The 1997 UEFA Champions League final took place on May 28, 1997, at the Olympiastadion in Munich.
Borussia Dortmund faced Juventus and emerged victorious with a 3-1 win.
Dortmund took the lead in the 29th minute with a goal by Karl-Heinz Riedle, who then scored a second goal five minutes later.
Juventus managed to pull one back through Alessandro Del Piero in the 65th minute. However, Dortmund sealed their victory with a memorable long-range chip from super substitute Lars Ricken, just 16 seconds after he came onto the pitch, making it 3-1
This victory marked Borussia Dortmund's first and only Champions League title to date.
The team was managed by Ottmar Hitzfeld, while Juventus was led by Marcello Lippi.
Despite efforts from key Juventus players like Zinedine Zidane, they couldn't overcome the organized Dortmund defense and effective counter-attacks
A heated match between Juventus and Inter Milan during the 1997-98 season left not only football fans, but also politicians, in uproar.
Tensions ran high after Juventus was denied a penalty, leading to a 0-0 draw and a subsequent 1-0 victory for Inter Milan. However, the controversy reached its peak during the match when referee Piero Ceccarini opted not to award a penalty for a foul committed by Juventus' Mark Iuliano on Inter forward Ronaldo.
Adding fuel to the fire, Juventus, leading 1-0 at the time, was eventually granted a penalty just moments later. However, Alessandro Del Piero failed to convert it. Despite this, Juventus clinched the game with a 1-0 victory, securing the scudetto with a five-point lead.
The aftermath of the match spilled into the political arena, causing a stir in the Italian parliament. During a publicly broadcast "question time" session in April 1998, Domenico Gramazio of the National Alliance erupted, reportedly shouting "They are all thieves!" at Massimo Mauro, a fellow politician and former Juventus player representing the ruling Democrats of the Left.
The spectacle prompted outrage from Walter Veltroni, then-Deputy Prime Minister, who denounced the behavior as "unworthy, embarrassing, and grotesque." The session had to be abruptly suspended, and repercussions followed for several politicians involved.
The incident highlighted the deep intertwining of football and politics in Italian society, where the passion for the sport often spills over into other aspects of public life, sometimes with tumultuous consequences.
