The 111 All-Time Greatest Bundesliga Games

Rank #21

1. FC Köln 4
Borussia Mönchengladbach 3



Place: Cologne, Müngersdorfer Stadion (Radrennbahn)
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Date: 2 October 1971
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Schulenburg (Hannover)

Goal Scorers:
1-0 Hemmersbach 15
1-1 Netzer 21
1-2 Le Fevre 42
2-2 Flohe 44
3-2 Scheermann 46
3-3 Netzer 68
4-3 Scheermann 80


Commentary:
Borussia Mönchengladbach was the side that had dominated the previous two Bundesliga seasons and that had amazed football fans all over the country due to their high-paced attacking style. However the team suffered a set-back in the summer of 1971 as some of their best players, attacking midfielders Herbert Laumen and Horst Köppel as well as holding midfielder Peter Dietrich had left the club to sign more lucrative contracts elsewhere. Let’s not forget that Gladbach was a small town club with a relatively small stadium and thus did not have a high budget. But Gladbach manager Hennes Weisweiler had his scouts all over Germany and thus always managed to replace well-known players with young talents and it was no different this time. Köppel, Laumen and Dietrich got replaced by Christian Kulik, Dietmar Danner and Rainer Bonhof, all aged between 18 and 20. They did a very good job but of course they couldn’t yet fully replace their predecessors that year. Later in the season Gladbach was plagued by a series of injuries,too and this the club did not play as successful in 1971-72 as they did in the previous two years, also Bayern and Schalke 04 proved to be much stronger that season than before. Gladbach however still played some of the greatest attack-minded football not only in Germany but all of Europe that year. Their opponents Cologne were a side of very high potential but too moody to realize it fully. In Wolfgang Overath and Heinz Flohe, Cologne possessed arguably the most talented midfield tandem in the Bundesliga. But despite all the talent in the Cologne side, they had one of their lacklustre starts to the season with being ranked ninth while third-placed Gladbach was trailing Schalke by three points and Bayern by two after eight weeks into the season.

This game was especially notable as it marked the first time in which Berti Vogts did not make the Mönchengladbach lineup since the club gained promotion in 1965! Vogts had participated in all of Gladbach’s 212 Bundesliga games up to that point. An injury had forced him to miss this game. Vogts proved to be irreplaceable as many rifts appeared in Gladbach’s defense without him. Cologne’s manager Gyula Lorant (former ‘Magic Magyar’) surprised his opponent Hennes Weisweiler with appointing young Harald Konopka the task of marking Günter Netzer. Usually Heinz Simmet was the man picked to mark him. Simmet was instead moved to the right side of the midfield where he took turns in playing outside right together with right back Jupp Kapellmann. A very unexpected yet effective move by Lorant, as these two players proved to be Cologne’s most dangerous ones. Konopka had a fairly decent game against the great Günter Netzer but could not prevent Netzer to become the game’s most outstanding figure. Helmut Schön was very pleased with Netzer’s performance, as this game was only staged one week before the crucial Euro qualification game in Poland. Netzer’s was a magnificent showing, he scored two goals with freekicks and one goal he set up marvellously after a superb solo. Gladbach’s skipper was virtually everywhere, being at the controls of every Gladbach attack. He wasn’t stingy with shots and with conjuring tricks out of his magic box, hit many passes of tremendously high accuracy and to top it all he also fought with great effort and engagement. In short: Netzer was in the form of his life and this game was only the ouverture to a series of masterly performances by Günter Netzer in the autumn of 1971. After sweeper Werner Biskup had to be substituted due to a strain, Lorant decided to play without a sweeper. A very risky tactic! Gladbach’s three forwards thus only faced three defenders, but Wolfgang Weber did a formidable job of marking Heynckes, even without the security of having a sweeper backing him. Netzer and young talent Dietmar Danner were Gladbach’s best players. Netzer ever the motor of his team towered above all other players, clearly edging out Wolfgang Overath, but then again Netzer did not have to take care for as many defensive duties as Overath had to.

Cologne ‘s standard stadium, the Müngersdorfer, was modernized at the time thus the two sides had to play in the smaller Radrennbahn stadium next door (Horse race stadium). The stadium was sold-out with 25,000 spectators and none of them regretted their coming as they witnessed a fantastic fight between two marvellous sides that left everyone in the stadium raving. The game was a hook-or-crook thriller from start to finish. The spectators were totally enthused by this high-paced drama, loaded with action scenes in both boxes, executed with vision and passion hardly seen. Yet the conditions before the game were not optimal as both sides had to do without some of their best players. Gladbach missed Berti Vogts while Cologne missed Bernd Rupp and Karl-Heinz Thielen. Cologne played more straightforward, less intricate than the two-time champions from Mönchengladbach. This was partly due to Bernd Rupp’s missing. Rupp was a forward that loved to keep the ball, engaging in dribblings and all that. Without him up front, Cologne’s attacks were executed with higher pace and effectivity. Replacing Berti Vogts at right back was young Rainer Bonhof who of course could not really replace Vogts, as he was more a forward those days than a defender. When Werner Biskup had to be subbed after only 15 minutes, Cologne’s skipper Overath was angry towards manager Lorant as he thought that bringing on a forward for the sweeper while it was still 0-0 was an unnecessary risk, but after the game was over that risk had paid high dividends as Paul Scheermann, the unknown player that came into the game, had scored two of Cologne’s four goals. Reserve player Scheermann, 22 at the time, became the great discovery of this game. It was only his second Bundesliga appearance. Contrary to Cologne, Gladbach’s forwards had a rather dull game. It was terribly frustrating for Jupp Heynckes to be completely neutralized by Weber and Jupp Kapellmann did a great job taking Danish winger Ulrik Le Fevre out of the game while at the same time engaging in many attacks.

Cologne scored the first goal after 15 minutes had passed, left back Matthias Hemmersbach had scored with a precise volley after Overath had bend in a cross: 1-0! Seven minutes later, jubilations on the other side, as Gladbach had managed to equalize after Netzer had surprised the Cologne defense with a quickly-taken freekick: 1-1! Netzer had unleashed a real bombshell of a shot. Three minutes before time, Ulrik Le Fevre managed to kick the ball over the line after a shot by Netzer had rebounded: 1-2! Netzer’s solo that led to this goal was of remarkable quality. But before the half-time whistle was blown, Cologne managed to equalize via Heinz Flohe, who had scored with a subtle chip into the far right corner of the goal from 40 yards: 2-2! What an amazing goal! Then came Paul Scheermann’s great phase, he scored Cologne’s third goal with a header from close range right after the kick-off of the second half. Netzer then again shocked Cologne with a perfectly measured freekick: 3-3! Cologne’s goalie Gerhard Welz, who had a faultless game up to then, was probably blinded by the sun, though. It was the third time one of the sides had equalized the one’s lead. Nine minutes before time, however, Cologne added their fourth goal. Ulrik Le Fevre was unconcentrated and lost the ball to Paul Scheermann who scored with a massive shot: 4-3!

After the game, Gyula Lorant congratulated his young players for their great performance. It was generally acknowledged that Cologne’s youngsters outperformed Gladbach’s youngsters. It looked as if Cologne had found a real predator up front in Paul Scheermann, but unfortunately the young player could not meet the expectations after this fine performance. While he did go on to score seven goals that season, he failed to score any goal in the next season and by 1973 he was already part of Bundesliga history. The other youngsters however, Konopka, Glowacz, Danner, Kulik, Bonhof and Kapellmann all had long-lasting careers ahead of them. Gyula Lorant: “My team deserved this 4-3. This was our best game this season. The youngsters had a great fight. They fought for a regular starting place in the side and they will soon be entitled for one.” Hennes Weisweiler commented: “This was a splendid game! A draw would have been fairer. Our defense was our weak link today. Netzer’s and Danner’s work in the midfield thus unfortunately didn’t pay off. My compliments to Cologne’s clever tactics.” And German national team manager Helmut Schön as a neutral stated the following: “Two outstanding sides. Especially Cologne surprised me, I wouldn’t have thought that they would have such a performance in them.” Schön had witnessed a game that had everything a football fan desires in abundance: high pace, offensive tactics, massive shots, fluid combinations, tough duels, great saves, sparkling action scenes in both boxes and drama from the first to the last second. Of the many international players, on Gladbach’s side only Günter Netzer convinced (and how!) while Jupp Heynckes, Herbert Wimmer, Klaus Dieter Sieloff and even keeper Wolfgang Kleff could have done better. Cologne’s Heinz Flohe impressed with his intelligent play and his spectacular goal while Wolfgang Overath was still in search for his best form.

A noteworthy incident happened before the game. Borussia Mönchengladbach’s newly purchased team bus (costs: 175,000 D-Marks) had been stolen over night! The Gladbach crew was just walking out of their hotel to enter the bus that was intended to transport them to stadium when they noticed that the bus was gone! Shock and horror, as all their equipment, most notably boots (three for each player) and shirts were in the bus! From Gladbach ersatz boots and shirts had to be brought quickly, but these boots were either brand new and thus did not yet fit the feet or were very old! This was probably quite a disadvantage but the Borussia players did not use it as an excuse. While Gladbach was still playing, the bus was discovered by the police not far away from Gladbach’s hotel...probabky a neat little joke by Cologne fanatics. Things like that simply don't happen anymore today.


--------------------------------------------------1. FC Köln

------------------------------------------------------Welz

-------------------------------Kapellmann---Weber---Biskup---Hemmersbach

----------------------------------------------------Konopka
-----------------------------------------Simmet---Overath---Flohe

------------------------------------------------Löhr-------Glowacz

--------------------------------------------Manager: Gyula Lorant


---------------------------------------Borussia Mönchengladbach

------------------------------------Le Fevre-----Heynckes----J.Wloka

---------------------------------------Wimmer-----Netzer----Danner

----------------------------------Bleidick---L.Müller---Sieloff---Bonhof

------------------------------------------------------Kleff

--------------------------------------Manager: Hennes Weisweiler

--------------------------------------Subs:
--------------------------------------15 Scheermann in, Biskup out
--------------------------------------46 Kulik in, Wloka out
--------------------------------------76 Schmitz in, Löhr out

 

Rank #20

1. FC Kaiserslautern 4
Bayern München 2



Place: Kaiserslautern, Betzenberg
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Date: 8 November 1980
Attendance: 34,600
Referee: Ahlenfelder (Oberhausen)

Goal Scorers:
1-0 Bongartz 13
1-1 Niedermayer 21
1-2 Hoeness 42
2-2 Funkel 50
3-2 Briegel 65
4-2 Melzer 75



Commentary:
This game was a sobering experience for the Bayern stars. The champions had won nine consecutive league games up to that point, were of course atop the Bundesliga table and thus came to Kaiserslautern swollen with pride, expecting to finally take the Betzenberg hurdle which had been such an obstacle in all of their league campaigns in previous years. Before the game, Hans-Peter Briegel had stated: "If we don’t beat Bayern today, who else should?" Bayern’s last away victory at Kaiserslautern dated back to May 1975. Boosted by their great series of victories, Bayern probably didn’t take it as a bad sign that this game was part of the 13th round in the league, what worried them more was that their skipper Paul Breitner couldn’t act in his usual role as midfield general due to a short-term injury. The Betzenberg was sold-out and among the 34,600 spectators the 3,000 Bayern supporters were in good spirits during the first half when their side was up 2-1.

