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1995–96 UEFA Champions League

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1995–96 UEFA Champions League
Image
Stadio Olimpico in Rome held the final.
Tournament details
DatesQualifying:
9–23 August 1995
Competition proper:
13 September 1995 – 22 May 1996
TeamsCompetition proper: 16
Total: 24
Final positions
ChampionsItaly Juventus (2nd title)
Runners-upNetherlands Ajax
Tournament statistics
Matches played61
Goals scored159 (2.61 per match)
Attendance1,870,462 (30,663 per match)
Top scorer(s)Jari Litmanen (Ajax)
9 goals

The 1995–96 UEFA Champions League was the 41st season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the fourth since its rebranding as the UEFA Champions League. The tournament was won by Juventus, who beat defending champions Ajax on penalties in the final for their first European Cup since 1985, and their second overall. It was the only Champions League title that Juventus won in the 1990s, despite reaching the next two finals, and one of only three Italian wins in the final, despite there being a Serie A club in every final for seven consecutive years from 1992 to 1998.

It was the first tournament in which three points were awarded for a win instead of two.

Association team allocation

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24 teams entered the competition – the national champions of each of the top 24 nations in the UEFA coefficient rankings, including UEFA Champions League holders, Ajax. The national champions of the associations ranked 1–7, plus the title holders, all received a bye to the group stage, while the national champions of the associations ranked 8–24 entered in the qualifying round. The remaining national champions from the associations ranked 25–47 were only allowed to participate in the UEFA Cup.[1]

Association ranking

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For the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League, the associations were allocated places according to their 1995 UEFA association coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 1990–91 to 1994–95.[1][2][3]

Association ranking for 1995–96 UEFA Champions League
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
1 Image Italy 63.884 1
2 Image France 45.283
3 Image Germany 40.307
4 Image Spain 39.098
5 Image England 38.333
6 Image Portugal 34.000
7 Image Russia 31.300
8 Image Belgium 30.400
9 Image Netherlands 28.450
10 Image Turkey 23.749
11 Image Austria 21.450
12 Image FR Yugoslavia 21.000 0 [Note YUG]
13 Image Greece 20.500 1
14 Image Denmark 20.000
15 Image Sweden 18.000
16 Image Scotland 16.550
17 Image Switzerland 15.500
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
18 Image Poland 14.916 1
19 Image Romania 14.150
20 Image Norway 12.332
21 Image Israel 12.166
22 Image Hungary 11.916
23 Image Croatia 11.500
24 Image Cyprus 10.665
25 Image Ukraine 10.332
26 Image Georgia 9.000 0
27 Image Iceland 8.666
28 Image Latvia 8.500
29 Image Finland 8.416
30 Image Slovakia 7.999
31 Image Slovenia 7.666
32 Image Bulgaria 7.583
33 Image Czech Republic 5.000
Rank Association Coeff. Teams Notes
34 Image Wales 5.000 0
35 Image Northern Ireland 4.998
36 Image Republic of Ireland 4.665
37 Image Belarus 4.000
38 Image Malta 3.998
39 Image Albania 3.333
40 Image Liechtenstein 3.000 [Note LIE]
41 Image Lithuania 2.500
42 Image Luxembourg 1.999
43 Image Faroe Islands 1.500
44 Image Macedonia 1.000
45 Image Armenia 1.000
46 Image Moldova 1.000
47 Image Estonia 0.500
48 Image Azerbaijan 0.000
49 Image San Marino 0.000

Distribution

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Round Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from the previous round
Qualifying round
(16 teams)
  • 16 champions from associations 8–25 (except title holders and FR Yugoslavia)[Note YUG]
Group stage
(16 teams)
  • Title holders
  • 7 champions from associations 1–7
  • 8 winners from the qualifying round
Knockout stage
(8 teams)
  • 4 group winners from the group stage
  • 4 group runners-up from the group stage

Since the title holders (Ajax) qualified for the Champions League qualifying round through their domestic league and entered the group stage automatically, their spot in the qualifying round was vacated. Due to this, as well as Yugoslavia's exclusion, the following changes to the default access list were made:

  • The champions of association 24 and 25 (Cyprus and Ukraine) were promoted from the UEFA Cup preliminary round to the Champions League qualifying round.

