2 December 1997 - Dortmund Cruises Over Cruzeiro

On 2 December 1997, Borussia Dortmund won the Intercontinental Cup, beating Cruzeiro 2-0 in Tokyo.

It was the first appearance in the competition for Dortmund, but the second for Cruzeiro, who lost to Bayern Munich in 1976. That final had been played over two legs, home and away, with the Brazilians losing 2-0 in Germany, then playing to a scoreless draw in Brazil. In 1980, the cup switched to a single-game format, hosted by Japan, and Cruzeiro were hoping for a better result.

But, playing before a crowd of over 51,000 at Tokyo's National Stadium, it was Dortmund who took the lead with a short-range shot from midfielder Michael Zorc in the 34th minute. The ball fell to him just a few feet outside the goal and he beat keeper Dida with a stinging left-footed blast.

Dida had an otherwise strong game, denying several Dortmund chances. But in the 84th minute, he was beaten by another close-range shot, this time from striker Heiko Herrlich, to end the game at 2-0.

It was the last trip to the competition for either club, though Dida went on to win its successor tournament, the FIFA Club World Cup, in 2007 with AC Milan.