First it looked as if everything would develop as planned for Bayern. Their four man midfield proved to be very strong and competitive during the first half, even without Breitner. Although fourth-placed Kaiserslautern had scored an early goal after Hannes Bongartz hit the back of the Bayern net with a wonderful volley in the 13th minute, the Bundesliga champions did not lose their composure at all. Kaiserslautern, spurred by the early goal, tried to play football like Bayern, with subtlety and sophistication: Football as art, always the ideal of any ambitious footballer, Kaiserslautern could be forgiven for that ambition, but Bayern were better at that and thus the league leaders found it easy to get hold of the game. The home side not trying to fight like usual surely made things a whole lot more comfortable for the guests. Bayern's best players in that phase were the two Wolfgangs in the team, Kraus and Dremmler. These two were intended to share Breitner's role and did fairly well at it. Kurt Niedermayer joined them effectively, he had been moved into the midfield after having excelled at the sweeper position in the previous weeks (Niedermayer even played at the sweeper position for West Germany at that time due to his great performances). This trio made people forget that Breitner missed the game. Bayern soon scored the equalizer after Kurt Niedermayer's shot after a quick turn bounced off the left goal post into the net: 1-1! Two minutes before the break, Bayern had lent numeric expression to their superiority on the pitch: Dremmler had crossed the ball from the left and Dieter Hoeness headed it past Ronnie Hellström: 1-2! Kaiserslautern’s manager Feldkamp at half-time: "We adapted Bayern's style and abandoned our usual style." Kaiserslautern’s intentions to defeat Bayern solely by means of football did not work out as planned.

When the second half commenced, it soon became clear that the home side had remembered what made them such a feared team in the Bundesliga: Relentless, uncompromising hardness and severity, never giving up, grinding down their opponents with hard work and physical strength, sophistication was out of place at the Betzenberg. No other player embodied this fighting spirit better than Hans-Peter Briegel, often dubbed "teutonic panzer" or "palatinate steamroller". Briegel's job in games against Bayern always was to mark dangerman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and he did an almost flawless job at it in this game. After the match was over, Rummenigge left the pitch visibly depressed, having failed to win a single trick against Briegel. Briegel became the "Man of the Match" of the 13th round, not only having neutralized Europe's best forward but also having contributed considerably to Kaiserslautern’s renaissance in the second 45 minutes. When Briegel levelled everything coming in his way like a bulldozer, the Kaiserslautern crowd couldn't hold themselves back anymore: This was what they wanted to see, no intricate attempts at 1-2s. Absorbing extra energy from the tremendous backing of the crowd, Briegel seemed to get bigger, taller, stronger and more intimidating with every minute passing. Five minutes into the second half, Swede center forward Benny Wendt headed the ball quite acrobatically while falling down to Friedhelm Funkel who chipped the ball over Bayern goalie Walter Junghans: 2-2! The young Bayern keeper didn't look good in that scene. Everybody in the stadium knew what was coming now. The scene had been set for a typical Betzenberg fightback. Kaiserslautern now won the huge majority of direct duels while Bayern obviously lost some of their concentration. The next fifteen minutes were characterized by Kaiserslautern exercising their typical powerplay and forechecking. Then Briegel unleashed a fulminant blast from 25 yards: 3-2! Hilarious scenes inside the stadium, the Betzenberg crowd running amok, nothing is heard of the 3,000 Bayern supporters. Next to Briegel's display, clearly the most impressive aspect of this game was the thunderous, hurricane-like backing of the hosts by their supporters. But Bayern were not yet beat, fifteen minutes before time, center back Klaus Augenthaler had an unbelievably good opportunity to score the 3-3, but he somehow managed to kick to ball wide of the goal from three yards! This goal could have saved Bayern, but in the direct counter attack, Johannes Riedl rushed away with the ball leaving all and everything behind him, his shot was deflected by Werner Melzer: 4-2! Delighted and merry, the home crowd started singing out loud the famous "Zieht den Bayern die Lederhosen aus" chant (to the tune of Yellow Submarine). The game was decided in Kaiserslautern’s favor, once again.

Bayern didn't exactly play badly in the second half, but they just couldn't withstand Kaiserslautern's constant pressure. Their Norwegian sweeper Jan Aas had a good game but the usually reliable Augenthaler had severe difficulties with Benny Wendt and left back Udo Horsmann gave Rainer Geye too much space. Pal Csernai after the game paradoxically stated: "Kaiserslautern won deservedly, we lost undeservedly. We must not hang down out heads now. I was very pleased with the way our new midfield played today. This was actually our best game in weeks! My compliments to Kaiserslautern for still being the stronger side." Bayern’s midfield had played so well in the first half, but in the second half it became obvious that Kraus and Niedermayer were no Paul Breitner, being unable to resist Kaiserlautern’s powerplay; confusion and hectic ruled instead of skill and composure. This was the period Bayern could have used Breitner, but even he arguably would have had a hard time organizing an effective resistance. Karl-Heinz Feldkamp: "Today we acted in the interest of German football. Saving the Bundesliga from yawning boredom. This was a healthy triumph", hinting at Bayern's run of nine straight wins in the league prior to this game.


----------------------------------------1. FC Kaiserslautern

------------------------------------------------Hellström

---------------------------------Briegel---Neues---Dusek---Eigendorf

--------------------------------------Melzer--F.Funkel--Bongartz

-----------------------------------------Geye--Wendt--Brummer

------------------------------------Manager: Karl-Heinz Feldkamp


-------------------------------------------Bayern München

-----------------------------------K.H.Rummenigge--D.Hoeness

------------------------------Dremmler--Niedermayer--Kraus--Dürnberger

-------------------------------Horsmann-----Aas-----Augenthaler--Weiner

--------------------------------------------------Junghans

------------------------------------------Manager: Pal Csernai


------------------------------------------Subs:
------------------------------------------54 Riedl in, Brummer out

 

Is that just me or has the Bayern logo in the previous entries just disappeared?

 

Rank #19

1. FC Köln 1
Bayern München 3



Place: Cologne, Müngersdorfer Stadion
Time: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Date: 25 May 1989
Attendance: 58,000
Referee: Wiesel

Goal Scorers:
0-1 Wohlfarth 25
1-1 Allofs 32
1-2 Wohlfarth 85
1-3 Wohlfarth 89



Commentary:
Udo Lattek had said 'Goodbye' to Munich in the summer of 1987 after having won the Bundesliga championship for a third straight year. Borussia Mönchengladbach legend Jupp Heynckes became his successor. Udo Lattek didn't like that, as he and Heynckes shared an aversion since the time when Heynckes was Lattek's assistant coach at Mönchengladbach in the late-1970s. Udo Lattek's new job after he left Bayern was that of "Sportdirektor" at Cologne and Cologne's manager at that time was the young and ambitious Christoph Daum. Daum was somewhat fascinated by the choleric Lattek who had always been renown for being an infamous loudmouth and Daum, originally timid and a little bit in awe of the media, took Lattek as his rolemodel. After Lattek had left Cologne in February 1988 having been hired by the Bild tabloid as columnist, Daum (aged 33 he was the youngest Bundesliga manager at the time!) quickly mutated from reserved and media shy probationer to the league's number one big-talking know-it-all loudmouth. A very important part in Daum's mutation from former, totally unknown assistant coach, to someone who considered himself a sage of football was the 3-1 beating of Bayern at Cologne in September 1987 as well as the 2-2 in Munich in March 1988. In both games Cologne was the by far better side and Daum's self-confidence grew larger and larger. One newspaper described him as follows: "When Daum talks about football, he appears like a zealot, like a manic preacher that is spreading his salutary teachings." After the 1987-88 season is over, Daum was voted "Manager rookie of the year". He had finished third in the Bundesliga with Cologne which was a more noteworthy accomplishment than Heynckes' second place with Bayern behind Werder Bremen. In the two previous years, Cologne had been nothing more than a mediocre side having finished 13th and 10th. This third place had been Cologne's highest season ranking since 1982.

Before the new season, Daum stated that it was time for Cologne to again win a trophy (the last one had been the 1983 German Cup). It didn't look good at the start of the season, as Heynckes' new Bayern side (Matthäus, Brehme, Michael Rummenigge, Mark Hughes and Norbert Eder had been replaced by the younger and hungrier Olaf Thon, Stefan Reuter, Jan Ekström and Roland Grahammer) set a new Bundesliga record in remaining unbeaten in the first 23 games of the season. Their first defeat came in March in 1989 in Mönchengladbach. Unsurprisingly, Bayern become the run and away leaders in the Bundesliga table. A bitter setback for Daum was the 0-2 at Munich in November 1988. Daum's reaction just like his rolemodel Lattek was a choleric one. Hans Pflügler had fouled Andreas Gielchen and after the game the Munich player wanted to excuse for his foul in the Cologne dressing room, but Daum only yelled "Bugger off! Just wait until you come to Cologne!", pushing Pflügler out of the room. Daum wasn’t giving up, especially after the league leaders showed a lack of form at the beginning of the second half of the season. Before the 24th round was staged on 1 April 1989, Daum daringly predicted the following: Bayern, unbeaten that season, to lose at Mönchengladbach and Cologne, without a victory in Hamburg since 1970 (!!), to win at Hamburg. The tabloids are delighted upon such daring predictions and wondrously, Daum proved to be correct! Bayern conceded their first defeat after losing 1-2 at Gladbach and Cologne managed their first win at Hamburg in 19 years with a score of 1-0. Slowly but surely the media began to take Daum serious, who duly provided new statements like “"rom now on no one will beat us." Daum couldn’t restrain himself anymore, attacking Jupp Heynckes, whom he called a "sleeping pill" and that even the weather report was more interesting than a speech by Heynckes. What Daum forgot was that Heynckes was a spectularly successful player and also a very good manager at Mönchengladbach. In contrast, Daum had nothing to show off as either player or manager up to that point. But Daum didn't care about that. However his next prediction – Bayern losing at home to Werder and Cologne beating Kaiserslautern at home – did not come true, as both games ended in a draw. Daum's next great moment came when his side had to play away at Werder Bremen. Werder had been unbeaten at home for almost a year at that point. Daum's motivational trick to spur his players was to pin 35 one-thousand D-Mark notes at the dressing room door and then he said to his players: "Men, this is your reward for winning the championship. Look at it, smell it." Then he suddenly screams: "And you want Bremen to take this money away from you??" It worked, Cologne won 2-1 at Bremen and Daum was celebrated as a psychological guru. "Only six games are left, then we'll celebrate winning the championship" he predicted his players. And to the media he brags "We have the best side in the world at the moment." Jupp Heynckes didn’t lose his balance upon such words from Cologne. Although his side struggled to beat Mannheim 1-0 at home, he stated "We lead the table by three points, we won’t let anybody take them away from us."

