Leeds had to turn their dominance into chances. They did. They had to get the ball past Sepp Maier. They did. They had to win the European Cup. They did enough.
The final at Parc des Princes was to be the greatest Leeds United team's last chance of glory. Bayern's players had that glory already, but their club couldn't let them quit the money.
Leeds were the outstanding side in the Second Division, a fine tribute to manager Dick Ray. But his young squad needed their best players to be at their best.
It took 243 days from signing for Billy Paynter to get his first goal. "Hopefully my luck has turned," he said. 403 days later...
Leeds United's young players couldn't score at Elland Road, but the explanation seemed simple. The fans.
Leeds United were relegated from the First Division in 1931, denting soccer's growth in a rugby obsessed city. But the manager was backing his young players to bounce back — and backing himself.
When the old West Stand goes down, almost 70 years of tradition will go with it. Meanwhile Leeds are going up, to the Premier League, where everyone is looking for something new. And expensive.
A minimum 7/10 player who is outrageously capable at the top levels, finds most of football apart from the playing to be a waste of time and has no problem pissing people off to go his own way. Ben White should still be playing for Leeds.
"Memories like this can’t be bought. There will never be another day like this," Howard Wilkinson told the crowd in the Town Hall, and even the other days like that weren't quite like it.
Would Joe Rodon come out in a 1992 Umbro tracksuit? Would Pascal Struijk do a Jon Newsome and nearly drop the cup? Would Illan Meslier say he doesn't know why he loves us, but he loves us?