch, Andy Blair, Des Bremner.
Forwards: Peter Withe, Gary Shaw, David Geddis, Terry Donovan.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAston Villa’s 1981/82 European Cup run
In the first round of the competition, Villa took on Icelandic outfit Valur. The tie was effectively over in the first leg, when the Villans crushed their opposition by a score of 5-0 - they would then follow this up with a 2-0 victory in Reykjavík, giving them a 7-0 win on aggregate and securing their spot in round two.
There, Villa were drawn against Dynamo Berlin. They would prove to be much tougher customers than Valur - thankfully, the Villans gave themselves a crucial lead in the away leg when they won 2-1, with Tony Morley scoring both goals. Dynamo gave Villa an almighty scare in the second leg at Villa Park, as they scored in the 15th minute to level the tie - however, Villa were able to hold out and progressed to the quarter finals on away goals.
They then faced off against Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kyiv. The first leg, which took place at Kyiv’s ground, was an uneventful 0-0 draw. With no away goals scored, Villa went into the second leg under a modicum of pressure - nevertheless, they secured a 2-0 win a Villa Park thanks to goals from Gary Shaw and Ken McNaught.
In the semi finals, Villa played Belgian giants Anderlecht. They picked up a 1-0 win at Villa Park in the first leg thanks to Tony Morley - following this, they ground out a 0-0 draw at Anderlecht to secure their place in the final.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdTaking place at the Stadion Feijenoord, Villa battled against Bayern Munich in the final. Villa suffered an early setback when Jimmy Rimmer suffered an injury, forcing Nigel Spink into the fray in just his second appearance for the club - despite this, he performed an admirable job in Rimmer’s stead.
In the second half, Peter Withe scored to give Villa the lead. Bayern threw everything at the Villans to try and break them down - they thought they had equalised late on, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Villa held out and lifted the European Cup for the first and only time in their history.