Teams

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The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • TH: Champions League title holders
  • 1st: League position of the previous season
Group stage
Netherlands Ajax (1st)TH France Nantes (1st) Spain Real Madrid (1st) Portugal Porto (1st)
Italy Juventus (1st) Germany Borussia Dortmund (1st) England Blackburn Rovers (1st) Russia Spartak Moscow (1st)
Qualifying round
Belgium Anderlecht (1st) Denmark AaB (1st) Poland Legia Warsaw (1st) Hungary Ferencváros (1st)
Turkey Beşiktaş (1st) Sweden IFK Göteborg (1st) Romania Steaua București (1st) Croatia Hajduk Split (1st)
Austria Casino Salzburg (1st) Scotland Rangers (1st) Norway Rosenborg (1st) Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta (1st)
Greece Panathinaikos (1st) Switzerland Grasshopper (1st) Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv (1st) Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv (1st)
  1. ^
    Liechtenstein (LIE): The teams affiliated with the Liechtenstein Football Association (LFV) played in the Swiss football league system, and thus were ineligible for a spot regardless of the association ranking. The only competition organised by the LFV was the Liechtenstein Football Cup – the winners of which qualified for the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
  2. ^
    FR Yugoslavia (YUG): While Yugoslavia's disqualification from European club competitions was lifted, their association coefficient was considered irregular and therefore their champions were not admitted. As a result, the winners of the 1994–95 First League of FR Yugoslavia, Red Star Belgrade, were instead admitted to the 1995–96 UEFA Cup.[4]

Round and draw dates

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The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held in Geneva, Switzerland).

Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg
Qualifying round 12 July 1995 9 August 1995 23 August 1995
Group stage Matchday 1 25 August 1995 13 September 1995
Matchday 2 27 September 1995
Matchday 3 18 October 1995
Matchday 4 1 November 1995
Matchday 5 22 November 1995
Matchday 6 6 December 1995
Knockout phase Quarter-finals 6 March 1996 20 March 1996
Semi-finals 3 April 1996 17 April 1996
Final 22 May 1996 at Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Qualifying round

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Dynamo Kyiv won their tie against AaB, but, in their first group game against Panathinaikos, they were accused of a failed attempt to bribe the referee, Antonio López Nieto, to get a win. Despite an appeal, they were ejected from the competition and banned for two years, with AaB replacing them in the group stage. Dynamo's ban was eventually reduced to one season.

Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Grasshopper Switzerland2–1Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv1–11–0
Rangers Scotland1–0Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta1–00–0
Legia Warsaw Poland3–1Sweden IFK Göteborg1–02–1
Casino Salzburg Austria0–1Romania Steaua București0–00–1
Dynamo Kyiv Ukraine4–1Denmark AaB1–03–1
Rosenborg Norway4–3Turkey Beşiktaş3–01–3
Anderlecht Belgium1–2Hungary Ferencváros0–11–1
Panathinaikos Greece1–1 (a)Croatia Hajduk Split0–01–1

Group stage

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Location of teams of the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League group stage.
Image Brown: Group A; Image Red: Group B; Image Orange: Group C; Image Yellow: Group D.

11 teams of 16 made their debut in the UEFA Champions League group stage: AaB, Blackburn Rovers, Borussia Dortmund, Ferencváros, Grasshopper, Juventus, Legia Warsaw, Nantes, Panathinaikos, Real Madrid and Rosenborg. Panathinaikos had already played in the group stage of the 1991–92 European Cup. AaB, Ferencvaros, Grasshopper, Legia and Rosenborg were the first teams to play in group stage from Denmark, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland and Norway respectively.

Group A

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Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAN NAN POR AAB
1 Greece Panathinaikos 6 3 2 1 7 3 +4 11 Advance to knockout stage — 3–1 0–0 2–0
2 France Nantes 6 2 3 1 8 6 +2 9 0–0 — 0–0 3–1
3 Portugal Porto 6 1 4 1 6 5 +1 7 0–1 2–2 — 2–0
4 Denmark AaB[a] 6 1 1 4 5 12 −7 4 2–1 0–2 2–2 —
Source: UEFA
Notes:
  1. ↑ After matchday 1 in the group, AaB replaced Dynamo Kyiv, who were banned following a failed attempt to bribe a referee.

