Tamed by United tornadoes
50 YEARS AGO: MAGPIES STORM ON IN EUROPE
“The Lisbon Lions came out wearing muzzles and I honestly believe that if they were still playing now, they wouldn’t have scored. They were like Judy without Punch...dainty but far too fragile.”
With the crowd in full voice, a blistering opening from United rocked the visitors back on their heels. It took only 10 minutes for the deadlock to be broken.
“It was Pop Robson. A lovely volley at the Gallowgate End,” recalls Bill Gibbs.
Not the first or last time, the goal was a product of the fruitful RobsonDavies striking partnership with the big man nodding on a free-kick for Robson to powerfully finish the set-piece.
As Gibson noted in his match report: “It was the perfect execution of a move thrashed out so regularly on the open surrounds of Hunters Moor. Robson, the quiet lad with thunder in his boots, had scored his 14th goal of the season.”
And with that, for the rest of the match Sporting adopted the curiously negative tactic of mainly passing the ball cross-field - lots of possession, but little threat.
There would be no repeat of the Feyenoord goal feast where United put four past their shell-shocked Dutch opponents.
Looking back, Gibbo recalls “United won it 1-0 with a magnificently struck goal from Pop Robson, but it was only the cat-like leaps of Sporting keeper