But on the 29th round, things started to get worrying for the Bavarians. While Cologne strolled to an impressive 2-0 victory vs. Borussia Dortmund, Bayern lost their away game at bottom-ranked Kickers Stuttgart by the same score. Heynckes sounded less confident after that defeat: "The championship is not lost yet!" But Cologne wouldn't be Cologne if everything would've run smoothly at their camp. Before the game against Hannover 96, the only thing the players talked about was the premium for a victory, but then they only draw 2-2. At the same time, Bayern win 2-1 at home against FC St. Pauli and thus their lead increased from one to two points. That was the setting before the big showdown. But Bayern did not play convincingly against St. Pauli, skipper Klaus Augenthaler even wanted to sent his teammates to a psychiatrist. The Bayern players were visibly affected by the Daum show, especially sensitive goalgetter Roland Wohlfarth, who failed to score a goal in eleven (!!) consecutive games. Yet Heynckes always sticked to his goalgetter. Augenthaler was the only Bayern player that apparently wasn’t nervous, stating before the game: "We will take one point off Cologne and then they will crumble." Meanwhile, Uli Hoeness, Jupp Heynckes and Christoph Daum together with Udo Lattek met in a highly-publicized tv duel in the ZDF Sportstudio show only a few days before the big game between the two sides was staged at Cologne. The topic of the debate was "The Art of Arguing". Bayern general director Hoeness reminded Daum that he attacked Heynckes below the belt in the previous months to which Daum countered: "Where the belt is located is determined by Bayern I guess?" It’s a very tense debate, especially between Hoeness and Daum, while Heynckes is trying to appear reserved and collected with the red-headed Hoeness next to him going fully into Daum. Hoeness' last sentence is directed towards Daum: "On Thursday you’ll face the end of the road!" Brave words considering that Cologne had been unbeaten for 17 games at that point. The next day, Christoph Daum picked a new strategy, he announced that he wouldn't say anything in the two days prior to the game, that he would wait until after the game to make new comments. And that's what he did, much to the pity of the tabloids! Daum's general optimism was further spurred by the fact that Wolf-Günther Wiesel wass appointed referee of the match. The same Wiesel that was in charge when Cologne beat Bayern 3-1 back in September 1987. Klaus Augenthaler was sent-off in that game. Daum fittingly praised the referee: "He’s one of the best that is around." Cologne’s treasurer was happy as the stadium was sold out which made him 1.2 million D-Marks and tv channel RTL paid 120,000 for broadcasting the game live in the Cologne area.

After arriving in Cologne, Jupp Heynckes wass eager to take some of the heat out of the encounter by stating: "Yes, I will shake hands with Daum after the game and I will congratulate him in case he wins." Already hours before the game, this league encounter spread the expectant mood of "Great Final" inside the stadium. The highly-respected German federal president Richard von Weizsäcker greeted the two teams inside the stadium, which thankfully took much of the zeal and heat out of the situation. Before the kick-off, people wondered if Daum would field center back Jürgen Kohler against his future employer Bayern, as Kohler had suffered a strain in the tense World Cup qualification game at Rotterdam vs. Holland. Kohler played and as usual he marked Bayern's Roland Wohlfarth. It was unlikely that Wohlfarth would end his goal-scoring drought against Kohler of all defenders, especially as Wohlfarth didn't like to be marked tough and tightly, which was Kohler's preferred style. But Jupp Heynckes had prepared his unstable goalgetter for the encounter with Kohler. He ordered him to take Kohler by surprise by distinctively seeking the confrontation, not giving in, not shying away from it. Heynckes correctly predicted that an aggressive Wohlfarth would rattle Kohler. Wohlfarth followed this order and after 25 minutes, the first big sensation of the game took place: Wohlfarth ended his drought by scoring Bayern's 1-0 lead! Augenthaler had hit a pass over 40 yards to the right flank where Stefan Reuter was positioned. Reuter's shot hit the right goalpost, Wohlfarth took the rebound under control and sent it over the desperately diving Cologne keeper Bodo Illgner into the goal! Christoph Daum watched in horror, suddenly looking very small. But eight minutes later, Daum jumped up and danced around the bench like a madman: his goalgetter Thomas Allofs, who hadn’t scored himself for quite a while, had ended his own goal drought after having exploited a misunderstanding between Bayern keeper Raimund Aumann and sweeper Klaus Augenthaler. Augenthaler had expected Aumann to rush towards the ball while Aumann had expected Augenthaler to kick to ball out of the danger zone.

The game stood 1-1 at half-time and to Christoph Daum's great vexation the score was still 1-1 six minutes before the final whistle. But at the same time, Daum had to be glad that his team was not trailing their Bavarian guests. Olaf Thon had played better in midfield than Pierre Littbarski and Thomas Hässler combined, setting up Wohlfarth and Ludwig Kögl time and again. Bayern were the better side and it appeared as if the huge pressure Daum wanted to built up had a disastrous effect – on his own side! Cologne looked paralysed upon the huge expectations. Ten minutes before time, Daum wanted to signal to his players that he intended to win this game, that he was not looking for a draw. Jürgen Kohler was taken off the pitch and a third forward entered it. This proved to be gigantic mistake. Wohlfarth now found himself unmarked, and with the increased pressure of the home side, Bayern were in a good position to stage some dangerous counter attacks. Thomas Allofs was close to scoring the lead for Cologne twice, but in the first instance he didn't hit the ball properly allowing Aumann to parry and then he shot the ball over the top. Referee Wiesel could even have given a penalty for Cologne when Flick had brought down Hässler in the box, but he didn't. In the last ten minutes Cologne played all or nothing, completely opening their defense, and it was this decision that cost them the title. Bayern's first opportunity to score after a counter attack was wasted by Stefan Reuter, but the second one was in: Ralf Sturm had lost the ball, Kögl had crossed it from the left flank and Wohlfarth – unmarked – headed it past Illgner: 1-2! Unbelievable scenes on the Bayern bench! Heynckes jumping up and down like rumpelstiltskin, hugging Uli Hoeness, crying out his joy without restrain. Utter agony on the Cologne bench. Daum struck by awe. Deadly pale. But it wuzn't over yet. Bayern in possession again four minutes later, Olaf Thon passed to Wohlfarth who scored his third goal: 1-3! The triumph was now complete. Bayern were leading the table with four points with only three games left and the championship was de facto theirs.

In the press conference, Daum bit the bullet and shook Heynckes' hand, congratulating him for winning the title. Bayern celebrated their triumph in the Interconti hotel with champagne, everyone wearing the standard Lederhosen outfit. But Daum was soon back on track, at the same night, he claimed that "we will pay Heynckes back the next year". How he intended to do that was his secret. The next encounter between the two sides was staged in Munich and Bayern won 5-1 (check this countdown).


------------------------------------------1. FC Köln

----------------------------------------------Illgner

----------------------------------------------Steiner
---------------------------------Gielchen---Kohler---M.Olsen

--------------------------------Hässler----Littbarski----Görtz
-----------------------------------------------Rahn

-----------------------------------Th.Allofs----------Povlsen

---------------------------------Manager: Christoph Daum


--------------------------------------Bayern München

------------------------------Kögl-------Wohlfarth-----J.Wegmann

---------------------------Thon---Nachtweih----Flick---Reuter

-------------------------------Pflügler----------------Grahammer
-----------------------------------------Augenthaler

------------------------------------------Aumann

---------------------------------Manager: Jupp Heynckes
---------------------------------Subs:
---------------------------------67 Johnsen in, Wegmann out
---------------------------------67 Götz in, Gielchen out
---------------------------------80 R.Sturm in, Kohler out
---------------------------------87 Dorfner in, Flick out

 

How annoying. I hate when that happens. Nothing's reliable! Luckily I found a new source for the Bayern logo, that's the one now showing in the latest posts.

I can assure you his memory played tricks on Toby Charles. I just recently got to watch the game with Toby's original commentary. He must have confused it with some other game in later years. There was definitely no one sent-off in the 0-7.

 

Rank #18



1. FC Nürnberg 7
Bayern München 3

Place: Nuremberg, Frankenstadion
Time: Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
Date: 2 December 1967
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Malka (Herten)

Goal Scorers:
1-0 Strehl 26
2-0 Volkert 27
3-0 Brungs 37
4-0 Brungs 51
5-0 Brungs 57
6-0 Brungs 62
6-1 Müller 72
7-1 Brungs 74
7-2 Brenninger 77
7-3 Brenninger 89



Commentary:
When Austrian Max Merkel took over command at Nuremberg in December 1966, the club with the great history had plunged to rank 14 in the league only two points above relegation. Merkel again proved to be the great motivator among Bundesliga coaches as he knew that Nuremberg was a very talented side that most of all needed to get the self-doubts out of their minds. It proved to be a difficult task but at the end of the 1966-67 season Merkel had managed to navigate Nuremberg into no man's land at rank 10. For the new season, the troubled squad remained the same only Yugoslavian outside right Zvezdan Cebinac and Austrian linkman August 'Gustl' Starek were added, but they proved to be very instrumental additions. Some weeks into the new season, one could have got the impression that Nuremberg were a completely different team but the players will in fact still the same! Merkel had done wonders. This Nuremberg side occupied the top rank in the Bundesliga from the third round on and stayed there for the rest of the season. At times the second ranked side was trailing them by eight points, which was a massive lead in the two-points-for-a-win-era! Thus already early on in the season, there was almost no question that Nuremberg would run away with the title, provided they didn't break down at some point in the second half of the season. The one point where Merkel's boys really proved what stuff they were made of came in December 1967, when they hosted their closest pursuers, Bavarian rivals Bayern Munich. Bayern was trailing Nuremberg by three points and thus they at least had to draw to keep their chances alive. A defeat had to be avoided at all costs. Little did they know that they had to endure the most embarrassing 'waterloo' in their yet short Bundesliga history!

