AC Milan won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990.
It was a chilling reminder of the frailties of human life for the team that would become The Immortals.
On 10 November 1988, AC Milan and Red Star Belgrade played in the second leg of the European Cup. The match was played again after being abandoned due to fog the previous day.
Red Star's Goran Vasilijevic clashed with Milan's Roberto Donadoni after the score was 2-2 on aggregate.
Sacchi describes the incident in his memoir.
The Italian coach wrote thatVasilijevic hit Donadoni with a head butt and elbow at the same time.
Roberto hit the deck. He looked dead. The players put their hands on their heads.
As Donadoni lay prone, the masseur from Milan was first to reach him. He was able to open the player's mouth, which was jammed shut due to a fractured jaw, and free his tongue, which had been forced to the back of his mouth.
Milan doctor Ginko Monti administered mouth-to-mouth. "Roberto showed no sign of life, and then he began to stamp his feet on the ground, which often happens to people who have suffered cranial trauma," writes Sacchi.
Donadoni's team-mates looked horrified. Paolo Maldini, a Milan and Italy defender, recalled the moment when he saw the man with the blue eyes.
Marco van Basten ran to the Milan bench shouting "A doctor!" After asking for comfort in the arms of general manager Paolo Taveggia, he burst into tears. The Milan coaching team convinced Van Basten to play on even though he did not want to, as Donadoni was carried off on a stretcher and rushed to hospital.
Milan returned to the dressing room at half-time. The announcement over the public address system was booed by the home crowd. They understood when the same announcement was made in Italian.
The good news coming from the hospital was the reason why the announcer wanted to assure fans who had seen Donadoni lying on the turf for so long without moving. Roberto had regained consciousness and there was no serious damage to his body. The Red Star fans were not happy with his health.
Milan's players were angry. He was only due to play 45 minutes because he was struggling so badly with a left thigh injury. He played all of the second half, plus extra time and penalties. Sacchi says the Dutchman is their courage general in battle. It was a battle.
The first goal of Sacchi's reign as Milan boss was scored by Donadoni.
Milan kept attacking. As they searched for a winner, Franco Baresi transmitted calm and belief. The flames of hell made way when he came out with the ball. The tie went to penalties after Milan couldn't score again and the aggregate score was 2-2.
Stojkovic converted Red Star's first and Baresi replied for Milan. Robert Prosinecki scored the second goal. Then Van Basten stood up.
Sacchi said that Van Basten moved towards the ball. He barely touched it, but it flew into the top-right corner. Perfect execution. The whole Marakana was frozen by this exhibition of confidence and technique.
The conversion was the most important moment of the shootout. The home side's next effort was saved by the legs of the goalkeeper, and Dejan Savicevic followed it up with a limp effort. Frank Rijkaard stepped forward to put the Italian side into the quarter-finals of the European Cup when Red Star missed a chance to win the game. Sacchi couldn't watch.
He heard the dull thud of the ball hitting a post while he was in the Marakana. I had blood in my veins. The ball hit the woodwork and rolled into the net. I have never forgotten the sound of that post.
I ran to the pitch and hugged my players. We had beaten Red Star, but also suffered injustice. They spat in our faces and the policeman had put his wolfhound on Costacurta. We'd been stronger than everyone.
The Milan players' joy was offset by their teammate's death scare. In a later interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Donadoni recalled the scene at the hospital.
He said that the first clear image he had was waking up in the hospital room. One of the gentlemen was dying and the other had fallen three storeys. He squeezed the juice over my lips because I couldn't open my mouth, even though he didn't have a bone in his body. They were worried about me as if I were the most in need, which was a wonderful way to explain how lucky I had been.
The reaction of my companions to the incident was the most striking thing that struck me. The gravity of the moment was realised by them immediately. You can see the bonds that bind you to your team-mates from these things.
Red Star manager Branko Stankovic and his counterpart in Donadoni hospital visited to soothe some of the bitterness Milan felt over their treatment in Belgrade. Sacchi paints the most vivid portrait, even though Milan's flamboyant chairman gave the player an expensive painting.
Sacchi was one of the greatest coaches of all time, with his Italy side finishing runners-up in the 1994 World Cup.
"Roberto always gave the absolute maximum in every minute of the match or training session," he writes. He gave the best possible interpretation of my concept of hard work. His team-mates called him 'Bone'. He never gave up.
He was a hero. Not because he was in the hospital. He was a hero in the way Romain Rolland was a hero. Someone who does what he can is a hero.
I can say that I coached a team of heroes who became the greatest of all time.
Sacchi's team never looked back after beating Red Star. They scored 11 goals and only conceded one against their European opponents. Werder Bremen were beaten in the quarters by Real Madrid and in the semi-finals by Real Madrid before beating Steaua in the final. They won the European Cup title the following year, defeating Benfica, enshrining their legend.
Milan's 'immortals' tag spoke to their bravery in extreme adversity as it did to the beauty of their football.
