Former Barcelona striker Steve Archibald has reflected on beating Juventus on route to the 1986 European Cup final.
Barca were beaten in Seville by Steaua Bucharest – a game the Scot says he doesn’t remember – but the quarter-final win over Barca’s 2015 final opponents lives long in the memory.
“It was like a final. They had Michael Laudrup, Zbigniew Boniek, Michel Platini, but we played very good football,” Archibald said, according to AS.
“Julio Alberto’s goal in the first leg threw the game open for the return. Lobo Carrasco was key. He was alone in the penalty area as I tried to figure out where Victor’s cross was going.
“I took advantage of the confusion to get my head to the ball, off my ear, and it deceived Taconi. It was a strange goal but it was a goal, and it helped us eliminate the best team in Europe.”
Archibald added that when then-Barca Coach Terry Venables asked for him from Tottenham Hotspur, Hugo Sanchez, of Atletico Madrid, was the other option.
“Hugo and I were in the same hotel, waiting for the decision, but we didn’t do anything with each other,” Archibald revealed, AS noting that he was considered an unknown despite being prolific with Spurs.
“The fans started to enjoy how the team played. We won the League after 11 years and played in the European Cup final.”