When the referee blew the final whistle, Bayern were glad that it 'only' were seven goals they had to concede, as it could easily have been a couple more. The way Nuremberg had steamrolled them was simply bizarre. As if professionals had met amateurs, so total was Nuremberg's domination. A complete disaster for the ambitious side from Munich. That Bayern managed to score three goals was only due to Nuremberg having become inattentive after all the bliss of the first hour. To Bayern's international players, this debacle was especially bitter, as German national team manager Helmut Schön was among the spectators. During the first 25 minutes, Bayern had still vague hopes that they could somehow resist the raging home side, although probably none of them expected anything else than a defeat the way Nuremberg played on that foggy December afternoon. Bayern had been handicapped as Sepp Maier suffered a knee injury after eight minutes after a confrontation with Heinz Strehl. After a cross by Franz Brungs, the Nuremberg skipper had almost scored the 1-0 if not for Maier's spectacular yet dangerous save. After the game journalists asked Bayern manager Zlatko 'Tschik' Cajkovski why he didn’t substitute Maier to which Cajkovski replied that regardless of who was in goal, Maier or (reserve keeper) Fritz Kosar, nothing could have stopped this debacle. In midfield, Dieter Koulmann was incapable of making Bayern's play and found himself having to chase Nuremberg's playmaker Gustl Starek instead while Franz 'Bulle' Roth didn’t gain any ground against Heinz Strehl. And in defense, Bayern's skipper Werner Olk was simply incapable of containing Nuremberg's dangerman Franz Brungs while Cajkovski's plan to move Schwarzenbeck from left back to right back to mark Nuremberg's tricky outside left Georg 'Schorsch' Volkert and moving right back Peter Kupferschmidt to the left to take care of Zvezdan 'Zik Zak' Cebinac was not met with any success. To the contrary, the two Nuremberg wingers beat the Bayern full backs at will. Bitter for Bayern was that Cebinac had already participated in a training session before the season but then preferred to sign for Nuremberg.

Bayern's defense was already in a mess before Nuremberg scored their first goal. Franz Beckenbauer was not in a position to established order in the turmoil that surrounded him the way Nuremberg's sweeper Ferdinand Wenauer did on the other side. Cajkovski however was not willing to rearrange his gameplan. Goalgetter Gerd Müller had been moved back to operate in the midfield but the only effect was that his marker Ludwig 'Luggi' Müller was given the opportunity to move forward into the midfield where he excelled as a driving motor behind most of Nuremberg's actions. Bayern's center forward in that game, Rainer 'Oki' Ohlhauser, moved a lot up front but whatever he did he couldn't escape Karl-Heinz Ferschl, while Dieter 'Mucki' Brenninger had a hard time dealing with Horst Leupold. Brenninger actually had to follow Leupold, as Nuremberg's right back acted very offensively on the right side. Rudolf Nafziger had a better game on the right wing, but he also found it difficult to get past Fritz Popp, but at least he sometimes managed that. But Nafziger wasted the big chance to score a goal while Nuremberg was only up 2-0. Brenninger, Ohlhauser and Müller had combined well and suddenly Nafziger found himself standing alone in front of Roland Wabra, but he shot over the top! It is however doubtful that a Bayern goal at that point would have stopped Nuremberg from overrunning their guests.

After 27 minutes, Cebinac played a through ball towards left back Horst Leupold and his cross was converted by Heinz Strehl with a formidable volley: 1-0! A minute after that, right back Fritz Popp had crossed from the left (!) flank but center forward Fritz Brungs couldn’t head the ball properly but the deflected leather was then volleyed into Maier’s goal by outside left Volker: 2-0! Ten minutes later, Volkert got the ball after a splendid one-touch combination between Starek, Brungs and Strehl. Maier couldn’t hold on to the ball after Volkert’s shot, Kupferschmidt and Beckenbauer didn’t react – Franz Brungs was quickly tapping the ball over the line: 3-0! A highly deserved lead by Nuremberg at half-time. It was particularly telling that two of the three goals were set up by the two full backs storming forward, proving how modern and tactically astute Nuremberg’s game was. Bayern only had four goal scoring opportunities during the first half, the one by Nafziger, a shot by Müller way over the top from a good position after 13 minutes, as well as two shots by Brenninger and Roth which Wabra parried.

Nuremberg’s third goal had broken Bayern’s neck, that became apparent during the first 20 minutes of the second half. 20 minutes that made the Nuremberg crowd stagger for joy, as they were witnessing the best their club ever produced on a football pitch since the glorious 1920s. Nuremberg started the second half just as strong as they had finished the first one. They continued their aggressive forechecking, leaving Bayern’s forwards and midfielders almost no space and Bayern’s defenders were continually hunted from one place to the other. It was remarkable to see the great workload of 30-year-old players like Strehl and Brungs, the long distances they ran, their great physical and creative contribution to this rout. Nuremberg was unstoppable, threading great one-touch combinations over five or six stops without a Bayern player getting a chance to gain possession. Seven minutes into the second half, a well-measured cross by Cebinac from the right flank reached Franz Brungs at the penalty spot, who bent the ball over Maier into the Bayern goal: 4-0! Five minutes later, Gustl Starek started a fantastic solo, leaving five Bayern players behind him but instead of attempting to crown his great effort with a goal, he unegoistically passed to Brungs who had no difficulties scoring his third goal: 5-0! Bayern are now completely taken apart, another five minutes pass and Brungs struck again. He tamed a hard cross by Cebinac by heading it into his own path, quickly following the ball he struck with a massive shot: 6-0! All of Nuremberg at this moment is in a state of ecstasy, which explained how Bayern could score their first goal. Brenninger on the left wing is not being attacked, he crossed to Müller in the middle, who headed the ball on the ground and from there it jumped up over Wabra into the Nuremberg goal: 6-1. But Nuremberg made sure that there was no doubt which side would remain triumphant that day. Only 120 seconds later, Volkert beat off Schwarzenbeck and passed over to Cebinac who again addressed one of his dangerous crosses to Brungs at center forward position, who scored the goal of the day: Totally unmarked by anybody, Brungs scored his fifth with a spectacular bicycle kick: 7-1! An amazing way to round off his greatest day on a football pitch since he had scored a hattrick against European Cup winners Benfica for Dortmund back in 1963. Franz Brungs had always been a dangerous marksman but he was never as good as in this season. At the end he had scored some 25 goals in 34 games!

During the next three minutes, Nuremberg could have scored three additional goals, but twice Sepp Maier saved in great fashion and once Strehl missed the empty goal (all between the 74th and 76th minute). With a bit of luck, the score could have been 9-1 or 10-1 at that stage! But Nuremberg simply had to slow down after that, they had demonstrated football played at a very high pace on a difficult pitch between the 25th and 75th minute and their concentration certainly suffered after being up 7-1. This allowed Brenninger two score Bayern’s second and third goal. In 78th minute Kupferschmidt addressed a through ball to Bayern’s left winger and Roland Wabra in Nuremberg’s goal did not even attempt to dive for Brenninger’s shot: 7-2. The last goal of the game came after Beckenbauer had soloed his way into Nuremberg’s box, while he stumbled and fell to the ground he managed to pass the ball to Brenninger who beat Wabra for a second time (but probably from an off-side position). The drama had ended on a vaguely happy note for Bayern. For the rest of the season, Nuremberg’s occupation of the top spot was hardly ever in danger, they were to cruise to their ninth and (so far) last German championship. It was a great side. However manager Max Merkel did make some crucial mistakes after the celebrations were over. He thought he didn’t need half of the squad anymore and sold most of the most important players in an act of, well, madness. Most notably goalgetter Franz Brungs who joined Hertha BSC and playmaker Gustl Starek who signed for Bayern. Merkel signed a number of promising youngsters instead with whom he had planned to continue to dominate the Bundesliga but that was a daft miscalculation. Players like Erich Beer, Rainer Zobel, Jürgen Rynio, Johnny Hansen, Klaus Zaczyk, Armand Theis and Dieter Nüssing would all become great players in the 1970s, but they were simply too young and inexperienced in 1968. Thus Nuremberg’s 1968 triumphant championship-winning-year will forever be associated with their sensational relegation the next year.

This 7-3 rout of Bayern was probably a bit worrying to Helmut Schön, as three of his most important players, Maier, Beckenbauer and Müller all played pretty poorly. Unsurprisingly, none of them was featured in West Germany’s important Euro Qualification game in Albania a fortnight later. Maier, Beckenbauer and Müller weren’t even making the squad! This would be the last time that a fit Beckenbauer would not be invited to join the national team until he announced his departure towards the NASL in spring 1977. Without the three Bayern stars, Germany only managed a 0-0 draw in Tirana, which eliminated Germany from the 1968 European Championship already before it really began. After the game, Helmut Schön had to stand a lot of criticism, especially his decision to try it without players like Beckenbauer, Müller and also Uwe Seeler was harshly criticised afterwards. But it’s somewhat doubtful that Germany could have done any better with these players, as they were all totally out of form at that time.


-----------------------------------------1. FC Nürnberg

------------------------------------------------Wabra

-------------------------Leupold------Wenauer----Ferschl----Popp

----------------------------------------------L.Müller
--------------------------------------Starek----------Strehl

--------------------------------Cebinac-----Brungs------Volkert

--------------------------------------Manager: Max Merkel


-----------------------------------------Bayern München

-----------------------------Brenninger----Ohlhauser---Nafziger

-------------------------------Koulmann-----G.Müller-----Roth

-------------------------Kupferschmidt----Olk-----Beckenbauer--Schwarzenbeck

------------------------------------------------Maier

------------------------------------Manager: Zlatko Cajkovski

 

Rank #17

FC Schalke 04 5
Bayern München 5



Place: Gelsenkirchen, Parkstadion
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Date: 8 September 1973
Attendance: 46,000
Referee: Lutz (Bremen)

Goal Scorers:
1-0 Budde 11
2-0 Budde 12
3-0 E.Kremers 18
3-1 Müller 38
4-1 H.Kremers 41 pen
4-2 Müller 43 pen
5-2 H.Kremers 45 pen
5-3 Müller 51
5-4 Dürnberger 64
5-5 Müller 68


Commentary:
Bayern Munich were joint leaders with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga table when they travelled to Gelsenkirchen to face FC Schalke 04. Schalke was still haunted by the 1971 Bundesliga scandal, having to play without their best players who were either suspended (Klaus Fischer, Klaus Fichtel, Herbert Lütkebohmert) or playing on loan outside of Germany (Rolf Rüssmann, Reinhard 'Stan' Libuda). And as if that wasn’t enough cause for headaches, Schalke manager Ivica Horvat also had to do without injured standard keeper Norbert Nigbur. Unsurprisingly, Schalke 04 was struggling in the league five weeks into the season being ranked second from the bottom. Of the first five games of the season, Bayern had won four and drawn one, but they didn’t play convincingly despite the good start. Something was wrong but it was hard to spot what went wrong. Bayern did play with a lack of passion and bite, having become fairly complacent as they had won the league with a lead of eleven points the previous season.

