Few substitutions have had a more instant impact than Gianfranco Zola in the 1998 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.
The Chelsea legend clinched his side glory in the now-abolished competition by netting the winning goal less than 30 seconds after coming off the bench against Stuttgart.
AFPChelsea won the European Cup Winners’ Cup twice, in 1971 and 1998[/caption]Victory at the Rasunda Stadium in Stockholm was the Blues’ second European title, and they have since gone on to add a further six continental crowns to their collection.
The Londoners have lifted both the Champions League and Europa League on two occasions, as well as twice claiming the UEFA Super Cup.
This means that Enzo Maresca‘s side head into tonight’s Europa Conference League final against Real Betis with a shot at becoming the first-ever side to win all five of UEFA’s major men’s senior club competitions.
And the current crop of Blues stars will be looking to take inspiration from the club icons who have delivered European glory in the past.
Didier Drogba‘s heroics to deliver a first-ever Champions League to Stamford Bridge in 2012 will live long in the memory of fans.
But fans of a certain age are likely to reflect just as fondly on another all-time great’s display in a major final, with Zola writing his name into folklore 27 years ago.
Victory in the Cup Winners’ Cup may have looked unlikely months earlier, when the late Gianluca Vialli took over as player-manager of Chelsea in February 1998 following Ruud Gullit’s sacking.
However, this proved an inspired appointment, with the Italian leading the Blues to League Cup glory in March, before overseeing a memorable European run.
Their run to the final was certainly eventful, first overcoming a snow-blizzard to get past Norwegian side Tromso in the second round.
Then under Vialli, Chelsea followed this up with a quarter-final win over Real Betis, before a final four tie for the ages against Vicenza.
Chelsea are targeting a seventh European title in the Europa Conference League final GettyGianluca Vialli took charge of Chelsea between 1998 and 2001, starting his tenure with European glory in his first season[/caption] GettyThe Blues’ victorious Cup Winners’ Cup run saw them battle the elements away to Tromso in the second round[/caption]With Chelsea 1-0 down from the first leg, the Italian side looked to have put the tie out of reach with an early away goal, before goals from Gus Poyet, Zola and Mark Hughes sealed an incredible comeback at Stamford Bridge.
This set-up an all-important final showdown in Stockholm against a Stuttgart side managed by future Germany boss Joachim Low.
A number of Blues stars faced a race to be fit for the clash, including Zola, who was only named on the bench after recovering from a groin injury just in time.
And it was Chelsea’s main man who they would call upon to make the difference in a tight game, introducing him to the action in the 69th minute.
It took just 20 seconds for Zola to make his mark, as he latched onto Dennis Wise’s through ball before firing a half-volley into the net.
The goal sparked wild celebrations from players and fans, while commentator Barry Davies exclaimed from the gantry: “It would appear that Stuttgart hadn’t realised he’d come on!”
GettyGianfranco Zola caught the Stuttgart defence off guard to win Chelsea the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998[/caption] GettyThe Italian netted four goals during the Blues’ victorious European campaign[/caption]The strike proved to be the difference, as the Blues held on for the remaining 20 minutes to clinch a first European trophy since their previous Cup Winners’ Cup glory in 1971.
After the match, Vialli admitted the credit lay with assistant manager Graham Rix for the game-changing substitution, who had decided to bring on Zola with the Chelsea boss out on the pitch.
He said after the match: “It was `Ricco’ [Rix]! He had a feeling it was right, so he takes the credit.
“But the credit has to be shared between all the chaps because everybody did great tonight – and I am over the moon.”
As for Zola, he had celebrated emotionally after netting the winner, and later admitted he hadn’t been pleased at only being among the substitutes when reflecting on the momentous occasion.
He told the Daily Mail in 2018: “I got injured 20 days before. I didn’t think I was going to be able to play, so I was very lucky to make it.
Gianluca Vialli led Chelsea to four major trophies whilst in charge at Stamford BridgeGetty“To score was a dream. The way I celebrated explained everything about what it meant to me. I wasn’t very pleased not be starting! I always cared, so I was unhappy I wasn’t playing. That’s the way I reacted.
“I was very proud of that game. A few years before I played in the same final in Copenhagen and lost to Arsenal with Parma so I was really looking forward to it.”
Chelsea would later round off a memorable few months with victory in the UEFA Super Cup in August that year, beating Champions League winners Real Madrid 1-0 in the first edition of the annual one-off match,
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