ankaragucu were completely new to european football, whereas revie’s side was preparing for their sixty-fifth game in european competition. being new, the hosts were unbelievably friendly and made syd owen most welcome on his dossier-building trip prior to the game. they had heard all about united and their status as one of the best in european competition and were looking forward to seeing them play good football.
united’s flight to ankara from manchester had been delayed while a new windscreen was fitted to their chartered plane but favourable weather and wind conditions meant they could make the 2,000 mile flight direct to ankara, instead of stopping at belgrade to refuel as originally planned. this meant they arrived on schedule to prepare for the first leg which they were expected to win.
unfortunately, united had been hit by injuries and were not expecting an easy ride against the hosts who were able to call upon seven internationals. home officials were predicting a sell out 30,000 crowd but the disappointment of not seeing united’s injured stars which included allan clarke, mick jones, eddie gray and jack charlton was blamed for cutting that attendance to only 20,000.
the atmosphere in the stadium was a mixture of good and bad. armed guards patrolled the main stand and the crowd watched the game from behind a 6ft high wire fence, but united’s players were presented with flowers prior to the kick-off which they threw into the crowd as a gesture of friendship. ıt was new territory for united, being their first trip to turkey, in what was a high-profile game for the locals, who had beaten ızmir in the turkish cup final and excitement was at fever pitch for ankaragucu’s first-ever european game.
the turks had all of their seven internationals on duty but united played well within themselves on a dry bumpy pitch, always looking as if they had plenty in reserve and were happy with the final scoreline of 1-1 which nicely set up the return leg at elland road two weeks later. joe jordan’s growing reputation was enhanced by the vital away goal in turkey as the youngster had to deputise for the injured mick jones.
ankaragucu began as though they planned to attack united strongly but it quickly became apparent that united’s defence was more than capable of dealing with the threat. norman hunter, trevor cherry and ray ellam formed an impressive defensive barrier and in midfield paul madeley was a commanding figure. trevor cherry and roy ellam had both been signed from huddersfield town in the summer as cover for jack charlton, who at thirty-seven was growing ever closer to retirement after two decades of distinguished service to the club, and both made their european debuts.
united were content to play at a slow pace on a bumpy uneven surface but generally controlled matters and should have taken the lead on the half-an-hour when they forced their first opening, which peter lorimer totally miscued, side-footing an easy chance over the bar from six yards. twenty-year-old joe jordan had done well to win an aerial challenge to present his fellow scotsman with the gilt-edged opportunity, but any disappointment he may have felt for lorimer’s wayward finishing was forgotten as the young scot was rewarded for his tireless running. johnny giles aimed a corner kick for the far post and trevor cherry rose highest to head the ball into the middle where jordan volleyed home for his sixth goal in eleven appearances for united a minute before half-time.
the stage was set for united to build on their one goal lead but they received a rude shock as ankara were level five minutes after the restart, when the romanian referee awarded a penalty against norman hunter, who much to his surprise and annoyance was adjudged to have brought down coscun, when the player appeared to be stumbling before the tackle was made. romanian referee kevorc ghemigean pointed to the spot and mujdat yalman fired the penalty past david harvey, who had now ousted gary sprake for the united goalkeeper’s jersey. the turks had a flurry of attacks after that but it was united who almost regained the lead three minutes from time as peter lorimer shot on the turn only to see it hit a post.
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