The 1971 European Cup final was a
football match played on 2 June 1971 at
Wembley Stadium between Dutch side
Ajax and Greek side
Panathinaikos, to determine the champions of the
1970–71 European Cup. Ajax were appearing in their second final, having lost the
1969 final to Italian club
AC Milan; Panathinaikos were appearing in their first.
Both teams progressed through four rounds to reach the final. Ajax comfortably won all of their ties by two goals, except for their 5–1 aggregate victory against Swiss team
Basel in the second round. Panathinaikos' matches were close affairs, with the exception of their 7–1 aggregate victory against
Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg in the first round. Their quarter-final and semi-final victories were both won via the
away goals rule.
Watched by a crowd of 83,179, Ajax took the lead in the 5th minute when
Dick van Dijk scored. Ajax extended their lead in the 87th minute when a shot by
Arie Haan deflected off defender
Anthimos Kapsis and went into the Panathinaikos goal, giving Ajax its first European Cup victory by a score of 2–0.[1]