Vitória’s greatest European night: downing Carlo Ancelloti’s mighty Parma | OneFootball

On the day Vitória wind up the league phase of what has been a brilliant UEFA Conference League campaign against Italian opposition, Fiorentina, PortuGOAL’s resident football historian Miguel Lourenço Pereira looks back at the northern club’s most memorable achievement in European club competition.

The year is 1996 and Parma, one of the continent’s strongest sides at the time, were in for a rude surprise at the Estádio Dom Afonso Henriques.

There was no bigger powerhouse in European football during the 1990s than Italian football. Among the giants of old and the titans who emerged in those years, fewer sides were as feared and respected as AS Parma. No, they never won the Scudetto but, over the decade, they became serial competitors in cup runs, both domestic and in continental runs. Three European finals in six years tells the tale. It is why, when they visited Guimarães, in the autumn of 1996, many expected a thrashing. But instead, they achieved the club’s most memorable European night.

Parma’s golden years

Vitória SC is the biggest club in Portugal never to win the league. Parma is perhaps the most successful Italian side who never captured the famed Scudetto. Comparisons end there. While the Italian side were relatively minnows throughout their history, raised to the heavens of Italian football when the local company Parmalat began to invest heavily in sports, Vitória has been the best-supported side north of Porto for decades now. They simply end up underperforming more often than not.

Parma comes from a rich region, the Reggio-Emilia, known for their cheese, automobile industry and textile factories. Yet, they are no match for their neighbours and rivals Bologna. At least, they weren’t until the late 1980s. It was then when money finally started to pour in. The club signed Arrigo Sacchi and when he moved to AC Milan went for Nevio Scala. An inspiring move that took the Crociati up to the Serie A and turn them into contenders. They ditched the old crossed-like kit for the yellow, blue and white of Parmalat and star players began to land around the Ennio Tardini.

In 1992 they won the Italian Cup and the following year beat Antwerp at Wembley in the Cup Winners Cup final. A memorable showdown against AC Milan for the European Supercup followed. They became the second favourite team for many who grew up in those years. In 1993/94 they beat Benfica in the Cup Winners Cup semis before losing the final to Arsenal. They have established themselves up above and began the 1995/96 as serial favourites to win the UEFA Cup. When the draw came out, few in Italy raised an eyebrow knowing the side would have to travel to Portugal, especially because they were up again a side few knew back them. They were in for a surprise.

Vitória on a high

Contrary to the Italians, Vitória had been playing in Europe since 1969. Only, they weren’t as good. The Guimarães side took part in the last two Intercity Fairs Cup editions and were beaten in the second round by Southampton and Hibernian respectively. During the 1970s they became Intertoto Cup regulars and in 1983/84 were hammered by former European champions Aston Villa in the early round of the UEFA Cup. Their greatest moment had come when they overcame famed Atlético de Madrid in 1986 to go as far as the last eight in the tournament, only to be bested by Borussia Monchengladbach.

The following season they reached the last sixteen on what was their best period in history, culminating in a Portuguese Supercup win against mighty FC Porto. They were still without winning a Cup or a league title in Portugal despite having one of the most dedicated group of supporters in the land.

They were also a key side in the development of Portuguese football around the Ave river north of Porto. After the April 25th military coup, the gross of the national industry moved north from the Tagus south bank around the Setúbal area up to the north of Porto. With money came success, even if short-lived for some. While historical sides such as Vitória FC, Barreirense, CUF or Montijo went on a downward spiral, others such as Penafiel, Rio Ave, Famalicão, Gil Vicente, Tirsense, Paços de Ferreira and Varzim grasped the occasion to go on the up.

Star-studded Parma come to town

None more so than Vitória. In the 1990s, they started to challenge, alongside Boavista, the power of the Big Three, miles ahead of their regional rivals Braga. Usually finishing the league on a top five position for the span of the decade, they eventually turned themselves into European regulars in the UEFA Cup. Fenerbache, Ajax and then Barcelona ended their campaigns over the previous years and when Parma came to town many hoped for a better outcome even knowing that the Italian squad had players such as Lilian Thuram, Enrico Chiesa, Dino Baggio, Gianluiggi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and, above all else, Gianfranco Zola. They also had a young manager that many hoped would become a success story, a certain Carlo Ancelloti.

The Italians proved their worth over the first-leg by winning 2-1. Chiesa scored a double and Gilmar got one back for the visitors. It opened perspectives for the return, having that all important away goal in their basket, but, still, few could fathom the possibility of knocking out and soundly beating the Italians. Yet that was how it played out.

Jaime Pacheco’s men stun Italians

On the 26th of September, Jaime Pacheco’s men took to the pitch of the D. Afonso Henriques ground that wasn’t even half full, a sign perhaps of the low expectations of the fans of turning things around. Pacheco, who would later be famed by turning Boavista into unexpected league champions, preferred a no-nonsense approach, taking advantage of quality players over the wings in Nuno Capucho and Vitor Paneira supporting two very mobile strikers in Riva and Gilmar.

The defence was full of tough hard-tackling players such as José Carlos, Quim Berto, Alexandre and Marcos Freitas and in goal the iconic Neno, one of the most beloved players of his generation in Portuguese football. Vitória began the match with the upper hand. Teenage Italian goalkeeper Buffon saved a shot from Gilmar and then, in the 17th minute, Vitor Paneira scored the opener to level the aggregate score in favour of the locals. A cracking lob over the future world-star goalkeeper that meant the world to Paneira, a former Benfica legend who suffered the ignominious defeat back in the 1994 semis.

Instead of sitting back, the locals pressed for the second. Over 28.000 people were at the ground – little more than two thirds of the full capacity – and screamed their lungs out when Riva’s shot hit the woodwork. Coming back from the break Parma still weren’t able to respond to the more aggressive and pressing game of the Portuguese. Ricardo scored a beautiful goal, only to be wrongfully disallowed for offside and, a few seconds later, the winger did get one on his name with a header.

Two goals up and now Parma had to score to force the extra-time. Still, the upper hand of the game remained with Vitória as they were clinical in ending any Italian effort around Neno’s goal. When Marc Batta, the French referee who would later be famed in Portuguese football for sending off Rui Costa in a match against Germany, whistled for the final time, Guimarães erupted in a party spirit that lasted all night long. It was the most brilliant and memorable European win of the side in their almost thirty years history of continental runs. It remains so today.

Overtaken by regional rivals

Vitória would eventually be beaten by Anderlecht after two draws and never again enjoyed such an unexpected triumph. The club weren’t able to capitalize on that domestically and not only saw how Boavista, managed by Pacheco, achieve what they never could but also, had to see how their regional rivals Sporting Braga became the fourth most powerful force in the land in the new millennium. Still, the Guimarães ground reverberates like no other and they long for European nights as memorable as the one when an Italian giant came to town to be humbled by those who are still proud of being the founders of a nation called Portugal.