Group B

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Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification SPM LEG ROS BLA
1 Russia Spartak Moscow 6 6 0 0 15 4 +11 18 Advance to knockout stage — 2–1 4–1 3–0
2 Poland Legia Warsaw 6 2 1 3 5 8 −3 7 0–1 — 3–1 1–0
3 Norway Rosenborg 6 2 0 4 11 16 −5 6 2–4 4–0 — 2–1
4 England Blackburn Rovers 6 1 1 4 5 8 −3 4 0–1 0–0 4–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group C

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification JUV DOR STE RAN
1 Italy Juventus 6 4 1 1 15 4 +11 13 Advance to knockout stage — 1–2 3–0 4–1
2 Germany Borussia Dortmund 6 2 3 1 8 8 0 9 1–3 — 1–0 2–2
3 Romania Steaua București 6 1 3 2 2 5 −3 6 0–0 0–0 — 1–0
4 Scotland Rangers 6 0 3 3 6 14 −8 3 0–4 2–2 1–1 —
Source: UEFA

Group D

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification AJX RMA FER GRA
1 Netherlands Ajax 6 5 1 0 15 1 +14 16 Advance to knockout stage — 1–0 4–0 3–0
2 Spain Real Madrid 6 3 1 2 11 5 +6 10 0–2 — 6–1 2–0
3 Hungary Ferencváros 6 1 2 3 9 19 −10 5 1–5 1–1 — 3–3
4 Switzerland Grasshopper 6 0 2 4 3 13 −10 2 0–0 0–2 0–3 —
Source: UEFA

Knockout stage

[edit]

Bracket

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Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
Germany Borussia Dortmund000
Netherlands Ajax213
Netherlands Ajax033
Greece Panathinaikos101
Poland Legia Warsaw000
22 May – Rome
Greece Panathinaikos033
Netherlands Ajax1 (2)
Italy Juventus (p)1 (4)
Spain Real Madrid101
Italy Juventus022
Italy Juventus224
France Nantes033
France Nantes224
Russia Spartak Moscow022

Quarter-finals

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Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Real Madrid Spain1–2Italy Juventus1–00–2
Nantes France4–2Russia Spartak Moscow2–02–2
Borussia Dortmund Germany0–3Netherlands Ajax0–20–1
Legia Warsaw Poland0–3Greece Panathinaikos0–00–3

Semi-finals

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Team 1Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Juventus Italy4–3France Nantes2–02–3
Ajax Netherlands3–1Greece Panathinaikos0–13–0

Final

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Main article: 1996 UEFA Champions League final

The final was played on 22 May 1996 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.

Ajax Netherlands1–1 (a.e.t.)Italy Juventus
 Report
Penalties
 2–4
Attendance: 70,000[5]

Top goalscorers

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Rank Name Team Goals
1 Finland Jari Litmanen Netherlands Ajax 9
2 Italy Alessandro Del Piero Italy Juventus 6
Spain Raúl Spain Real Madrid 6
Poland Krzysztof Warzycha Greece Panathinaikos 6
5 Netherlands Patrick Kluivert Netherlands Ajax 5
Russia Yuriy Nikiforov Russia Spartak Moscow 5
France Nicolas Ouédec France Nantes 5
Italy Fabrizio Ravanelli Italy Juventus 5
9 England Mike Newell England Blackburn Rovers 4
Chile Iván Zamorano Spain Real Madrid 4
11 Denmark Erik Bo Andersen Denmark AaB 3
Norway Karl Petter Løken Norway Rosenborg 3
France Reynald Pedros France Nantes 3
Russia Sergei Yuran Russia Spartak Moscow 3
Chad Japhet N'Doram France Nantes 3

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "UEFA Country Ranking 1995". Bert Kassies. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "1990/91–1994/95". Pawel Mogielnicki. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  3. ↑ Protzen, Martin (24 May 1995). "FAQ: Qualification and Seeding for the European Cups". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Protzen, Martin (29 May 1996). "FAQ: Qualification and Seeding for the European Cups". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
  5. ↑ "2. Finals" (PDF). UEFA Champions League Statistics Handbook 2016/17. Nyon, Switzerland: Union of European Football Associations. 2017. p. 1. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
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