Every UEFA Champions League Final Ranked From Worst To Best
18. Juventus 1-1 Ajax (1996)
Juventus went into the 1996 as uncharacteristic underdogs.
Though the attacking trident of Fabrizio Ravanelli, Gianluca Vialli and Alessandro Del Piero impressed, it had been nine years since their last European Cup campaign.
Ajax, by contrast, were enjoying a golden age under Louis Van Gaal and came into the final as holders, with a team bursting with young talent in every department.
But anyone hoping for a Dutch masterclass in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico ended up disappointed with Ajax proving uncharacteristically muted on the night.
They got off to the worst possible start, with a defensive mix-up involving Frank de Boer and Edwin Van der Sar letting Ravanelli score the opener from an impossibly tight angle.
Though Ajax did rally and eventually equalised four minutes before half time, with Jari Litmanen pouncing on a poor, punched, clearance from Juve goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi, that was as good as it got for the Amsterdam giants.
Just when it seemed like Ajax were in the ascendency, Juventus took control, dominating the second half and extra time without finding a way past Van Der Sar.
It eventually came down to penalties with Edgar Davids and Sonny Silooy missing spot kicks for the Dutch before Vladimir Jugovic won it for Juve.
While the game remains a source of many happy memories in Turin, Ajax fans and former players continue to question the validity of the result after it emerged a Juventus club doctor had been providing players with pre-match “supplements” around this time.