Bayern Munich won their first European Cup in the only final to require a replay, ending Ajax's three-year reign as champions.
Key Facts
- Tournament edition
- 19th season of the European Cup
- Winner
- Bayern Munich (first title)
- Final format
- Replayed after 1–1 draw after extra time
- Runner-up
- Atlético Madrid
- Defending champions eliminated
- Ajax knocked out in second round by CSKA September Flag
- First German winner
- First time the cup went to Germany
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ajax had dominated European football for three consecutive seasons, but their elimination by CSKA September Flag in the second round opened the competition. Bayern Munich, an emerging West German powerhouse, advanced through the bracket to meet Atlético Madrid in the final, which ended 1–1 after extra time—an outcome unprecedented in the tournament's history.
The 1973–74 European Cup final between Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid required a replay, the only such occasion in the competition's final. Bayern Munich won the replay, claiming their first European Cup title and becoming the first German club to lift the trophy.
Bayern Munich's victory inaugurated a three-year period of domination for the club, who went on to win the European Cup in each of the following two seasons. The tournament also marked the definitive end of Ajax's era of supremacy in European club football.