Despite Schalke’s bad standing, 46,000 spectators were eagerly awaiting the kick-off. The stadium wasn’t sold as the hosts’ bad start probably led some fans to expect a hammering by the champions and they preferred not to be witnessing that in person. Certainly these Schalke 04 fans later regretted to not have purchased tickets for this game, as they missed one of the all-time most dramatic Bundesliga games! This game featured everything that makes football such an attractive sport: drama, fight, pace, gripping goal scenes and lots of goals. It took the home side eleven minutes to score. Sweeper Helmut Kremers bent in a cross, Paul Breitner was unintentionally obstructing goalkeeper Sepp Maier, the keeper let the ball drop down straight at Rainer Budde's feet: 1-0! Maier’s and Breitner’s slapstick interlude brought a smile to the face of the spectators. 60 seconds later, Schalke struck again. This time Helmut’s brother Erwin crossed the ball from the left, Sepp Maier missed the cross, although Beckenbauer jumped up he also missed it, and again Rainer Budde benefitted from Bayern’s defensive insecurities as he headed the ball into the open goal from inside right: 2-0! A traumatic start for Bayern’s defense, Schalke’s players and supporters couldn’t believe their luck, the super champs from Munich seemed to be totally out of sorts while the Schalke side of the previous games, that struggled in the league, is hardly recognizable, as if new players had been hired overnight. Sepp Maier especially left a bad impression. His manager Udo Lattek later only mildly criticized him: "It wasn’t all Maier’s fault. The whole team was at fault. I would say it was a matter of collective guilt." Schalke didn’t ask who was at fault, they simply couldn’t believe their luck. Their manager Horvat after the game: "It started out like in a dream. Being up 3-0 after 18 minutes, nobody would have dared to even dream that." Yes, 3-0 up after 18 minutes! Erwin Kremers had beat off Johnny Hansen and then proceeded to score a subtle goal with the outside of his foot from 20 yeards, giving the ball great spin: 3-0! Schalke had proved that they could score goals not only after defensive blunders. Bayern wondered what was happening with them. Schalke’s players fought with self-sacrifice, pressured the reckless Bayern crew non-stop at a high pace.

But Bayern was not willing to be put to the sword like that. The teams’ morale was surprisingly unaffected by this turmoil. They realized that they had to fight to take the points off the hosts. Udo Lattek: "We certainly undererstimated Schalke. My players always expects that they can succeed solely by creative means, without much fighting." During the next 20 minutes, Bayern had increased the pressure on the hosts and after a corner by Uli Hoeness, the ball rebounded from the crossbar straight to Gerd Müller, who scored by tapping the ball under goalie Helmut Pabst over the goalline: 3-1! But Schalke are so enthused by their performance, they keep on attacking themselves. These seven minutes before the break must rate as some of the best and most dramatic ever staged in a Bundesliga stadium. Two minutes after Müller’s goal, Katsche Schwarzenbeck fouled Franz Krauthausen (a former Bayern player) in the box, Helmut Kremers converted the penalty: 4-1! All’s well again for the Schalke fans! A 4-1 lead at half-time, who would have thought this would be possible? But the first half’s not over yet, only 120 seconds after the last penalty, referee Lutz again points to the penalty spot: Ulrich van den Berg had brought down Bernd Gersdorff in the Schalke box. Gerd Müller scored his second goal: 4-2! It was a fairly harmless attack by van den Berg and thus a pretty soft penalty. But the first half was still not over yet. If Schalke fans were worrying about Bayern having scored a second goal so short before the break, they were relieved again only 60 seconds later. Jupp Kapellmann had brought down Erwin Kremers at the edge of the box, referee Lutz did not hesitate pointing to the penalty spot yet again! Three penalties within the space of four minutes, a new record, Erwin’s brother Helmut took the penalty and scored his second goal: 5-2! This penalty was as soft a decision as the previous one. At half-time the spectators were congratulating themselves upon having had the luck of witnessing such a bloody brilliant encounter. Schalke fans couldn’t wait for the second half to begin, anticipating a continuation of the festivities. At half-time, Udo Lattek told his players that they should risk everything in order to score the needed goals, even at the risk of conceding a sixth one. The last occasion of Bayern conceding five goals in a Bundesliga game had been on 2 December 1967 when they lost 3-7 at Nuremberg. FC Schalke 04 became only the fifth Bundesliga side to score as many as five goals against Bayern Munich, the others having been Nuremberg (7 in 1967), Cologne (6 in 1965), Dortmund (6 in 1967) and Brunswick (5 in 1967). Skipper Franz Beckenbauer later criticized his teammates: "Nobody had the right attitude against his direct opponent. We were however taken by surprise how forceful Schalke’s attacks were."

What Schalke’s enraged supporters did not expect was that their side was rapidly losing their physical power while Bayern started a real powerplay on the Schalke box. This Bayern side of the second half had more in common with a three-time Bundesliga champion. After the game Bayern had gained 21 corners compared to only five by the hosts. Bayern’s new aggressiveness soon paid off. Franz Beckenbauer moved forward, started a solo, beat off his fellow sweeper Helmut Kremers in front of the Schalke box, his hard shot was deflected by Gerd Müller: 5-3! The ball would have probably hit the goal even without Müller’s interference, but after the game Beckenbauer said: "I don’t mind the goal being given to Gerd. I certainly won’t have a chance winning the goal scorers’ crown anyway, but maybe Gerd will." Bayern were now clearly on the up, they had 40 minutes left to score at least two goals. Schalke erroneously thought they could live off the sensational 5-2 half-time lead. Certainly Bayern were lucky that their opponents were too exhausted to answer the increased pressure not even with some dangerous counter attacks. But Schalke had overpowered themselves in the first half and reserve keeper Pabst didn’t have his best day (similar to Sepp Maier). Pabst appeared insecure and transferred his insecurities to Schalke's defense. One Helmut Kremers alone couldn’t resist the constant pressure and even he had to surrender after a while. Next to Helmut, his brother Erwin was Schalke’s best player, not only clearly winning the duel with Bayern right back Johnny Hansen, but time and again sendig in highly dangerous crosses, scoring one great goal himself as well as assisting two further goals. After the game Ivica Horvat stated: "One can’t play better than Erwin today. He is in superb form." Rarely did Kremers play with such determination and force, frequently moving and changing positions, he was seen on the left and on the right flank, at full back position and at the wings. Schalke’s young and inexperienced side had proved that they were capable of extraordinary performances but also that they lacked the necessary routine to defend such a comfortable lead. In the 64th minute another Bayern corner. The ball sailed towards Müller who lurked at the edge of the goalmouth, but he was not optimally positioned so instead of attempting a shot himself, Müller played the ball out of the box to back Bernd 'Wipf' Dürnberger who scored with a massive shot: 5-4! Bayern were on the best way to catch up on Schalke and the homecrowd was terrified at the prospect of their side wasting the three-goal lead. "What is happening here?" was the question most Schalke supporters probably asked themselves during these minutes. Four minutes after Dürnberger had added Bayern’s fourth goal, Bayern’s sensational comeback had reached a new peak, as Gerd Müller headed the ball into the Schalke goal after a corner by Hoeness: 5-5! An incredible comeback! In the second half, Beckenbauer’s commanding presence on the pitch had an almost intimidating effect on the young Schalke side and Gerd Müller, who finally awoke from his first-half-nightmare, inspired awe and terror in the Schalke box. Once again these two world class players had been Bayern’s saviours.


-------------------------------------------------------FC Schalke 04

-------------------------------------------------------------Pabst

-----------------------------------Sobieray----H.Kremers----van den Berg----Huhse

----------------------------------Krauthausen---Beverungen------Scheer-------Holz

-------------------------------------------------R.Budde----------E.Kremers

----------------------------------------------------Manager: Ivica Horvat


-------------------------------------------------------Bayern Munich

----------------------------------------------------G.Müller-----Gersdorff

------------------------------------U.Hoeness------Zobel----------Roth------Kapellmann

---------------------------------Breitner----Schwarzenbeck----Beckenbauer----Hansen

---------------------------------------------------------------Maier

------------------------------------------------------Manager: Udo Lattek

------------------------------------------------------Subs:
------------------------------------------------------46 Dürnberger in, Gersdorff out
------------------------------------------------------57 Dubski in, Krauthausen out

 

Rank #16

1. FC Köln 3
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2



Place: Köln, Müngersdorfer Stadion
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Date: 27 March 1971
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Schulenburg (Hannover)

Goal Scorers:
0-1 Heynckes 7
1-1 Weber 9
2-1 Rupp 14
3-1 Rupp 37
3-2 Köppel 57



Commentary:
During the 1960s and 1970s, the games between Rhineland-rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach and Cologne regularly belonged to the most thrilling and exciting encounters in German football. Two sides stacked with talent and spurred by a tense rivalry in the age of attacking football – the connoisseurs of the beautiful game always looked with high expectations to a meeting between both sides and were rarely disappointed. Perhaps the best encounter between Cologne and Borussia was this one in March 1971. Unlike than usual, this time Cologne was the better side, playing their best game in years. It did take a marvellous performance by Cologne to finally beat Mönchengladbach at home. This was after all Cologne’s sixth try since 1965. Gladbach was of course the dominating side in the Bundesliga at this time, being on the way to become the first club to defend the Bundesliga championship. At the top of the league table, Gladbach had 38 points followed by Bayern with 35. Cologne were trailing Gladbach by ten points and their aim was to secure a place in the UEFA Cup. Gladbach’s manager Hennes Weisweiler was a native of Cologne so he was always especially keen on his boys beating Cologne. Weisweiler had devised a special ritual before each game at Cologne: One day before the meeting, all players met at Weisweiler’s flat in Cologne where coffee and pie was served. Always the same pie, of course. Also of highest importance was that the team resided in the same hotel everytime, which was located in Brauweiler and also always dined in the same restaurant. This ritual had been in place ever since Gladbach first played a Bundesliga game at Cologne and it always assured that they would remain successful against their arch rivals. Prove: Borussia’s results since 1965 had been 2-2, 2-1, 5-2, 4-1 and 1-0! To the superstitious Weisweiler their neat streak could only be kept intact if the preparation each time remained the same. Thus it came as quite a surprise to Weisweiler to see his boys actually lose at Cologne, despite having performed the usual dead-safe ritual!

