MX23RW : Saturday, May 18 14:44:40| >> :120:5374:5374:

On this day: Tony Morley double beats Dynamo Berlin

Thirty-four years ago today, Tony Morley scored both of Aston Villa's goals in their 2-1 European Cup win over East German champions Dynamo Berlin.

Peter Withe will forever be remembered fondly by the Aston Villa faithful for the fact that he scored the only goal of the game in the 1982 European Cup final against Bayern Munich.

Yet, while Withe was the hero of the campaign, another player that made a major contribution to the goal was Tony Morley, who drilled in the low cross that saw the centre-forward find the back of the net via the post.

It would also be fair to suggest that without Morley, Villa would not have made the final. It was his goal against Anderlecht in the semi-final that sent Villa to Rotterdam, while 34 years ago today the winger was in fine form during the first leg of his side's second-round tie away at Dynamo Berlin.

The East German champions had overcome Zurich on away goals in the previous round and were regarded to be particularly tough opposition at home, but with Morley running riot, Villa were able to take a positive result with them back to Villa Park.

There was only five minutes on the clock when Des Bremner's cross, which was intended for Gary Shaw, was cleared as far as Morley on the edge of the Berlin penalty box. Rather than take a touch, the No.11 produced an instant volley that flew into the back of the net.

However, shortly after the restart, Ron Saunders's team were pegged back. The Villa defence failed to deal with Ralf Strasser's deep cross and Hans-Jurgen Riediger was on hand to bundle the ball past Jimmy Rimmer from close range.

The equaliser sparked a period of sustained domination from the hosts and it appeared that they would take the lead in the 81st minute when Villa substitute Ivor Linton was adjudged to have fouled Wolf-Rudiger Netz, despite replays having shown that he had taken the ball first.

However, Artur Ulrich's kick from 12 yards struck the post and when the rebound fell his way, Rimmer showed swift reactions to turn the second shot over the crossbar with his outstretched foot.

Still Berlin pushed forward in search of a second goal, yet it was from one of their ventures forward that Morley ensured it would be advantage Villa for the second leg in Birmingham.

A corner was cleared by Withe, which saw Morley pick up the loose ball midway inside the Villa half. The England international then proceeded to negotiate his way beyond one sliding challenge, before he sped away from the retreating defence. All of a sudden he found himself inside the Berlin area, where he kept his composure to slot the ball down the centre of the goal.

Not only did it seal a 2-1 win, it proved to be the crucial moment in the tie because although Berlin triumphed 1-0 in the return meeting thanks to Frank Terletzki's goal, Villa advanced through to the quarter-finals on the away goals rule.

Villa: Rimmer; Williams, Ormsby, Mortimer, Gibson; Evans, Bremner, Shaw, Morley, Cowans; Withe

ID:252339: cacheID:252339:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5180:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
French football player Didier Six fights the ball on July 8, 1982 prior the World Cup semifinal match between West Germany and France, in the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium in Seville
Read Next:
OTD: Villa beat Man United on Six's debut
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City37277393336088
2Arsenal37275589286186
3Liverpool372310484414379
4Aston Villa37208976562068
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs371961271611063
6Chelsea371791175621360
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle371761481602157
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd37176145558-357
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham371410135971-1252
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton371212135560-548
11Bournemouth37139155365-1248
12Crystal Palace371210155258-646
13Wolverhampton WanderersWolves37137175063-1346
14Fulham37128175159-844
15Everton37139153949-1040
16Brentford37109185461-739
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3789204766-1929
18Luton TownLuton3768235081-3126
RBurnley3759234076-3624
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd37372735101-6616


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!