Watched by a crowd of 17,804, Aberdeen took the lead early in the first half with a goal by Eric Black, but Madrid drew level following a penalty scored by Juanito in the fifteenth minute.

[11] Real Madrid automatically qualified for the first round, where they drew 0–0 away in their first match against Romanian team Baia Mare.

After the first leg at the San Siro resulted in a 1–1 draw, Madrid won 2–1 at home at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

[10] The two teams drew 2–2 during the first leg in Vienna, and Madrid qualified for the final with a 3–1 victory at home on 20 April.

[13] They had more success in the European Cup, having won the competition during its inaugural year in 1956, and retained the trophy for the following four seasons.

[15] Prior to the match, some of Aberdeen's supporters travelled to Gothenburg by fishing boat from Scotland, whilst others slept on the streets next to the stadium.

[15] Real Madrid player Uli Stielike was recovering from a thigh injury prior to the match, but was cleared by the club's doctors.

[15] Likewise, Aberdeen's Eric Black was declared fit to play for this match after being injured for a month.

[16] Aberdeen full-back Stuart Kennedy was named as a substitute, despite being injured in the Semi-Final and unable to play, as a mark of respect from Alex Ferguson.

The referee made an inspection of the pitch prior to kick-off and determined that the surface was fit to play upon.

Madrid's goalkeeper Agustín misdirected a goal kick, Gordon Strachan broke away from his marker and chested the ball down.

He lobbed the ball forward to Eric Black who hit a twenty-yard volley towards the Madrid goal.

Alex McLeish of Aberdeen passed the ball back to goalkeeper Jim Leighton, but it became stuck in the mud part way in the penalty area.

Leighton rushed out from the goal line to claim the ball but took down Madrid striker Santillana in the process.

[16] Madrid dominated the remainder of the half, with John Metgod and Uli Stielike looking particularly comfortable in defence and midfield, respectively.

[16] Match rules The local police reported that only five arrests were made of fans for being drunk and disorderly.