After Mönchengladbach had scored the early lead through Heynckes, the hosts had got worked up about Gladbach’s goal to such a degree that they only needed seven minutes to turn the score upside down. At the center of Cologne’s great efforts was Nr. 10 Wolfgang Overath, who reigned supremely in the midfield, clearly beating Günter Netzer in the Mönchengladbach side. Overath set the controls to each and every move forward, his accurate long and short passes were a joy to watch (always played with the outside of the foot), the quick turns with which he tricked his opponents, stepovers, his energy and overall subtle treatment of the ball and his great vision set him apart from all other players. This was the Wolfgang Overath that got voted "Best player of the 1970 World Cup" by a Brazilian newspaper the previous year. His opponent Peter Dietrich found no way containing the football genius of Overath. The first half was among the very best that had been seen in a Bundesliga game since 1963. Berti Vogts as usual had problems containing his friend Hannes Löhr, his most feared Bundesliga opponent. Vogts had to watch inactively while Löhr assisted not one, not two, but three goals! To the ever ambitious and resilient Berti, this was a horror scenario. Löhr also scored two goals himself but both were called-off due to off-side position. Weisweiler later explained why Vogts always looked bad against Löhr: "Berti’s personal friendship with Hannes prevents him from marking him as uncompromisingly as he marks all other opponents." Mönchengladbach’s best players were Jupp Heynckes, who surprisingly won almost every header against Cologne’s center back Wolfgang Weber (one of the strongest aerial players in all of Europe) and Horst Köppel, who on this day outshone his skipper Günter Netzer, who failed to prevail against Heinz Flohe. Flohe together with Overath proved to be a tremendous tandem. Next to Overath, Cologne had its best player in tiny center forward Bernd Rupp, himself a former Gladbach player. Right after the break, Rupp had two great chances but wasted both of them. Cologne could have be up 4-1 but instead Gladbach managed the 3-2 via a Köppel goal. Borussia now intensified their efforts undoubtedly aided by the fact that Cologne’s fitness deteriorated as they still had a strenuous Fairs-Cup tie from the previous Wednesday in their bones, when they eliminated soon-to-be English champions Arsenal FC with a 1-0 win at Cologne. The tempo in the first was so extraordinary that Gladbach too after a while couldn’t keep up with it, despite having been matchfree on Wednesday. But Gladbach lacked the unconditional will to turn a game around that usually distinguished them from teams like Cologne.

After the game, Cologne’s manager Ernst Ocwirk stated: "In view of the importance of this game, this have been great and dramatic 90 minutes. I was surprised how well we coped with the Arsenal game, our stamina in the first half was a surprise." Hannes Weisweiler: "We lost the game in the first 30 minutes. Our midfield was flawed, not our defense, as Netzer left Flohe too much space." For the first time since September 1969 did Borussia lose a game in which they had scored the first goal. But more importantly, Cologne had finally managed to beat Borussia at home. Something they had tried in vain since Gladbach had been promoted in 1965. With this defeat, Gladbach was temporarily toppled from the top of the table, as Bayern won 2-0 against Bielefeld at home (who had played one game less than the holders at that point). Bayern and Gladbach were to meet soon in the clash of titans...


---------------------------------------------------1. FC Köln

-----------------------------------------------------Manglitz

-------------------------------------Thielen---Biskup---Weber--Hemmersbach

-----------------------------------------------------Simmet
----------------------------------------------Flohe---------Overath

--------------------------------------Kapellmann---Rupp-----Löhr

-------------------------------------------Manager: Ernst Ocwirk


---------------------------------------Borussia Mönchengladbach

---------------------------------------Le Fevre---Heynckes---Wimmer

------------------------------------------------Netzer------Köppel
-------------------------------------------------------Dietrich

-------------------------------------Bleidick---L.Müller---Sieloff---Vogts

---------------------------------------------------------Kleff

-----------------------------------------Manager: Hennes Weisweiler

-----------------------------------------Subs:
-----------------------------------------none

 

The next game will be without a commentary. I tried to write one but soon gave up. The game was just too recent. Everyone that cares for the Bundesliga knows about that game and what went on before it. I'll just provide the stats and let it be known that I consider it the 15th greatest Bundesliga game ever!

 

Rank #15



Bayern Munich 1
Werder Bremen 3

Place: Munich, Olympiastadion
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m..
Date: 8 May 2004
Attendance: 63,000
Referee: Steinborn (Sinzig)
Goal Scorers:
0-1 Klasnic 19
0-2 Micoud 26
0-3 Ailton 35
1-3 Makaay 56





-------------------------------------------------Bayern Munich

--------------------------------------------------------Kahn

-------------------------------Salihamidzic---Jeremies----Linke----Lizarazu

----------------------------------------------------Hargreaves
-------------------------------Schweinsteiger-------Ballack-------Ze Robero

----------------------------------------------Makaay----------Pizarro

----------------------------------------------Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld


--------------------------------------------------Werder Bremen

------------------------------------------------Klasnic---------Ailton

-------------------------------------------------------Micoud
------------------------------------Borowski-------------------------Ernst
-----------------------------------------------------Baumann

--------------------------------C.Schulz------Krstajic------Ismael------Stalteri

-------------------------------------------------------Reinke

--------------------------------------------Manager: Thomas Schaaf

--------------------------------------------Subs:
--------------------------------------------46 Santacruz in, Schweinsteiger out
--------------------------------------------56 Sripknik in, Schulz out
--------------------------------------------71 Lagerblom in, Ismael out
--------------------------------------------87 Valdez in, Klasnic out

 

I'm pretty sure he was a left footy but I don't know which foot he used for that goal. He was one of the last pure outside lefts.

One can never be sure about that. I didn't know Maldini was actually a born righty!

Look who was on the pitch: Klaus Fischer, Rüdiger Abramczik, Erwin Kremers, Klaus Fichtel, Jürgen Sobieray, Rolf Rüssmann, Hannes Bongartz, Enver Maric, Herbert Lütkebohmert. Eight all-time great Schalke legends plus the best Yugoslav goalkeeper of the 1970s. That's not a B-team. The only players missing were Helmut Kremers and Branko Oblak (in their place Bernd Thiele and Manfred Dubski played). Bayern lacked their two Swedes Björn Andersson and Conny Torstensson, in their place Josef Weiß and Rainer Künkel played.

 

Rank #14

Borussia Dortmund 2
Eintracht Frankfurt 2



Place: Dortmund, Westfalenstadion
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Date: 28 March 1992
Attendance: 52,616
Referee: Ziller

Goal Scorers:
0-1 Yeboah 4
1-1 Zorc 10
2-1 Poschner 50
2-2 Falkenmayer 54


Commentary:
One of the best Bundesliga encounters of the 1990s, a match characterized by class, brilliance and pace. Both teams were only separated by one point, BVB at the top of the table, Eintracht close behind them. After only three minutes, Poschner’s bad pass reached Anthony Yeboah and the Ghanian star striker launched a galloping run into Dortmund’s half, getting rid of his marker Günter Kutowski, sweeper Thomas Helmer came too late when Yeboah unleashed a bombshell from 20 yards which hit the goal angle perfectly, goalie Stefan Klos being incapable of stopping the ball: 0-1! Horror on the faces of the Dortmund supporters! But already a minute later Danish forward Fleming Povlsen got close to equalizing with a volley shot that only missed the Frankfurt goal by inches. When two minutes later Michael 'Susi' Zorc and Thomas Franck missed another opportunity the BVB supporters were nevertheless relieved as they knew that their team was in good spirits, not giving up that easily. Dortmund now showed why they were leading the table, displaying a mixture of self confidence, boldness and class.

After 11 minutes BVB managed to score the equalizing goal, Frankfurt’s defenders Manfred Binz and Uwe Bindewald lost a header against Dortmund’s tall center back Michael Schulz, the ball trundled towards Povlsen, who headed it back into the goalmouth where Dortmund’s skipper Michael Zorc hammered the ball with vehemence under the cross bar: 1-1! Usually two early goals in such an important game between two top teams leads to both sides starting to play more calm and collected, concentrating on defensive work in midfield and better task sharing in defense. Not in this game! Frankfurt continued bedazzling the crwod with their crisp passing and fluid combinations, to which Dortmund answered with their brand of powerful teamplay which at times looked more effective than Frankfurt’s top-class ball skills. Scoring chances were strung together almost continuously during the first half. Shortly after the break, Borussia gained the lead – deservedly at that point, because more and more Dortmund’s powerful play pushed back Frankfurt’s adept forechecking. Among the hostile crowd, Andreas Möller (former Dortmund player) at times lost overview of the situation and thus Eintracht could not complain when Gerhard Poschner scored BVB's second goal in the 51st minute. A shot by Swiss forward Stephane Chapuisat had been deflected by Frank Möller in a way that it became an assist to Dortmund’s midfielder Poschner, who put the ball past Frankfurt keeper Uli Stein, who was rushing out of his goal but couldn’t prevent Poschner from scoring: 2-1!

But Frankfurt answered this challenge immediately, several BVB and Eintracht players were fighting for the ball in the Dortmund box with Stefan Klos desperately trying to get the ball under his control but then Ralf Falkenmayer saw a chance for a shot and he didn’t hesitate hitting the ball over the goalline: 2-2! The crowds were enthralled by this thriller, a heavy sleet had whitened the pitch, which made sophisticated passing a bit harder, with players now slipping, plugging and bolting, both sides never slowing down in their aim to score the decisive third goal. However it was not to be, the game ended in a draw, with Dortmund securing its one-point-lead. But unlike the meeting of other top teams, this draw was not the result of two teams neutralizing themselves by tactical means, it was the result of two top teams forcing up the level of play to a new height in a thrilling way.


