"29 May 1991 was the date. Bari's Stadio San Nicola on Italy's idyllic southern Adriatic coast was the stage and Yugoslavian giants Crvena Zvezda were the shining stars. The Red Stars. Captain and goalkeeper of the Belgrade behemoths was Steven Stojanovic, front and centre in the photos as he hoisted the European Cup above his head, surrounded by his team-mates in the wake of their attritional victory over Bernard Tapie's well-funded Marseille in the final."
"Both sides had enthralled on their way to the showpiece, which was ultimately decided on penalties. The goal-less game didn't live up to the hype. "I think it was the most boring final in European Cup history," midfielder Sinisa Mihajlovic said years after the match. It didn't matter. They scored all five of their spot-kicks, having had a full season of practice with drawn league matches that campaign being settled by a shootout as well."
"At the time, Red Star were the real deal. Rangers assistant Walter Smith's blunt two-word warning to then-manager Graeme Souness after returning from a scouting mission to watch them ahead of a second-round clash that season was testament to that. It seemed they had the world at their feet. The mercurial Robert Prosinecki. The graceful Mihajlovic. The prolific Darko Pancev. The lightning-fast Dragisa Binic. They were a match for any of the European contenders of the late 1980s and early 90s."
Red Star Belgrade secured the European Cup on 29 May 1991 at Bari's Stadio San Nicola after a goalless final decided by penalties against Marseille. Steven Stojanovic captained and lifted the trophy as the team converted all five spot-kicks, following a season where drawn league matches were often settled by shootouts. The squad featured top talents such as Robert Prosinecki, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Darko Pancev and Dragisa Binic, and matched Europe's leading clubs in quality. The team's momentum and future European prospects ended when the squad fragmented amid the outbreak of war.
Read at www.bbc.com
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