Porto lost the 1983 Portuguese Cup final to league champions Benfica, which allowed their participation in the 1983–84 Cup Winners' Cup as losing cup finalists. They eliminated Dinamo Zagreb, Rangers, and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach their first European semi-final.&lt;ref name="1983/84"&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; The competition draw paired Porto with the holders Aberdeen, managed by Alex Ferguson. Taking a 1–0 lead to Pittodrie, Porto resisted to the attacking pressure of their opponents. In the 76th minute, Vermelhinho scored the only goal of the match, which confirmed Porto's place in their first European final. "We simply were not good enough against Porto", said Ferguson in the aftermath. This feat was met with such enthusiasm that the plane returning the team to Porto could not land because the runway had been invaded by supporters. The final against Juventus was contested at the former St. Jakob Stadium in Basel, where Portuguese supporters were a minority. The Italians were the favourites and started off well, taking the lead through Beniamino Vignola in the 13th minute. Seventeen minutes later, António Sousa equalised for Porto, but the Portuguese side could not prevent Zbigniew Boniek from scoring Juventus's winning goal just before half-time. Despite the defeat, this final was a stepping stone in the growth of the club's international reputation.