Vienna has a particular status as a hub of creation and development in European football, stretching back before the Second World War. In the city that saw the birth of Austria’s groundbreaking Wunderteam in the 1930s, a new addition to the power base of the European game was announced some 40 years on.

In 1987, Bayern Munich were well established as the dominant force of the Bundesliga era and beyond, as West Germany’s flagship club in Europe. It was on the European stage that Bayern first captured the attention, winning the 1967 European Cup Winners’ Cup against Rangers to crown a season in which they also won the DFB Pokal. The run of three successive European Cups - beginning with victory over Atlético Madrid in the 1974 final replay under Udo Lattek - defined a decade in which Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern’s close rivals of the time, matched them domestically (the two clubs won four Bundesliga titles each).

Porto’s own journey was only just beginning. Following the appointment of former director of football Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa as president in 1982, the northerners were starting to emerge from the colossal shadow that Benfica, the prevailing giant of Portuguese football, cast over the modestly populated nation since the dawn of the 1960s. Under Pinto da Costa, Porto had already banked their eighth and ninth Liga titles, won the Taça de Portugal once and the Supertaça twice.

They had made their own mark on Europe too, narrowly losing out to Giovanni Trapattoni’s powerful Juventus side in the 1984 European Cup Winners’ Cup final in Basel. Still, to show five-time-finalists (and twice winners) Benfica that they had a genuine rival as an international representative of Portugal, coach Artur Jorge’s side needed to make a considerable impression 850 km east, in the Austrian capital’s Praterstadion.

Bayern were clear favourites, based on their experience and knowhow, yet both sides had reason to be confident having emerged from an impressive field in a stellar season in the European Cup’s history. Bayern had convincingly beaten Leo Beenhakker’s Real Madrid – based around the legendary Quinta del Buitre – in the semi-final, after El Real had themselves disposed of Red Star Belgrade, developing a real dynasty under coach Velibor Vasovic, in a thrilling last-eight tie.

The Portuguese had an impressive semi-final scalp of their own, having disposed of Soviet champions and European Cup Winners’ Cup holders Dynamo Kiev. Having eked out a 2-1 win in the home leg at the Estádio das Antas, Jorge’s team expertly took the sting out of the return at a packed Respublikanskiy (now the reconstructed Olimpiysky, which will host the Euro 2012 final), scoring twice in the first 11 minutes via centre-back Celso’s free-kick and the iconic Fernando Gomes’ back header.

Another hot atmosphere awaited Porto in the final. If the relative locality of Vienna helped create an environment akin to a home match for Bayern, they would have the comfort of seeing the Portuguese shorn of their leading man. Gomes, who eventually scored almost 300 goals for Porto, broke his left leg just days before the final, having netted 21 in a Liga campaign that saw Porto finish as top scorers.

It was part of a difficult preparation for Jorge. Even his side’s goal-happy campaign, and the best defensive record in Portugal, wasn’t enough to seal the title, as a loss in the Algarve at Farense on the penultimate day of the season allowed Benfica to secure top spot by beating city rivals Sporting – just three days before the final.

Bayern had their own difficulties with Klaus Augenthaler, the side’s captain and a key presence at the back, suspended having been sent off in the second leg of the semi in Madrid after tangling with Hugo Sánchez. Hans Dorfner and the prolific Roland Wohlfarth were both injured.

Nevertheless, the West German side showed no sign of nerves. Led by Lattek, who had returned to the club in 1983, Bayern started apace. Inside the first two minutes, a quick counter-attack saw Ludwig Kögl’s cross headed wide at the back post by Dieter Hoeneß. Much of the Prater was clearly expecting a procession, and the olés rang around the bowl-like stands before the match was even five minutes old, as Bayern passed the ball with surety.

Lothar Matthäus wore the armband in Augenthaler’s absence and personified Bayern’s confidence, attempting to grab the occasion by the scruff of the neck. He dribbled through a trio of challenges only to be blocked by Celso, Porto’s formidable 31-year-old defensive rock.

Jorge was happy for Porto to take the stance of the underdog, adopting a wait-and-see approach involving a solid shape and relying on the genius of Paulo Futre to keep Lattek, goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff and his defenders guessing. The 21-year-old wide man had it all; a heaven-sent left foot, superb balance and a bedazzling change of pace. He had a sizeable helping of cheek too. His sly handball took the ball away from an outraged Norbert Nachtweih, the final defender, allowing him to blaze through, but referee Alexis Ponnet was wise to it.

With the Dragons circumspect, Futre was largely isolated, but it seemed like it might not matter. An 11th-minute breakout saw three Bayern defenders required to crowd him out and when he was released by Rabah Madjer’s delightfully-lofted through-pass minutes later, his shot was deflected wide.

Like most tactical plans of control, Jorge’s was only good as long as the opposition were contained, and the opening goal on 25 minutes changed all that. Hans Pflügler’s long throw flicked off the head of Jaime Magalhães as the midfielder attempted to clear, and Kögl threw himself full-length at the ball to send a diving header creeping into the far corner, with goalkeeper Józef Młynarczyk caught off balance.

