1972 European Cup Winners' Cup final participating team Rangers F.C.
The 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match between Scottish team Rangers and Soviet team Dynamo Moscow. It took place at the Camp Nou in Barcelona on 24 May 1972 in front of a crowd of 35,000. It was the final of the 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup, one of three football competitions run by UEFA at the time. It was the 12th European Cup Winners' Cup final in history.
Both teams had to go through four qualifying rounds to get reach the final. Rangers won three of their four qualifying ties in regulation time, with their second round tie against Sporting CP going into extra time. Dynamo was required to win a penalty shootout to beat Dynamo Berlin in their semi-final. The final was the Rangers' third in European competition, having lost the previous two in 1961 and 1967. This was the first time a Soviet team had reached a European final.
Rangers scored two goals before half time and added a third minutes into the second half. Dynamo pulled a goal back midway through the second half and scored a late second towards the end of the game. The match finished 3–2 to Rangers.
The end of the match was overshadowed by a pitch invasion just before full time. The fans were cleared so the final minute of the match could be played. Fans made their way back onto the pitch once the final whistle had been blown, causing Rangers captain John Greig having to be awarded the trophy inside the stadium buildings. Despite the off-field violence the victory is considered to be the greatest in the club's history and the team was given the nickname the Barcelona Bears.
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