1970 European Cup Final
The 1970 European Cup Final was a football match held at the San Siro, Milan, on 6 May 1970, that saw Feyenoord of the Netherlands defeat Celtic of Scotland 2–1 after extra time. Ove Kindvall's goal in the 117th minute meant the trophy was won by a Dutch club for the first time. It remains Feyenoord's only European Cup triumph.
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Event | 1969–70 European Cup | ||||||
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After extra time | |||||||
Date | 6 May 1970 | ||||||
Venue | San Siro, Milan | ||||||
Referee | Concetto Lo Bello (Italy) | ||||||
Attendance | 53,187 | ||||||
For losing finalists Celtic, this marked the second–– and to date most recent–– European Cup Final appearance in club history, after the famous win by the "Lisbon Lions" side in the 1967 edition. The match nearly never took place due to massive strikes throughout Italy during 1970; the Italian FA backed down to ensure that their own clubs would be able to compete in further UEFA competitions.
Route to the final
Feyenoord | Round | Celtic | ||||||
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Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Opponent | Agg. | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
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16–2 | 12–2 (A) | 4–0 (H) | First round | ![]() |
2–0 | 0–0 (A) | 2–0 (H) |
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2–1 | 0–1 (A) | 2–0 (H) | Second round | ![]() |
3–3 (c) | 3–0 (H) | 0–3 (a.e.t.) (A) |
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2–1 | 0–1 (A) | 2–0 (H) | Quarter-finals | ![]() |
3–1 | 3–0 (H) | 0–1 (A) |
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2–0 | 0–0 (A) | 2–0 (H) | Semi-finals | ![]() |
3–1 | 1–0 (A) | 2–1 (H) |
Match

Summary
In contrast to their win in the European Cup Final three years prior, in which they had gone into the match as heavy underdogs against Inter, this time around, Celtic entered the final as strong favourites. However, despite Tommy Gemmell opening the scoring after 30 minutes, they were comprehensively outplayed by Feyenoord. The Dutch team's manager, Ernst Happel, ensured Celtic winger Jimmy Johnstone was double marked at all times, whilst the midfield trio of Franz Hasil, Willem van Hanegem and Wim Jansen dominated their Celtic counterparts. Rinus Israël quickly equalised from a free kick, but Celtic managed to hold on at 1–1 to force extra time.[1] With just a few minutes of extra-time remaining, a long free-kick from the Feyenoord half was sent towards the Celtic penalty area. Celtic defender and captain Billy McNeil stumbled and misjudged the ball, and as he tried to recover he appeared to punch the ball away. Before the referee had a chance to award a penalty, Ove Kindvall reacted quickly, running on and chipping the ball over the advancing goalkeeper Evan Williams to seal a 2–1 win for Feyenoord.[2][3]
Details
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References
- Gallagher, Michael (10 March 2020). "Feyenoord 2 Celtic 1". The Blizzard. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- "Season 1969-70". European Cup History. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- Brogan, Tom. "Celtic 1970: European Cup Final v Feyenoord – The Dream Ends". State of the Game. Archived from the original on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2015.