It had been years since United last played UEFA’s top competition, it was their first time back in the Champions League since 1969 long before it was rebranded.

United’s record up to that point in the European Cup had been fantastic, reaching the semi-finals in all five seasons and going on to win it all in 1968, 4-1 against Benfica.

Long gone were those days but a couple of decades later the Red Devils were back and facing one of Turkey’s greatest clubs, the Lions of Istanbul, Galatasaray.

Up until the 1990’s though nobody took Turkish football seriously bar the odd upset here and there Turkish clubs rarely featured in elite European competition.

This Galatasaray team was different, they had built a strong starting XI around star striker Hakan Sukur and reached the European Cup Semi-finals in 1989.

The game started fast-paced with United scoring in the second minute the ball bouncing between players found Bryan Robson who tucked it away neatly.

The Red Devils played with a wicked front five of Robson, Paul Ince, Eric Cantona, Mark Hughes, and Ryan Giggs.

United doubled their lead in the 14th minute with an own goal by Sukur himself, an unfortunate header by the young Turk.

Arif Erdem struck a wonderful shot that lobbed Peter Schmeichel to pull one back for the Lions.

Galatasaray did equalise after a mix-up at the back between Schmeichel and Lee Martin allowed Turkyilmaz to tap into an empty net.

Galatasaray had piled on the pressure and finally, the dam broke when a shot beat Schmeichel but hit the post the rebound fell kindly for Turkyilmaz to get his second of the game.

United’s defending had been comical for the second goal but the third was unforgivable as nobody followed up with the Turkish striker.

Now it was United’s turn to put on the pressure as the Turks sat back and defended, a ball that fell nicely for Cantona to tap in himself.

The second leg a week later would finish goalless, and Galatasaray dumped Manchester United out in the second round of the Champions League.

Diego Maradona played a few times against Real Madrid whilst at Barcelona scoring twice but these were his first matches against Los Blancos since leaving the Catalans.

Napoli had never played in Europe’s elite competition before the San Paolo was absolutely rocking, they were already 2-0 down from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid had built their team around Emiliano Butragueno and Hugo Sanchez who made Real Madrid a powerhouse in Spanish football in the late 1980’s winning five in a row.

They were looking for Real’s first European title since 1966 and their seventh overall.

Maradona wasn’t the only star in Naples playing alongside Careca and Bruno Giordano up front to form a dynamic front three known as Ma-Gi-Ca.

Behind that front, three Fernando De Napoli manned the midfield and at full-back the legendary Ciro Ferrara.

Napoli started the game on fire chasing the game in an incredible atmosphere.

A long ball into the middle of the box by De Napoli found Maradona who headered it down to Giovani Francini whose original header was saved but the rebound fell kindly into his feet for the tap-in.

Napoli could have gone 2-0 up but a fantastic save to prevent Maradona from scoring kept Real in the game.

However, Gli Azzurri was deflated before halftime, Butragueno through on goal from a lovely pass and he chipped it over the keeper.

The game finished 1-1 and Napoli’s first foray in the European Cup ends as quickly as it started. They would win a UEFA Cup in 1989.

For Real Madrid, they would have to wait another decade before winning their favourite prize.

A classic between two giants of European football, Internazionale and Benfica played the 1965 European Cup final and had not played each other since.

I Nerazzurri captain Javier Zannetti is a club legend and the front two ran a petrifying strike partnership with Obafemi Martins and Christian Vieri.

Simao on the other side, was captain and legend himself, but As Aguias were trying to bring back the glory days to Benfica.

The game was expected to be a classic as the first leg finished 0-0 in Lisbon.

Nuno Gomes opened the score for Benfica with a brilliant shot that beat Francesco Toldo from outside the box.

Benfica hit the post minutes later but this time it bounced away for a goal kick.

Then Martins managed to muscle off his defender and squeeze the ball through the legs of the keeper to equalise on half time, but the goal was disallowed.

A minute later Sabri Lamouchi dribbled around the keeper and fed Martins on a platter for the actual equaliser before halftime.

The second half was tense, but it all kicked off in the 60th minute, Alvaro Recoba with space on the edge drove in a shot from outside the box.

The third goal was a thing of beauty as Vieri’s chest down took out the Benfica defender completely from the equation all he had to do was smash it.

Os Encarnados did not give up, Nuno Gomes was free at the back post with no one around him he tapped in for a potential comeback.

But the Benfica defence was in complete disarray, Martins with a great opportunity for a tap-in made it 4-2 and out of reach.

They still finished off the 15 minutes of chaos with a Tiago one-two and shot to make it 4-3.

The game finished like that and Inter progressed to the next round after an absolute classic.

This AC Milan team was in transition but still maintained some world-class players so this thrashing for the German champions was shocking.

AC Milan still had great players in this team, Captain Paolo Maldini was still one of the best defenders in the World, Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso were in the middle and Filippo Inzaghi was upfront.

I Rossoneri dropped to the UEFA Cup whilst Dortmund was on their run to the title before taking Milan apart.

Marcio Amoroso started it after being taken down in the box scoring the penalty to go 1-0 up in the eighth minute.

Amoroso doubled the lead and his tally chipping the ball over the Milan defender to volley it low past the keeper.

His hat trick was completed in the 39th minute with a diving header into the ground finishing off Milan before halftime.

Milan kept going knowing an away goal would set them up nicely for the return leg at the San Siro.

However, Dortmund added a fourth, Jorg Heinrich scored a ta-in at the back post and the game was finished and seemingly the tie as well.

AC Milan did win the second leg 3-1 but Dortmund advanced to the final where they would lose to Feyenoord.

Porto’s last victory over Barcelona happened way back in 1985 in the European Cup second round.

Both teams came off being champions with Barcelona in hot pursuit of their first-ever European title.

The teams started off the tie with a nervous first half but in the second half, a stray pass from the midfield let Juary through on goal for Porto who went round the keeper and made 1-0 to the Dragoes.

With only 20 minutes to play, Barcelona tried to find an equaliser.

Porto this time found the through ball for Juary who scored his second slotting into the bottom corner.

Barcelona did find the net through Steve Archibald, who turned his defender and shot precisely into the bottom corner.

Not very well remembered at Barcelona, the Scotsman had won a league title at Aberdeen and two FA cups and a UEFA cup with Tottenham Hotspur before his move to Catalunya.

Unfortunately, the arrival of Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker forced Archibald out of the squad, and he was sent on loan to Blackburn Rovers before he returned to Scotland to play for Hibernian.

Juary though would complete his hat-trick Porto releasing Fernando Gomes down the right who chipped it in for Juary to tap in at the back post.

The Brazilian would enjoy a wonderful spell in Portugal winning two league titles and the European Cup in 1987.

Barcelona would win the second leg 2-0 winning the tie on away goals on the way to the final, losing to the Romanians Steaua Bucuresti.