Real Madrid and Partizan: Remembering a Historic European Cup Match

This year marks the 70th anniversary of a historic European Cup match played by Real Madrid on December 25, 1955. Under the guidance of coach José Villalonga, Real Madrid hosted Partizan Belgrade at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first leg of the quarter-finals, securing a commanding 4-0 victory.

The match saw a standout performance from Heliodoro Castaño, who scored two goals. Paco Gento and Alfredo Di Stéfano each added a goal, completing Real Madrid's four-goal tally in front of an impressive crowd of 105,532 spectators.

In the return leg, played on January 29, 1956, in Belgrade, Partizan won 3-0. This marked Real Madrid's first defeat in the European Cup. Despite the loss, Real Madrid advanced to the next round with a 4-3 aggregate score.

Real Madrid continued their successful campaign, ultimately winning the inaugural European Cup title after defeating Stade de Reims 4-3 in the final.