Part Three of John Campbell's European series.....

In early September 1961 the men from Easter Road began their European campaign with a first round, first leg tie at home to Portuguese outfit Belenenses of Lisbon. The stadium was buzzing with the kind of excitement unique to European ties but the home support was soon stunned into silence as the visitors raced into a 3-0 lead with goals from Matateu who scored twice and Yauca but the one thing this Hibs side had in spades was determination and with the fans roaring them on they got level thanks to a couple from John Fraser and another, from the penalty spot, by a cool as a cucumber Sammy Baird.

Despite both sides having chances to score again no more goals were forthcoming and so the Lisbon side left content with their three goals and confident they’d finish the job at home.
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In the first of a series of articles, John Campbell looks at Hibernian's European history.....

ANY HIBS FAN asked to name the first British club to take part in the European Cup will proudly state that the honour fell to Hibernian Football Club. Of course Hibs had been pioneers of the sport of football, playing many games overseas before that tournament came into being.

Indeed almost a year to the day upon which World War Two ended, Hibs were in Germany facing a British Army on the Rhine side and winning 3-0. The gesture of travelling to a country still ravaged by the horrors of war was not lost on people both outwith and within the sport and that fact would prove vital when organised competition came into being.
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