--------------------------------------------------Borussia Dortmund

-------------------------------------------------------------Klos

-----------------------------------------------------------Helmer
---------------------------------------------------Kutowski----M.Schulz

--------------------------------------K.Reinhardt--------------------------Lusch
---------------------------------------------Poschner----Zorc----Franck

------------------------------------------------Chapuisat-------Povlsen

------------------------------------------------Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld


--------------------------------------------------Eintracht Frankfurt

------------------------------------------------Yeboah-------Andersen

-------------------------------------------------Bein------------------A.Möller
-----------------------------------R.Weber----------Falkenmayer----------F.Möller

-----------------------------------------------D.Roth-------------Bindewald
----------------------------------------------------------Binz

---------------------------------------------------------Stein


-------------------------------------------Manager: Dragoslav Stepanovic

-------------------------------------------Subs:
-------------------------------------------67 Mill in, Poschner out
-------------------------------------------73 Wolf in, Roth out
-------------------------------------------81 Sippel in, Andersen out
-------------------------------------------86 Karl in, Lusch out

 

Rank #13



Borussia Mönchengladbach 3
Bayern Munich 1

Place: Mönchengladbach, Bökelberg
Time: Wednesday, 8 p.m..
Date: 14 April 1971
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Herden (Hamburg)
Goal Scorers:
1-0 Netzer 37
2-0 Le Fevre 56
2-1 Mrosko 66
3-1 Laumen 83



Commentary:
The setting before the top game of the 1970-71 Bundesliga season was that Borussia Mönchengladbach had accumulated 36-14 points with a goals difference of +32 with Bayern at second place on 34-16 points and a goals difference of +24. For Bayern it thus was vital to either draw or win. A defeat had to be avoided at all costs. But avoiding a defeat at Mönchengladbach’s Bökelberg stadium would prove too difficult a task, as the holders were in a league of their own in 1971. Even Bayern with its super stars could not prevent their side from getting torn apart in the tornado that Gladbach were about to unleash.

Only seconds after the kick-off, Franz Beckenbauer started his first deep foray into the Gladbach half. The Kaiser soloed effortlessly from the midline straight to the box, beating off no less than six opponents on his way, the ball always close at his feet. In the box he hit the ball massively but a Gladbach defender managed to deflect it and thus cleared the ball to a corner. A great deal of applause for the Kaiser. But from the on, the home side took over control. Günter Netzer tried his luck with a thunderous shot that Sepp Maier couldn’t control, the ball fell to the feet of Horst Köppel but his shot was parried by Maier with a lightning fast parade! The atmosphere in the packed Bökelberg stadium was full of expectancy and anticipation. Sepp Maier did look a tad nervous with the raging spectators behind him, but he wasn’t the only Bayern player that appeared to be intimidated, the whole side looked nervous. Austrian full back Peter Pumm almost placed a back pass into his own goal! Three times did Sepp Maier let the ball drop down after crosses and Bayern were lucky that no Gladbach forward was around exploiting Maier’s lapses. After 11 minutes Franz 'Bulle' Roth got booked after a bad foul on the dangerous Günter Netzer, who had dumdfounded him in great fashion. Up to that point Gladbach had exercised a tremendous powerplay on the Bayern goal, as if they were one goal down in the last ten minutes! After this foul on Netzer finally Beckenbauer and his defense got a chance for a breather. Beckenbauer used the pause to order his defense more effectively, something he didn’t get a chance to do in the first ten minutes, so crushing were Gladbach’s constant attacks. In the 13th minute, Paul Breitner first fouled Herbert Laumen then Günter Netzer, trying to take the pace out of Gladbach’s game. But Gladbach still remained very dangerous in attack, although their immediate pressure ebbed away. Bayern managed to release themselves from some of the pressure of the hosts between the 15th and the 30th minute by starting several dexterous counter attacks. Relying on counter attacks was in fact Bayern manager Udo Lattek’s original gameplan for the difficult game.

Piercing whistles from the Gladbach crowd after Franz Beckenbauer had brought down his teammate from the national side (and darling of the crowd), Berti Vogts! The energetic full back had to receive treatment at the sidelines. From now on all of Beckenbauer’s actions were accompanied by boos and whistles. Paul Breitner had a great scene in the 27th minute when he thrusted deep into the Gladbach half but his shot just missed the goal going over the top. Around that time Franz Roth started to limp, very bitter for Bayern as Roth was intended to cover Günter Netzer, but it became obvious that the injured Roth was useless and thus had to leave the pitch. Into the bargain, Roth was also struggling with his nerves as he started to row with the referee! Looking for the game and Netzer would have been smarter. At some time, Gladbach’s stifling domination simply had to pay off and that moment came in the 36th minute. From 18 yards, Netzer had the opportunity to shoot unmarked and the ball left his right foot like a torpedo and smashed into the back of Bayern net way above Sepp Maier: 1-0! Netzer had torn down the spell surrounding the Bayern goal! Gladbach players and fans celebrated enthusiastically, finally their efforts had paid off and in what brilliant fashion! But almost Bayern’s right wing Edgar Schneider would have scored the equalizer after a freekick a minute later. His diagonal shot from inside right position only just missed Kleff’s goal. After that scene Roth finally had to leave the pitch after he tried for a while to keep going on. Roth had suffered a strain and in his place came young Uli Hoeness, who himself had just been cured from a toe injury. After Netzer’s goal the game had calmed down a bit but at the stroke of half-time Gladbach scored a second goal but it wasn’t given due to an off-side position.

The Bayern camp was of course aware that in order to achieve anything here at Mönchengladbach they would have had to play with far more energy, resolute and determination. Shortly after the break Edgar Schneider wasted another fine opportunity, but the upper part of his body leaned back too much and thus instead of simply tapping the ball over the goalline he shovelled it over the top of the goal! Then great luck to Bayern on the other side as Horst Köppel failed to exploit a misundestanding between Beckenbauer and Breitner. Ten minutes into the second half, the game having been more balanced than in the first half, Rainer Zobel brought down Jupp Heynckes only inches before the penalty box. Now came Günter Netzer’s great freekick show. Gently he laid the ball down on the ground, lifted it up again then laid it down again. It took him a while before had placed the ball in the most optimal way, the crowd watching in joyous anticipation. Then finally Netzer executed the freekick, swerving the ball in a masterly way above the head of the Bayern defenders straight onto Maier’s goal. But instead of falling into the net, the ball hit the crossbar! From there the ball bounced back, straight to Jupp Heynckes who headed it towards the Bayern goal, but incredibly, the ball yet again hit the crossbar! The third try came from Dane Ulrik Le Fevre, who finally kicked the ball into the Bayern goal! 2-0! An amazing scene! Everything now pointed towards a victory of the home side. With this score, Gladbach would increase their lead over Bayern to four points! Only minutes later Bayern were lucky that a goal by Jupp Heynckes wasn’t given due to an off-side position: After a mistake by Beckenbauer, Heynckes had beat off Sepp Maier and shot the ball over the goalline among the thunderous roar of the crowd but Herbert Laumen stood off-side. If that goal had been allowed, a disastrous debacle would have loomed for Bayern. Then Le Fevre wasted a great, almost absolutely safe chance at scoring the third goal! The crowd couldn’t believe it but at the same time scenes like that further increased the great atmosphere inside the stadium. Then came the 66th minute. Paul Breitner had entered the Gladbach box from the inside left position, then crossed the ball sharply towards the penalty box where Charly Mrosko was lurking who firmly hit the ball into Kleff’s goal: 2-1! This goal visibly gave Bayern an upswing. Only one more goal and they would have accomplished the impossible, taking a point back to Munich from the feared Bökelberg! Things didn’t look good for the hosts as 'Man of the Match' Günter Netzer, who had run completely out of power due to his forceful, energy-consuming play during the first hour, had to leave the pitch and in his place young Jürgen Wloka entered it. Clearly a weakening for Borussia, who up to that point had harmonized better than the guests. Bayern now did everything in their powers to score a second goal. Gerd Müller had a neat chance 15 minutes before time but he didn’t act resolute enough when the 2-2 was possible. But Gladbach did not let themselves up. Their attacks had always been exercised with more drive and zest and Bayern had run out of energy to really stage an effective powerplay on the Gladbach goal. After 83 minutes, the pacey Herbert Wimmer got behind the Bayern defense on the right wing, he swung a cross sharply before the Bayern goalmouth where Herbert Laumen struck: 3-1! 30,000 Gladbach supporters celebrated their side’s third goal effusively! Gladbach leading by two goals only mirrored their supremacy over the Bavarian guests in this clash. The only Bayern player able to keep up with Gladbach was Franz Beckenbauer, who presented himself in tremendous shape. But he alone was not enough to resist the Gladbach onslaught although Paul Breitner, Rainer Zobel, Charlie Mrosko, Johnny Hansen and later Uli Hoeness tried their best to support Beckenbauer’s efforts.

All in all, Gladbach had won this prestigious encounter deservedly, having been the more passionate side, showing arch rivals Bayern their limits. Gladbach was simply more creative, their play was full of ideas and invention and more agile in every aspects than the at times clumsy Bayern players. 15 internationals had been on the pitch that evening (twelve Germans, two Danes and one Austrian), thus expectations had been high and the game met, even surpassed all expectations. While Günter Netzer was on the pitch, he reigned supremely, conducting the attacks and threading together Gladbach’s combinations. He also didn’t spare with shots, spinned corner balls and freekicks that posed great problems to Sepp Maier and the Bayern defense. Bayern’s main deficiencies had again been their ineffective wings. On the other side Gladbach had demonstrated how devastating effective wings could be, time and again baring Bayern’s defense. Gladbach’s best player had been Günter Netzer and after him Berti Vogts, Ludwig Luggi Müller and Jupp Heynckes. In the press conference after the game Bayern manager Udo Lattek stated: "Borussia’s cast is on average better than ours. Their players are smarter and they have more experience. Gladbach has won deservedly due to their many great opportunities at scoring." And Hennes Weisweiler said: "It was a gama loaded with fight and drama and a deserved victory. Just in time did we find our right form again. However Dietrich, Netzer and Heynckes were injured. Fortunately our youngsters Wloka and Bonhof proved that we can rely on them anytime." The manager of the German national team, Helmut Schön, was of course also inside the stadium and had to say the following afterwards: "A great game with spice and everything just like one wishes. To me Gladbach won deservedly. Despite some fouls it was an all-around fair game." Gerd Müller had had a pretty quiet game and he duly complained after the game: "Without wings one can’t win. I was standing there in the middle alone against two players and felt pretty forlorn getting no support from anywhere." Special mention must go to the Gladbach crowd who supported their side tremendously. The Bayern officials admitted their envy upon this home support, complaining that they would never get supported like that by their own fans at home.



