IT WAS a tale of torture and triumph, of drama and derring-do from a determined team.

Rangers’ win in the 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup is a legendary moment in Glasgow football history.

The Old Firm club played Dynamo Moscow at the Camp Nou in Barcelona on May 24, in front of a crowd of 24,701.

It was third time lucky for the Glasgow club – they had lost the previous two European finals in 1961 and 1967.

Before half-time, they were two goals up, and minutes into the second half, they scored a third. Victory looked certain.

And then, Dynamo Moscow pulled back a goal. And then another…

A pitch invasion just before full time meant the game stalled but Rangers did go on to win 3-2 and captain John Greig was awarded the trophy inside the stadium building.

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The Evening Times paid tribute to the team’s performance as preparations got underway to bring the cup to Ibrox.

Sports writer Jim Blair said: "Their performance in this tournament has been particularly outstanding, in view of their lack of domestic success.

“Star men in the Rangers side last night were Peter McCloy, Derek Johnstone, Dave Smith and those two tireless front runners Colin Stein and Willie Johnston. This was Rangers’ finest hour…”

The victory is considered to be the greatest in the club’s history and the team was given the nickname the Barcelona Bears.

In our picture from the archive, Greig parades the trophy at Ibrox, his face clearly showing how much it meant to him and the club.