# 1981–82 European Cup
The 1981–82 European Cup, officially the [European Champion Clubs' Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-champion-clubs-cup), was the 27th season of UEFA's premier club football competition and was won by Aston Villa, who beat FC Bayern München 1-0 in the final at [De Kuip](https://www.edgepedia.org/de-kuip) in [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam) on 26 May 1982, with Peter Withe scoring the only goal in the 67th minute.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) It was Villa's first season in the competition, and the victory made them the sixth English club in a row to lift the trophy.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1981/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Winner | Aston Villa, in their first season in the competition[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/) |
| Final | Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern München, De Kuip, Rotterdam, 26 May 1982, attendance 46,000; Withe 67'[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) |
| Villa's route | Valur (7-0 aggregate), Berliner FC Dynamo (2-2 on away goals), Dynamo Kyiv (2-0), RSC Anderlecht (1-0)[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) |
| Bayern's route | Beat CSKA Sofia 7-4 on aggregate in the semi-final, Breitner and Rummenigge scoring twice each in the second leg[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/) |
| Holders | Liverpool, eliminated by CSKA Sofia in the quarter-finals[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/) |
| Season totals | 166 goals in 122 matches; top scorers Dieter Hoeness (7), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (6), Paul Breitner (5)[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1981/) |
## Aston Villa's campaign
Aston Villa entered as champions of England for the 1980-81 season and opened with a 7-0 aggregate win over Valur of Iceland in the first round.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) The second round against Berliner FC Dynamo of East Germany was the tightest tie of their run: Villa won the first leg 2-1 away, lost 1-0 at home, and advanced 2-2 on aggregate under the away-goals rule.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html)
In the quarter-finals Villa drew 0-0 in the Soviet Union against Dynamo Kyiv, whose first leg was played in [Simferopol](https://www.edgepedia.org/simferopol), and won the home leg 2-0.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) The semi-final against RSC Anderlecht, who were appearing in their fifth European final campaign, was decided by a single Tony Morley goal at [Villa Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/villa-park), with a 0-0 second leg in Belgium.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/)
## Bayern München's campaign
Bayern, managed by Pál Csernai, came through the other half of the draw with heavy scoring. After eliminating [Östers IF](https://www.edgepedia.org/osters-if) and Benfica, they beat Universitatea Craiova 3-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) Their semi-final against CSKA Sofia was the highest-scoring tie of the season: Bayern lost the first leg 4-3 in Sofia, then won the return in Munich 4-0, with two goals apiece from [Paul Breitner](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-breitner) and [Karl-Heinz Rummenigge](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-heinz-rummenigge), for a 7-4 aggregate.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/) • [1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html)
## The final
The final at Feyenoord's stadium in Rotterdam was goalless at half-time before Withe finished a Morley cross in the 67th minute.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) The decisive early event was an injury to Villa's regular goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer, who was replaced by substitute Nigel Spink in the ninth minute; Spink's performance, alongside Withe's goal, is remembered as central to the 1-0 win.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1981/)
Villa's team was Rimmer (Spink 9); Swain, Evans, McNaught, Williams; Bremner, Cowans, Mortimer; Shaw, Withe, Morley, with Tony Barton as trainer. Bayern fielded Muller; Dremmler, Weiner, Augenthaler, Horsmann; Mathy (Güttler 51), Breitner, Kraus (Niedermayer 78), Dürnberger; Rummenigge, Hoeness. The referee was Konrath of France.[1](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html)
## Context and aftermath
The holders Liverpool, most pundits' pre-season favorites, were eliminated in the quarter-finals by CSKA Sofia, the Bulgarian side Liverpool had thrashed at Anfield twelve months earlier taking revenge over two legs.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/)
The season's aggregate statistics show 166 goals in 122 matches, with Bayern players topping the scoring chart: Dieter Hoeness with 7 goals, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge with 6, and Paul Breitner with 5.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1981/) Villa defended the trophy the following season but lost to Juventus in the quarter-finals, and the club's subsequent decline meant the 1982 final remained, for decades, the high point of the club's history.[4](https://apnews.com/article/e6be59fbf4a332f48ad07a7de1a7ac0c)
## References
1. [European Competitions 1981-82, RSSSF](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec198182.html)
2. [1981/82: Withe brings Villa glory, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0254-0d7b1e154752-f2cfb521c62d-1000--1981-82-withe-brings-villa-glory/)
3. [Season 1981/82, UEFA Champions League history, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1981/)
4. [Days after being suspended Emi Martinez has Prince William celebrating in the Champions League, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e6be59fbf4a332f48ad07a7de1a7ac0c)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › UEFA competitions › UEFA club competitions › European Cup and UEFA Champions League*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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