John McMaster has recalled seeing Sir Alex Ferguson being trampled in a puddle during the crowning moment of his hugely successful reign as Aberdeen manager.
McMaster was looking back at Aberdeen’s European Cup Winners’ Cup triumph against Real Madrid ahead of the 40th anniversary of the final at Gothenburg’s Ullevi Stadium on Thursday.
The midfielder had been drafted into the team at left-back following an injury to Stuart Kennedy and was close to the Dons dugout when John Hewitt headed an extra-time winner to give Aberdeen a 2-1 victory.
Speaking to Red TV, McMaster said: “Juanito was the wee winger, the tricky winger, and I was the left-back who was supposed to get exploited but you know something? Not one of us had a bad game. We played to our potential.
“I can remember the boss saying to us before we went out, the last thing he said was, ‘you want to come in, look yourself in the mirror and say you gave it your all’.
“And that’s what we did. Because we should have beaten them in the 90 minutes.
“When Johnny scored his goal, there was a bit of commotion in the dugout.
“I had a wee assist in the goal. I passed the ball to Peter Weir, who beat two men, so I’m taking that as an assist!
“Mark McGhee put in a ball with his left foot. Once he gets on to his left foot, he would fall over it, but he puts in this ball as if he’s been a left-footer all his life and Hewitt gets on the end of it. Bang.
“I looked over to see what was happening in the dugout. They are all getting out: Big Ben (Bryan Gunn), Andy Watson, Archie (Knox), Teddy (Scott) and the boss gets up and he falls over with his jacket, his Fergie jacket.
“He is in the puddle and everybody has jumped over the top of him. It was brilliant.
“See when you talk about it afterwards, what a laugh, but everything grows arms and legs.
“After that it was all about enjoying yourself. It was the best night of my life, honestly.
“We won the league and that was a major thing, but to win a European trophy against a wee team like Madrid, it’s not very often that happens.”
While the celebrations were going on, one man could not shake off the mistake that led to Real’s equaliser, although words of comfort from Ferguson helped him on his way.
With Aberdeen leading through Eric Black’s early opener, Alex McLeish had been short with a passback, having not followed his own advice of lifting passes off the sodden grass, and Juanito gave the Spaniards the lead from the spot after Jim Leighton brought down a forward as a consequence.
Ferguson had a go at his centre-back at half-time before assistant Knox broke up the argument and the Dons went out and deservedly claimed victory.
McLeish said: “At the end of the game he said, ‘listen, I’m really proud of you’.
“I was in the showers feeling sorry for myself. Everyone was getting ready and singing and drinking champagne and I was still thinking about my mistake.
“He came into the showers and said, ‘listen, I am really proud of you. A lot of players would have crumbled. I know you would have wanted to dig a hole for yourself in the first half after the pass’.
“It’s still in my head but, if it was meant to be for us to win the cup, then it was a good thing.”
Schwarz believes pressure will bring out the best in Red Bulls
New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz says pressure is good for players as they prepare to face rivals New York City FC in the MLS Eastern Conference semifinal.
The Red Bulls beat defending MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew 1-0 in the first of their best-of-three series before edging them 5-4 on penalties in Game 2.
They are playing in the semifinals for the first time since 2018, though it is the first time they are meeting their city rivals in the postseason in their history.
Schwarz acknowledged there was a lot riding on this game but is sure the pressure can bring out the best in his team.
"To feel the pressure as a player and head coach is good," he told reporters. "We need the pressure to bring our best performance and level.
"Without pressure, it's not possible. Now we have this historic derby on Saturday and we're very excited.
"Our main target is to win this game, but our focus is to get a result like we had against Columbus. The last three weeks have been looking at how we can create our best performance for Saturday."
Meanwhile, NYCFC had to come from behind in round one after losing their first match to FC Cincinnati but won the second at home before going through with a 6-5 penalty shootout win in the decider.
Head coach Nick Cushing is delighted to have home advantage for the semifinal tie but says he is not yet thinking about securing the same fate in the next round.
"I've learned over my tenure here as assistant coach and as head coach that the next game is the most important part," Cushing said.
"The whole focus is hosting a playoff semifinal at home. We're really proud that we've done everything to get to this opportunity, but there are many more challenges ahead, and we cannot look further than the first 10 minutes of the game, because that is our main focus.
"And then, through there, we have a game plan and half-time. We're working through this game, and that is our whole focus."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New York City FC – Alonzo Martinez
Twelve of Alonzo Martinez's 17 goals this season (regular season and playoffs) have been scored in home matches, while Santiago Rodriguez has scored 11 of his 13 goals at home.
Both players found the net in NYCFC's home win over Cincinnati in Game 2 of their first-round series.
New York Red Bulls – Emil Forsberg
Emil Forsberg became the 14th different Red Bulls player to record a goal and an assist in a single playoff match in Game 2 of New York's first-round series against Columbus Crew.
No player has more than one such game in the team's postseason history.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK CITY FC WIN
This will be the first playoff meeting between New York City FC and the Red Bulls, but the fifth in knockout rounds in all competitions.
The Red Bulls eliminated NYCFC in each of the previous four knockout round meetings, doing so in the US Open Cup three times and the Leagues Cup once.
NYCFC has won five of their eight all-time home playoff matches, including the last three in a row. All three teams that defeated NYCFC on the road in the playoffs went on to reach the MLS Cup Final (Toronto FC in 2016 & 2019, Atlanta United in 2018).
The Red Bulls' 1-0 win at Columbus in Game 1 on October 29 ended a six-match road losing streak in postseason play for the club. The Red Bulls have won multiple road playoff games in a single season twice before, doing so in 2008 and 2017.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New York City FC – 46.5%
Draw – 26.5%
New York Red Bulls – 27%
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
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