Teams 28 (26 competed) Champion Real Madrid C.F. Matches played 55 | Dates 26 Aug 1958 – 3 Jun 1959 Goals scored 199 | |
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Champions Real Madrid (4th title) Similar 1961–62 European Cup, 1963–64 European Cup, 1965–66 European Cup, 1968–69 European Cup, 1972–73 European Cup | ||
The 1958–59 European Cup was the fourth season of the European Cup, Europe's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Real Madrid for the fourth time in a row, who beat Stade Reims 2–0 in the final at Neckarstadion, Stuttgart, on 3 June 1959. The two finalists also competed in the final of the first European Cup in 1956.
Contents
This season was the first one in which Turkey sent its official national champion, and the first time of a Finnish participation. Olympiakos, Greece's first-ever entrants, withdrew for political reasons before playing their first tie. Spain continued to be represented by its runners-up, as its champions Real Madrid had already qualified as holders.
Preliminary round
The draw for the preliminary round took place in Cannes, France, on Wednesday, 2 July 1958. As title holders, Real Madrid received a bye, and the remaining 27 teams were grouped geographically into three pots. The first drawn team in each pot also received byes, while the remaining clubs would play the preliminary round in September.
The calendar was decided by the involved teams, with all matches to be played by 30 September.
Note: Real Madrid, Wolverhampton Wanderers, CDNA Sofia and HPS received byes.
1 Olympiacos withdrew due to international political issues, refusing to play in Istanbul following the long-standing tension between Turkey and Greece.
2 Manchester United had been invited to enter the competition by UEFA after their campaign in the previous year's tournament was damaged by the Munich air disaster. However, they finally refused to build a campaign on that tragedy.
3 IFK Göteborg beat Jeunesse Esch 5–1 in a play-off to qualify for the first round.
4 Wismut Karl Marx Stadt beat Petrolul Ploieşti 4–0 in a play-off to qualify for the first round.
5 Schalke 04 beat KB 3–1 in a play-off to qualify for the first round.
Standard Liège won 6–3 on aggregate
KB 5–5 Schalke 04 on aggregate
Schalke 04 won play-off 3–1.
Wismut Karl Marx Stadt 4–4 Petrolul Ploiești on aggregate
Wismut Karl Marx Stadt won play-off 4–0.
Jeunesse Esch 2–2 IFK Göteborg on aggregate
IFK Göteborg won play-off 5–1.
Stade Reims won 10–3 on aggregate
Wiener Sport-Club won 8–3 on aggregate
Dukla Prague won 4–3 on aggregate
Atlético Madrid won 13–1 on aggregate
MTK Budapest won 6–0 on aggregate
Sporting won 6–4 on aggregate
First round
1 Atlético Madrid beat CSKA Sofia 3–1 in a playoff to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Standard Liège won 6–2 on aggregate
Wismut Karl Marx Stadt won 6–2 on aggregate
Schalke 04 won 4–3 on aggregate
Wiener Sport-Club won 3–2 on aggregate
Young Boys won 6–2 on aggregate
Atlético Madrid 2–2 CDNA Sofia on aggregate
Atlético Madrid won play-off 3–1.
Real Madrid won 3–1 on aggregate
Stade Reims won 7–0 on aggregate
Quarter finals
1 Young Boys beat Wismut Karl Marx Stadt 2–1 in a playoff to qualify for the semi-finals.
Stade Reims won 3–2 on aggregate
Atlético Madrid won 4–1 on aggregate
Real Madrid won 7–1 on aggregate
Young Boys 2–2 Wismut Karl Marx Stadt on aggregate
Young Boys won play-off 2–1.
Semi finals
1 Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid 2–1 in a playoff to qualify for the final
Real Madrid 2–2 Atlético Madrid on aggregate
Real Madrid won play-off 2–1.
Stade Reims won 3–1 on aggregate
Final
The 1959 European Cup Final was played on 3 June 1959 at the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart, West Germany. Real Madrid's victory was their fourth consecutive title, maintaining their status as the only team to have won the competition. Stade Reims were runners-up for a second time, having already lost to Real in the inaugural final in 1956.
Top scorers
The top scorers from the 1958–59 European Cup were as follows: