The Juventus players knew a victory against the English power would not come easily The teams met at Heysel Stadium in Brussels Belgium The day began in violence and tragedy Before the game a fight erupted in the stands When Liverpool fans charged the Juventus section a wall collapsed In the end 39 people died and more FAST FACT Giovanni Trapattoni who managed Juventus to the European championship in 1985 won the European Cup title as a player with AC Milan in 1963 and 1969 than 600 were injured It was one of the worst examples of the fan violence that plagued European soccer in the 1980s The tragedy eventually resulted in many changes that improved fan safety Despite calls to postpone the game it began after a two-hour delay After 56 minutes of scoreless play Rescuers search for victims at Heysel Stadium after fans of Liverpool and Juventus rioted in the stands Juventus got the break it needed The referee ruled that a Juventus player had been fouled in the penalty area 7
EUROPEAN SOCCER The European soccer season is broken down into different levels of competition It can be confusing to keep track of it all Here’s a handy guide to help you follow the action League Play The 20 best teams in Italy play in Serie A Teams play all league opponents twice each season for 38 total games The three teams with the worst records are relegated or sent down to Serie B which sends its top three teams up to replace them the next season Serie A was officially founded in 1898 It has operated in its current format of each team playing the others twice since 1929 European Play The top three teams in Serie A qualify for the Union of European Football Associations UEFA Champions League This annual tournament involves the best teams from the top leagues throughout Europe The Champions League debuted in 1992 It replaced the European Cup a similar tournament that began in 1955 The next three teams from Serie A qualify for the UEFA Europa League The Europa League is Europe’s second-tier tournament It runs in a similar manner to the Champions League but crowns its own winner The Europa League debuted in 1971 as the UEFA Cup but was renamed Europa League in 2009 Domestic Cups Teams from the top four levels of Italian soccer are eligible to play in the Coppa Italia or Italian Cup Nearly 80 teams from Serie A through Serie D can enter Founded in 1922 the tournament consists of eight rounds over two phases The highest-ranked Serie A teams enter at the Round of 16 8
Michel Platini’s shot heads toward the net as Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar left goes in the other direction A penalty kick was awarded and Juventus turned to Platini to give his team a lead The King Comes Through Platini was the obvious choice He would soon be named the top player in Europe for the third straight year The man known simply as The King had already scored six goals during that year’s European Cup play FAST FACT Platini retired as a player after the 1986 87 season and went on to manage the French national team from 1988 to 1992 9
