Manchester United had a long wait before adding to their 1968 European Cup win as over 30 years passed without the Red Devils winning the famous trophy. But in 1997, a young United side, featuring Giggs, gave the first indication that long wait was set to end as they put in a spirited performance to see off Italian giants Juventus in a Group Stage game. Without the injured Roy Keane and bereft of Nicky Butt, United got off to the worst possible start as Alessandro del Piero stunned Old Trafford to give the visitors the opener after 20 seconds. Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes changed the complexion of the game however before Ryan Giggs capped a fantastic team performance by darting down the wing and unleashing a thunderous shot into the top corner of Juve's goal from a tight angle to put his side 3-1 ahead. Zinedine Zidane scored a stoppage time free kick but United hung on to a memorable win, and within two years they were champions of Europe again.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
