As Rangers prepare for their Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sporting Braga on Thursday, the 50-year anniversary of the club’s only European trophy is coming into sharp focus.
On 24 May 1972, Willie Waddell’s men beat Russian side Dynamo Moscow 3-2 to win the now defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in one of the most dramatic seasons in Rangers’ history.
After the Ibrox disaster in January 1971 when 66 supporters were tragically killed in a crush at an Old Firm game, the formidable Waddell, a legendary former Rangers player, masterminded a thrilling European success just sixteen months later.
The campaign featured wins over Rennes, Sporting Lisbon, Torino and a star-studded Bayern Munich side before Waddell’s men prevailed in Barcelona amid riotous scenes.
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Rangers fans invaded the pitch and were subjected to heavy-handed treatment by the Spanish police – then under the rule of fascist dictator Francisco Franco – leading to a two-year European ban, later cut to one year on appeal.
In the second-round win over Sporting Lisbon, the tie ended 6-6 on aggregate and Waddell’s men should have progressed on away goals.
Inexplicably, the referee was unaware of Uefa’s new rule and instead ordered a penalty shoot-out which Rangers lost.
After the rule book was examined, the Ibrox giants’ progress was confirmed and they saw off Torino in the next round before a mouthwatering semi-final showdown with Bayern.
The Germans boasted some of the finest players in world football history, including Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, but Rangers comfortably beat them 2-0 in front of 80,000 at Ibrox in the decisive second leg.
Now Rangers72 – a poignant, 100-minute film – has been made about the extraordinary campaign by the “Barcelona Bears” 50 years ago.
Legends such as John Greig, Dave Smith, Derek Johnstone, Derek Parlane, Peter McCloy, Alex MacDonald, Willie Mathieson, Willie Johnston and Colin Stein are interviewed at length in the film.
Mathieson, the popular left-back, said of the final in Barcelona: “It was a remarkable European success and every game was different.
“The final was obviously the pinnacle, but the journey to it was incredible as so much happened with so many great stories.
“You had the game in Lisbon where we were out and then we were back in and of course the famous semi-final win over Bayern Munich at Ibrox.
“We had a corner and Sepp Maier and Franz Beckenbauer were arguing with each other.
“As a team, Bayern were absolutely shattered. There was the pitch invasion at the final in Barcelona and I remember trying to make my way off the park because I was at the furthest point away.
“Two guys grabbed me and they helped me get through to the tunnel.
“The support we had that night was incredible but it was a shame we couldn’t celebrate properly with the fans afterwards.
“Instead we went back to the hotel and drank the place dry. It was a fantastic night and a season of such emotion.”
Giuseppe De Luca, who wrote and directed Rangers72, spent countless hours interviewing many of the team at their homes and in social settings.
“We went to the pub with Willie Johnston, had a couple of beers poured by the man himself, and also spent time with Colin Stein at his local bowling club,” he said.
“Interviewing Willie Mathieson and Alex MacDonald was particularly emotional.
“When Alex talked about the impact Willie Waddell had on his career, he became quite tearful.
“It’s powerful stuff which Rangers fan of all generations will love. This is a story which deserves to be told.”
Half a century on, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side continue their own bid for European glory, Mathieson added: “For Rangers to go all the way again now would be unbelievable.”
Rangers72 will be released exclusively on DVD and BluRay on 27 April. For details, visit rangers72.com.
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