In commemorating the 60th birthday of legendary Rijeka winger Damir Desnica, Goal recalls one of the most bizarre and unjust dismissals in football history
"It was pure robbery," Damir Desnica still says of Real Madrid's victory over his beloved Rijeka in the second leg of their UEFA Cup second round tie in 1984. It is difficult to disagree. The winger and his team-mates had arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu with a 3-1 lead after dominating their first meeting in the former Yugoslavia. They left defeated, disconsolate and disillusioned.
At the time, Madrid boasted a squad containing the likes of Michel, Jorge Valdano and a young Emilio Butragueno.