1985 Intercontinental Cup

1985 Intercontinental Cup
Official programme
EventIntercontinental Cup
Juventus Argentinos Juniors
Italy Argentina
2 2
After extra time
Juventus won 4–2 on penalties
Date8 December 1985
VenueNational Stadium, Tokyo
Man of the MatchMichel Platini (Juventus)
RefereeVolker Roth (West Germany)
Attendance62,000

The 1985 Intercontinental Cup was an Association football match played on 8 December 1985, between Juventus, winners of the 1984–85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in the history of the tournament for technical and agonistic level,[1] the match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo. It was Juventus' second appearance into the competition, after replacing Ajax in 1973.

Venue

Tokyo
Olympic Stadium
Capacity: 48,000

Match

Summary

Despite Juventus arriving in Tokyo as the favorites to win the match,[2] Argentinos Juniors' performance surpassed expectations,[3] efficacy and the play of 20-year old forward Claudio Borghi.[4]

After a balanced first half in which the Italian side seemed more comfortable, Argentinos Juniors took control early in the second. In the 55th minute, Carlos Ereros appeared on a typical diagonal run—one of his trademarks—after a pass from Mario Videla, and chipped the ball over Stefano Tacconi's head.[5]

Then, in the 63rd minute, Michel Platini leveled the score with a penalty after defender Jorge Olguín fouled Aldo Serena. But in the 75th minute, Claudio Borghi, one of the key players for the Argentinos Juniors side, played a through ball to José Antonio Castro, who curled a shot across goal and into the top corner to put his team in a 2–1 advantage. "When Borghi got the ball, I made a run and knew he was coming towards my side. I was able to connect perfectly, and the ball went in at the far post," Castro recounted.[5]

Finally, at 82 minutes, Danish forward Michael Laudrup put the finishing touch on a skillful attacking maneuver by Juventus and scored the 2–2.[5] As after an extra time the score remained the same, a Penalty shoot-out was conducted to determine a winner. Sergio Batista and José Luis Pavoni failed for Argentinos Juniors while conversions by Sergio Brio, Antonio Cabrini, Serena, and Platini set the 4–2 on penalties that allowed Juventus to win their first Intercontinental trophy.[6]

Some moments of the match, fltr: Claudio Borghi carrying the ball, Juventus attacking, the 2nd goal by Carlos Ereros, and Michel Platini marked by Emilio Commisso, and players of Juventus celebrating with the trophy

Details

Juventus
Argentinos Juniors

Man of the Match:
Michel Platini (Juventus)

Aftermath

Michel Platini being awarded man of the match

The final is regarded as the best Intercontinental Cup ever played, due to the technical virtues of both teams.[4]

The Argentinos Juniors performance received critical acclaim from both, the press[6][2][3] and their rivals.[5] Thirty years after the final, Borghi himself admitted that Argentinos Juniors lost the final because its players relayed excessively in their conditions.[6]

We had a very important rival, in times where there were not so many videos to analyze the rival as today. We stayed in the same hotel than Juventus and therefore we met their players all the time. It was a very nice experience

— Claudio Borghi, remembering the final during a radio interview in 2015, ESPN [6]

Dino Zoff, a true legend of Italian football, said that never in history had a rival team played Juventus that way in a final

— José A. Castro [5]

After their triumph in the competition, Juventus became the first football team ever—remained the only one until 2022—to have won all official continental competitions and the world title.[7][8][9]

Also, Italian defenders Gaetano Scirea and Antonio Cabrini became the first European footballers to have won all international club competitions and Giovanni Trapattoni, the first European manager in association football history to do so.[10]

French midfielder Michel Platini was awarded as man of the match.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Aldo Proieto (10 December 1985). "Juventus-Argentinos: Un partido inolvidable". El Gráfico (in Spanish). 3453.
  2. 1 2 Argentinos Juniors vs. Juventus: la final Intercontinental que encendió al mundo by Sebastián Agustinelli at espn.com.ar, 8 Dec 2025
  3. 1 2 "30 años de una de las mejores finales de la Intercontinental: Juventus - Argentinos Jrs". Todo Noticias (in Spanish). 8 December 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 en, Seguir (16 November 2017). "Se jugó la mejor final Intercontinental de todas: Argentinos Juniors-Juventus". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Aquella inolvidable final entre Argentinos Juniors y Juventus at pagina12.com.ar. 12 Dec 2020
  6. 1 2 3 4 Claudio Borghi: "Argentinos perdió la final con Juventus por confiar en su jerarquía", ESPN, 8 Dec 2015
  7. ↑ In addition, Juventus F.C. were the first club in association football history to have won all possible confederation competitions (e.g. the international tournaments organised by UEFA) and remain tied with Tunisia's Étoile Sportive du Sahel as the only in the world to achieve this. Cf. "Legend: List of UEFA club competitions". Union des Associations Européennes de Football. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2006.
    "ES du Sahel: Étoile Sahel, an African institution". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "La primera final italiana" (PDF) (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. 15 May 2003. p. 55. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  9. ↑ "We are the champions". Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 1 December 2005. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  10. ↑ "Il presidente Tessone ce l'ha con l'arbitro" (in Italian). La Stampa. 9 December 1985. p. 16. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
  11. ↑ "Toyota Cup - Most Valuable Player of the Match Award". Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2009.
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