Manchester United: Eusebio, Alex Stepney and One of the Great Sporting Moments

They were Bobby Charlton’s two finest goals: the moment of genius from George Best and Brian Kidd’s 19th birthday header.

All of them wonderful moments as Manchester United fulfilled its destiny at Wembley on that glorious night of May 29, 1968, 10 years on from Munich, as the European Cup was won by an English team for the first time.

Yet as Benfica and United prepare to do battle in what is now, of course, the Champions League, let us remember the cameo of ultimate sportsmanship displayed by the great Eusebio in the dying seconds of normal time.

The score was 1-1, and The Black Panther, or if you prefer, The Black Pearl, had burst into the box.

Much, much earlier, he had slammed a fabulous shot against the United bar.

This time, however, there could be no miss. Eusebio, this time, could not be denied.

His marker, Nobby Styles, was back there somewhere, stranded. If any fan, anywhere in the world, had been given the chance to stake his fortune on Eusebio scoring at that moment, he would surely have taken the bet in a heartbeat.

Except there was Alex Stepney. And Stepney stood firm. As Eusebio’s boot slashed through the ball, the goalkeeper dived to his left.

Not only did he stop the shot from around 10 yards, he held it. He held it!

What happened next defines Eusebio as a man, not just as one of the best footballers in the history of the game.

Rather than kick the ground in disgust, or scream in agony as the gods of soccer, he stopped in awe over what Stepney had done.

He recognised that his rival had come up with the save of his life, and he patted him on the shoulder.

Then, as the United goalkeeper threw the ball back into play, Eusebio applauded him.

The rest we know. United then destroyed their Portuguese rivals in eight incredible minutes of the first half of extra time. With Best walking around the keeper to start the rout and Kidd heading home the killer goal, Charlton swept home his second in imperious fashion, having opened the scoring with his head before Graca’s equaliser.

Busby celebrated with his players on the pitch after the final whistle. Charlton lifted the trophy, and the United fans went wild. Wonderful stuff.

That night also began a special relationship between United and Benfica, and especially between Eusebio and the Old Trafford club.

Indeed it was United who he invited to celebrate his 50th birthday with him in a friendly at the Estadio da Luz in early December 1992 in a game that also marked the debut of a certain Eric Cantona.

No matter the outcome of either of the group clashes between the clubs, the bond between them will surely remain unbroken, a bond created by the man who proved himself, that night at Wembley, to be a superstar in more ways than one…..