Classic match report - Wolves 2 Juventus 1

Forty-four years ago today the Italian giants, the Bianconeri, the Old Lady, defeated at Molineux.

The stage was the UEFA Cup quarter finals. At the time the competition wasn't given the credence and importance that it would 20 years later in its halcyon days of the 1990s, before the gluttonous cash of the Champions League swallowed it whole.

But despite Juventus sending a weakened team, leaving the likes of legendary Italian internationals Roberto Bettega, Franco Causio and future England manager Fabio Capello at home (Juve's priority that season was the Serie A title, which they won by a solitary point ahead of great rivals AC Milan and Torino), this was still a big deal.

More than 40,000 turned up to see Italy's greatest club team take to the Molineux turf, with the competition beginning to capture the imagination of the Wolverhampton public.

The tie was the biggest European fixture for Wolves since their European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers in 1961, or their massacre at the hands of the mighty Barcelona in the European Cup a season earlier.

They had brushed aside minnows Academica, Den Haag and Carl Zeiss in earlier rounds, scoring 18 goals in six games. But the Juve tie was their first big draw, and added 15,000 to previous UEFA Cup gates.

Wolves, in the UEFA Cup owing to their fourth-placed league finish the year before (edging Liverpool into fifth by a point), had claimed a very respectable 1-1 draw in the first leg in Turin, Jim McAlliog getting on the scoresheet.

And, inspired by the late Danny Hegan, they finished the job at Molineux, winning 2-1, with magical German playmaker Helmut Haller unable to drag Juventus to glory.

Phew, that was close!

Wolves just edge home

Wolves 2 Juventus 1 (3-2 on aggregate), March 22, 1972

Wolves went through to the semi-final of the UEFA Cup by the skin of their teeth last night after tantalising the first over-40,000 crowd Molineux has housed in the competition.

With ample evidence of the wisdom of manager Bill McGarry's advice not to under-rate the "reserve-laden" Italians, Wolves came near to conceding a second goal, which would have given the tie to Juventus.

No wonder McGarry, while applauding the team's achievements in reaching the last four, was also compelled to admit things were a little too close for comfort just before the finish.

No wonder, too, the defeated Italians took a lot of pride for the way they fought back at the same time as they acknowledged the way Wolves won.

"Wolves are a fine side and we wish them good fortune in the semi-final," said one of their spokesman.

"We were sorry to come to Wolverhampton with so many reserves, but we feel they played their part well."

They did indeed, largely thanks to one of the best one-man soccer exhibitions see on the ground for many a year - from Helmut Haller, the West German star.

It was the blonde, compact German who not only inspired, but generally engineered the Juventus revival which bought him a penalty when Frank Munro stopped him by handling the ball and might have produced a second.

A lot of people must have left the ground with the German's contribution uppermost in their minds but they would also remember the two excellent goals which won the game for Wolves.

The first from Danny Hegan was a fitting reward for his outstanding part in the victory.

Expert opinion seemed to agree he was perhaps the only Wolves man who would have essayed the perfect 34th minute chip inside the far post instead of the blasted, and probably less accurate, shot that looked to be "on".

The second, at 53 minutes was the daintiest and merest flick of the head by Derek Dougan to a right wing corner from Dave Wagstaffe.

But the Italians too had their moments, even if they were fewer.

It was the quick thinking and tackling of Hegan again that saved one of the most dangerous situations when, thanks to Haller, the lively little Viola seemed to have the goal at his mercy.

This left me with Haller and Hegan sharing the honours in a game in which Wolves flattered to deceive at the start and afterwards lacked consistency as Juventus played themselves more into the picture.

It was not entirely a classic and yet, if Wolves could have maintained their opening impetus, I am convinced they would have played Juventus and Haller "off the pitch".

Unfortunately they had moments of inattention and they were a little slow to realise the French referee was having nothing to do with any sort of tackling from behind.

It was not, however, a nasty game and bookings for Wagstaffe and John McAlle, of Wolves, and Longobucco, of Juventus, were as much the result of niggling as anything.

Derek Parkin came back to do well until he was stricken with cramp 10 minutes from the end to make way for Gerry Taylor.

Wolves: Parkes; Shaw, Parkin (Taylor, 80), Hegan, Munro, McAlle, McCalliog, Hibbitt, Richards, Dougan, Wagstaffe.

Juventus: Piloni, Spinosi, Longobucco, Marchetti, Roveta, Salvadore, Haller, Cuccureddu, Novellini, Savoldi, Viola.

Referee: Michel Kitabdjian (France)

Attendance: 40,421