The Prater cheered, and Bayern began to look as untouchable as their fans’ early swagger suggested. If Bayern had to keep on eye on Futre, Porto’s defenders needed eyes in the backs of their heads. Hans-Dieter Flick ran play between the penalty areas with dash and authority, while Magalhães became the first player to make his way into Ponnet’s book after a desperate late swish through Matthäus. The skipper then almost created a second, surging through after a one-two with Andreas Brehme and sliding a ball through for Michael Rummenigge, whose shot shaved Młynarczyk’s far post.

Celso almost caught a break for Porto with a typical free-kick from distance as the half drew to a close, sending a frisson through the crossbar, but a rethink was required. Jorge acted decisively at the break, hooking left-back Augusto Ignácio for the Brazilian forward Juary. It was hard to think of a better impact substitute – Juary had hit a hat-trick against eventual finalists Barcelona as a substitute at the Antas, as Terry Venables’ team nudged out Porto on away goals, in the second round of the previous year’s competition.

The beauty of Juary’s entrance here was not immediately in his own impact, but in the platform he provided for Futre to truly stellify the final. Rather than being forced to forage to provide a target for the out ball, he was able to press defenders and stretch the play. Straight after the break he was released by António Sousa’s interception, and Futre bolted down the left, only to be eventually brought down by Helmut Winklhofer. Sousa’s quick free-kick, floated towards the far corner to try and surprise Pfaff, showed that Porto’s spirit of invention remained.

Extra options saw Porto begin to motor. Sousa dribbled around Winklhofer, and when Norbert Eder headed out his searching left-wing cross, Madjer found the freedom to break into the penalty area and smash the ball just over. Lattek stormed from the bench across the considerable distance to the pitch marked by the running track to berate his side, apoplectic with rage. Nachtweih then flapped his arm in anger at his colleagues while clearing up behind the defence, furious at being left as the last man. The triumphal mood of the crowd was dampened, and boos fell from the stands as Nachtweih passed back to Pfaff under little pressure. Bayern were rocking.

The ball finally started to zip around the dusty pitch with some sort of fluency as space began to open up, and Bayern threatened on the counter. Kögl was still the major threat, first almost coaxing a penalty from Ponnet as he brushed himself on Porto captain João Domingos Pinto errant leg then being flattened by a ghastly late hack by the retreating Sousa as he was set to bomb clear.

Yet if Porto were, by now, forced into some risk taking, it was Futre who was running the show. Narrowly failing to get through after a series of sensational improvised one-twos with Juary, he then exchanged the ball with Magalhães on the right. Picking up pace, Futre shot past Nachtweih and Brehme, then drew Pfaff before sidefooting tantalisingly wide of the far post.

The breakthrough was a moment of inspiration, but all the more thrilling as it came from a source other than that one which all assumed would provide it. Substitute Frasco played a clever ball inside Nachtweih and Juary stormed through on the right. He played it across goal and past Pfaff into the centre of the goal, where Madjer backheeled past the bamboozled Flick on the line. It was one of the greatest goals the European Cup final has ever seen.

Madjer dropped to his knees in what seemed like awe – it was actually cramp. As two members of the medical team attempted to haul him to his feet on the sideline it looked like the Algerian was shot. In fact, Bayern were. The next time we saw Madjer he was fully revived, collecting Celso’s magnificent long pass. Madjer turned Winklhofer inside-out and curved the perfect cross to the back post, where the onrushing Juary buried the ball into the roof of the net.

It was hard to fathom who were the more stunned by this lightening turnaround – the West Germans or the Portuguese. If Jaury’s strike felt like the knockout blow, Porto still had nerves to contend with. “Remember, Porto only have three defenders on the field – João Pinto, Eduardo Luís and Celso – after Ignácio went off,” stammered the RTP commentator, suffering from acute vertigo.

He need not have worried. The sight of Hoeneß standing on the ball, and falling onto António André to turn a promising attack into a Porto free-kick, highlighted Bayern’s improbable tumble into impotence. Only a splendid dash from his goal by Pfaff to dispossess the rampant Futre, after it seemed the slippery winger had taken Madjer’s through pass around the Belgian goalkeeper, saved them further punishment.

It was all over. Porto danced on the turf, and celebrated carving a new milestone for Portuguese football, in more ways than one. This was the future and accordingly, the winning side broke up almost at once. Atlético Madrid signed Futre shortly afterwards for a then-Portuguese record fee of 500 million pesetas (around £2.5m) and coach Jorge, at 41 the first Portuguese coach to guide a side to the European Cup, also went, to join Jean-Luc Lagardère’s ambitious - but ultimately failed - project at Racing Paris. Madjer’s moment of inspiration helped to earn him the title of African Footballer of the Year.

Having also finished as runners-up in the 1982 final, Bayern would go on to console themselves a third successive Bundesliga triumph in June, though they would later go onto fall at the final hurdle in Europe again - in the most dramatic of circumstances in 1999. The itch was finally scratched after a penalty shoot-out against Valencia in Milan in 2001.

This match was about something different, though. As Porto’s triumphant players humbly formed a line to shake hand with their Bayern counterparts, and applaud them to a man, it was clear that this was a great sporting moment - a magnificent final to crown a magnificent European Cup season.