1956–57 European Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
1956–57 European Cup

Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid hosted the final.
Tournament details
Dates	1 August 1956 – 30 May 1957
Teams	22
Final positions
Champions	Real Madrid (2nd title)
Runners-up	Fiorentina
Tournament statistics
Matches played	44
Goals scored	170 (3.86 per match)
Attendance	1,836,978 (41,750 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Dennis Viollet (Manchester United) 9 goals
← 1955–56 1957–58 →

The 1956–57 European Cup was the second time this big football tournament happened in Europe. It's now known as the Champions League. Real Madrid won the cup for the second year in a row! They beat Fiorentina 2–0 in the final match. This exciting game took place in Madrid, Spain, on May 30, 1957, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

After the first tournament was a huge hit, six new countries decided to join. These included Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, England, Luxembourg, Romania, and Turkey. The English Football Association (FA) had not let Chelsea play in 1955. They still thought the European Cup was a "distraction." But Manchester United, the English champions, decided to join anyway! They became the first English team to play in this European competition. Real Madrid also got a special spot because they were the champions from the year before. This meant Spain was the first country to have two teams in the tournament.

How the Tournament Worked

The 1956–57 European Cup started with 22 teams from different countries. The teams played matches against each other, with the loser being knocked out. This is called a knockout tournament. Some teams had to play an extra "preliminary round" to get into the main part of the competition.

Preliminary Round Matches

The first games were played in the preliminary round. Six matches took place to decide which teams would move on.

• Borussia Dortmund (Germany) played against Spora Luxembourg (Luxembourg). Dortmund won after a special play-off game.
• Dinamo București (Romania) beat Galatasaray (Turkey).
• Slovan UNV Bratislava (Czechoslovakia) won against CWKS Warsaw (Poland).
• Manchester United (England) had a huge win against Anderlecht (Belgium), scoring 12 goals to 0 over two games!
• Nice (France) beat AGF Aarhus (Denmark).
• Athletic Bilbao (Spain) won their match against Porto (Portugal).

First Round Matches

After the preliminary round, the winners joined other teams who had a "bye" (meaning they didn't have to play in the first round).

• Manchester United continued their strong play by beating Borussia Dortmund.
• CDNA Sofia (Bulgaria) had a big win against Dinamo București.
• Nice won a close match against Rangers (Scotland) after a play-off game.
• Grasshopper (Switzerland) beat Slovan UNV Bratislava.
• Real Madrid had a tough challenge from Rapid Wien (Austria) but won after a play-off.
• Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia) beat Rapid JC (Netherlands).
• Fiorentina (Italy) won their game against Norrköping (Sweden).
• Athletic Bilbao (Spain) won a very close game against Budapest Honvéd (Hungary).

Quarter-finals: The Last Eight Teams

In the quarter-finals, only eight teams were left. The competition got even more exciting!

• Manchester United played against Athletic Bilbao. Manchester United won with a total score of 6-5 over two games.
• Fiorentina beat Grasshopper to move on.
• Real Madrid continued their winning streak, beating Nice with a total score of 6-2.
• Red Star Belgrade won their match against CDNA Sofia.

Semi-finals: The Final Four

Only four teams made it to the semi-finals, hoping to reach the big final game.

• Fiorentina played against Red Star Belgrade. Fiorentina won 1-0 over two games, which was a very tight match!
• Real Madrid faced Manchester United. Real Madrid won with a total score of 5-3, showing their strength.

The Grand Final

The final match was played on May 30, 1957, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain. This was Real Madrid's home stadium!

• Real Madrid played against Fiorentina.
• Real Madrid won the game 2-0.
• Di Stéfano scored the first goal for Real Madrid with a penalty kick in the 69th minute.
• Then, Gento scored the second goal just six minutes later, in the 75th minute.
• Real Madrid became the champions for the second year in a row!

Top Goal Scorers

Here are the players who scored the most goals in the 1956–57 European Cup:

Rank	Name	Team	Goals
1	Dennis Viollet	Manchester United	9
2	Tommy Taylor	Manchester United	8
3	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Real Madrid	7
4	Alfred Preißler	Borussia Dortmund	6
5	José Artetxe	Athletic Bilbao	5
	Jacques Foix	Nice	5
	Bora Kostić	Red Star Belgrade	5

See also

In Spanish: Copa de Campeones de Europa 1956-57 para niños