Football League First Division winners Aston Villa defeated Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich 1–0 at De Kuip in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to win their first (and to date only) European Cup; this continued the streak of English teams winning the competition in six straight seasons.

After 10 minutes, Aston Villa goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer suffered a repeat of a recurring shoulder injury.

[1] His performance in helping prevent Bayern from scoring throughout the match was highly praised, and is seen by many as the making of a player who would be Villa's first choice goalkeeper for the following 10 seasons.

[2] Bayern did find the net with three minutes of play remaining, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Brian Moore's commentary of the winning goal is displayed on a giant banner across the Doug Ellis Stand of Villa Park: Shaw, Williams prepared to venture down the left.