Three English teams have qualified for the finals of this year’s European competitions – in the Champions League, Arsenal will face PSG; in the Europa League, Aston Villa will play Freiburg and Crystal Palace will face Rayo Vallecano.
Three English teams, one French, one German, and one Spanish. This represents a clear British dominance in UEFA competitions, paralleled only in 1990, considering only seasons with three European competitions.
In that year of bad memories for Benfica, Milan beat them in the European Cup final in Vienna, with a goal from Frank Rijkaard. In the UEFA Cup (predecessor to the Europa League), Juventus beat Fiorentina 3-1 over two legs. Rui Barros lifted the trophy.
Finally, in a competition already forgotten by many, the Cup Winners’ Cup was won by Sampdoria, who finished fifth in Serie A but had players like Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, and Gianluca Pagliuca.
