Gareth Messenger

The 30th European Cup Winners’ Cup final had an unexpected flavour to it on this day 29 years ago. Sampdoria had never won a European title and were runners-up in this competition the year previous, and Anderlecht who had not been in a European final for six years. 

It felt unusual, especially after both Monaco and Dinamo Bucharest were knocked out in the semi-final stage. But it presented an opportunity. 

Sampdoria was in the competition courtesy of winning the Coppa Italia the year before. In fact, it was a domestic cup trophy they had won two years on the bounce, helped along the way by the mercurial strike duo of Gianluca Vialli and Robert Mancini. 

On their way to the final in Gothenburg, Sweden, the side from Genoa dispatched of both Grasshopper of Switzerland and Borussia Dortmund. Anderlecht, meanwhile, overcame the might of Barcelona in the second round. 

In the late 1980s and early 90s, Italian football was in the midst of its golden period. Never before or since has, a domestic league had such superiority.
Traditionally, Sampdoria has rotated between Serie A and Serie B for much of their existence.

That changed in 1986 with the appointment of their former player Vujadin Boskov as manager. The cosmopolitan Yugoslavian was a well-versed coach who had spells in charge of Feyenoord, Real Zaragoza, and also Real Madrid.

Before Boskov, Sampdoria had won just one major trophy, the 1985 Coppa Italia. Boskov reinvigorated Samp and steered them through an extraordinary eight-year journey that culminated in a Champions League final defeat to Barcelona. 

But it’s the shrewd signings of Atillio Lombardo from Cremonese and 1982 World Cup winner Beppe Dossena which were key components in helping Sampdoria enjoy success on the continent.  

The prize for the faith in these two was winning the Cup Winners’ Cup, atoning for their defeat against Barcelona in 1989. With the game against Anderlecht locked at 0-0 in extra time, Vialli scored two goals in three minutes without reply to deliver Samp’s first continental trophy.

It was a scene no Sampdoria ultra would ever had imagined. It proved the catalyst for greater things as the team won its first and only Scudetto the following season crowning the club’s glory years.