--------------------------------Borussia Mönchengladbach

------------------------------------------------Kleff

-------------------------------Vogts----Sieloff----L.Müller----Bleidick

-----------------------------------Wimmer---Netzer---Laumen

----------------------------------Köppel---Heynckes---Le Fevre

------------------------------------Manager: Hennes Weisweiler


-----------------------------------------Bayern Munich

--------------------------------Mrosko------G.Müller----E.Schneider

--------------------------------Breitner--------Roth---------Zobel

-------------------------Pumm-Schwarzenbeck-Beckenbauer--Hansen

-------------------------------------------------Maier

---------------------------------------Manager: Udo Lattek


---------------------------------------Subs:
---------------------------------------39 Hoeness in, Roth out
---------------------------------------69 J.Wloka in, Netzer out
---------------------------------------79 Bonhof in, Heynckes out

 

Rank #12



1. FC Köln 0
Borussia Mönchengladbach 4

Place: Köln, Müngersdorfer Stadion
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m..
Date: 6 December 1975
Attendance: 61,118
Referee: Biwersi (Bliesransbach)
Goal Scorers:
0-1 Simonsen 24
0-2 Heynckes 35
0-3 Jensen 38
0-4 Jensen 62



Commentary:
The previous two games between these sides in this countdown featured a triumphant 1. FC Köln but there can be no doubt that generally Cologne were on the receiving end during the 1966 to 1976 era when they met their nemesis Borussia Mönchengladbach. Probably no game illustrated Gladbach’s domination of their Rhineland rivals Cologne more tellingly than this game ranked 12th in this all-time countdown. Borussia Mönchengladbach, who had won their third Bundesliga championship the previous season had not played as convincingly in the new season but it was still enough to top the table. Their long-time manager and architect of the Borussia success story, Cologne native Hennes Weisweiler, had left the club to join Johan Cruyff’s FC Barcelona. In his place, in one of the most sensational manager signings in Bundesliga history, Udo Lattek had taken over command at Borussia. Lattek had coached Bayern Munich highly successful from 1970 to 1974 but got sacked in December '74 when his results began to worsen. He had then signed for RW Essen but when the news came that Weisweiler left Borussia, he managed to get out of his contract at Essen and struck a deal with Borussia’s general manager Helmut Grashoff. Lattek’s approach to football was of course quite different to Weisweiler’s and it looked as if it would take a while before his new team could adapt to Lattek’s more defensive approach. But Borussia at that time was just too good a side to really get into some kind of trouble. This game was the last in the first half of the season and Mönchengladbach was again atop the Bundesliga table with 23-9 points, followed by Hamburg on 20-12, Brunswick and Kaiserslautern both on 19-13 and then Cologne on 18-14 points. Cologne had their traditional bad start to the season but had consolidated soon and moved steadily up the table. A victory against reigning champs Mönchengladbach was not out of reach for the hosts, who had done surprisingly well in the last two games without their injured skipper and living Cologne legend Wolfgang Overath. The home side was further enthused by playing their first game in the newly renovated and modernized Müngersdorfer stadium (they had to play in the smaller Horse Race stadium next door during the previous four years!).

The 50,000 Cologne fans among the 62,000 crowd in the Müngersdorfer stadium where highly expectant before the game but soon their enthusiasm would vain, having to come to terms with the fact that they were not only watching the old but also the new German champion, too awe-inspiring was Borussia that day to leave any doubts about who was the best side in Germany. Borussia displayed a football demonstration of the most modern kind. They were superior to the hosts on a technical and tactical level and also displayed a fiercely battlesome attitude. With more determination this game could have ended in an even more humiliating fashion. Every important duel was decided in the favor of Borussia: The outstanding Rainer Bonhof condemned Cologne’s best player of the recent weeks, Herbert Neumann to complete insignificance, Berti Vogts successfully contained Heinz Flohe in a dogged fight and Herbert Wimmer could not be stopped by Heinz Simmet. Even defender Dietmar Danner effectively contributed to building up Borussia’s play. Every Borussia player was also more agile and more pacey than his opponent, which did not only become visible whenever Gladbach started one of their counter attacks, switching from defense to attack in a matter of seconds but especially in the direct confrontation of Gladbach’s three forwards Heynckes, Jensen and Simonsen, with whom Strack, Weber and Konopka just couldn’t keep up. Cologne operated with only one real striker up front, the veteran Hannes Löhr, which was intended by Cologne manager Zlatko 'Tschik' Cajkovski as a preventive measure to meet Gladbach’s expected and feared counter attacks. But this measure had the opposite effect because whenever Cologne’s defenders moved forward to support Löhr, they virtually invited the guests to exercise their feared counter attacks! Gladbach’s forwards were only watching out for an opportunity to find an open pitch waiting for them to be conquered. Cologne’s center back Wolfgang Weber was sparkling with ambition as this was his 600th game in the Cologne jersey, but even the great Weber had to concede that he was not fully capable of containing the danger exerted by Danish center forward Henning Jensen who proved to be one of Europe’s best forwards. The gangling yet slick Dane impressed with his refined tricks, long sprints and hard shots. Just like Weber in central defense, Cologne’s full backs Harald Konopka and Gerd Strack too had taken on to mark their opponents tightly, not leaving them any space but it only worked for about 20 minutes then they had to realize that Heynckes and Simonsen were just too pacey, sly and experienced for them. Their constant switching of positions also made it hard for the Cologne defenders. They just couldn’t keep up with them, too lightning fast were Gladbach’s attacks.

After 24 minutes Henning Jensen addressed a cross to his Danish compatriot Allan Simonsen who was not marked close enough in that second. The nimble forward could chose where to place his shot and Cologne goalkeeper Harald Toni Schumacher was defeated for the first time: 0-1! Simonsen’s marker Konopka had slipped and thus the Dane was unmarked for a second. From this moment on, Gladbach had virtually won the game as the hosts were not in the position to cope with being down. Too good did they know what was awaiting them now. They would have to play more offensively which would play perfectly into Gladbach’s cards who could now fully concentrate on their famed counter attacks. But what should Cologne do? Play defensively in order to avoid a bigger defeat in front of their own crowd after only 25 minutes? This would not have met with a favourable response by the crowd thus Cologne had to further open up their own half even with the firm knowledge that the Gladbach juggernaut counter attack machine would kill them off in cold blood. They had no other possibility. A desperate situation for the home side. With this knowledge, it came unsurprising that the Cologne players became very nervous. Young Herbert Neumann too awkward and long-winded, many of his passes ending at the feet of his opponents. Yet Neumann had started great after one of his shots hit the crossbar in the eighth minute. Still the duels between Bonhof and Neumann remained among the highlights of the game. One of Bonhof’s shots had hit the crossbar only one minute after Simonsen had scored. Borussia’s showing was so strong, one could have thought they were the home side, not Cologne. Full of self-confidence, at times even a bit too saucy. Borussia’s young center back Frank Schäffer with his ultra hard tackles made veteran striker Hannes Löhr almost see red. Löhr had been Cologne’s most dangerous player during the first half but Schäffer’s tough marking proved to be too trying, stressful and exhausting for Löhr. The same could be said about Heinz Flohe and Berti Vogts. With Cologne’s creative center shut down, the Cologne crowd in vain waited for their side to produce something of note. To their desperation, it all happened on the other side. Jürgen Glowacz lost the ball in the midfield in the 35th minute to Dietmar Danner who quickly pressed ahead. He passed the ball to Heynckes who shot without hesitation: 0-2! Schumacher didn’t look good in that scene. Three minutes later, Schumacher was caught off guard by a Henning Jensen shot from 18 yards: 0-3! Gladbach’s fourth goal almost came after 58 minutes and it was the perfect demonstration of how a counter attack has to be exercised. Out of a sudden, five Borussians were facing only two Cologne players (Weber and Strack). Only Harald Schumacher’s courageous intervention prevented Gladbach from scoring their fourth goal. That came two minutes later. Henning Jensen had headed the ball massively behind Schumacher into the back of the net: 0-4! Mönchengladbach’s performance had been so impressive and inspiring that they 50,000 Cologne supporters among the 62,000 joined the 12,000 Gladbach fans after this fourth goal in praising the guests by chanting "Encore! Encore!" By all means this wasn’t meant as sneering towards their own side out of disappointment but an honest expression of admiration for the guests’ thrilling brand of football. Throughout the game but especially during the second half, Gladbach’s imposing performance was that of a European top side. The score could have been even higher if Borussia had kept on playing with the same determination during the last 30 minutes as they did during the first hour. Simonsen and Jensen had engaged in a veritable shooting match on Schumacher’s goal.

In the press conference after the game, Tschik Cajkovski stated that Borussia Mönchengladbach had played like a vision of perfect football that came true: "One simply can’t play the game of football any better." Udo Lattek: "At first we wanted to prevent Cologne from scoring a goal against us. That’s what we did. Then we could exercise our lightning-fast counter attacks and at times our play looked like a demonstration. One can hardly play football better than that. But the team had omitted to score more than four goals, which was possible. I had expected Cologne to be stronger." The Gladbach players praised their new coach after the game: "Only under Lattek did we manage to get the proper mixture between attacking and defensive football right. We are now playing more mellow and balanced than under Weisweiler." This was Cologne’s highest defeat at home up to that point, beating the 2-5 Cologne had conceded in 1967 against the same opponent and it was the first time in over a year that Cologne failed to score a goal at home. Wolfgang Weber complained about the way his side went down: "The manner we lost was very sad." Some critic was directed at Herbert Neumann when assistant coach Rolf Herings stated: "One can play badly now and then but one must never forget to fight." But there was one victorious player from Cologne after all: The injured Wolfgang Overath heard his name being chanted towards the end of the game. Before the encounter, not few had stated that Cologne was better without Overath, but as Cologne president Peter Weiand stated: "Anyone claiming that we could do better without Overath had their eyes opened today. We can’t do without him."


-----------------------------------------1. FC Köln

-----------------------------------------Schumacher

------------------------Strack------Weber------Cullmann----Konopka

------------------------------Simmet-----Neumann-------Hein
-------------------------------------Flohe----------Glowacz

----------------------------------------------Löhr

--------------------------------Manager: Zlatko Cajkovski


-------------------------------Borussia Mönchengladbach

----------------------------Heynckes-----Jensen------Simonsen

----------------------------Wimmer--------Stielike---------Bonhof

-------------------------Vogts------Wittkamp-----Schäffer-----Danner

----------------------------------------------Kleff

-----------------------------------Manager: Udo Lattek


-----------------------------------Subs:
-----------------------------------67 Hiestermann in, Glowacz out
-----------------------------------81 Lauscher in, Konopka out
-----------------------------------81 Klinkhammer in, Wimmer out
-----------------------------------81 Köppel in, Jensen out

 

Rank #11



Hamburg SV 1
Bayern Munich 1

Place: Hamburg, AOL Arena
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m..
Date: 19 May 2001
Attendance: 55,400
Referee: Merk (Kaiserslautern)
Goal Scorers:
1-0 Barbarez 90
1-1 Andersson 93


FC Schalke 04 5
SpVgg Unterhaching 3

HACHING LOGO NOT SHOWING DUE TO BS RESTRICTION POLICY

Place: Gelsenkirchen, Parkstadion
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m..
Date: 19 May 2001
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Strampe (Handorf)
Goal Scorers:
0-1 Breitenreiter 3
0-2 Spizak 27
1-2 Asamoah 44
2-2 van Kerckhoven 45
2-3 Seifert 69
3-3 Böhme 73
4-3 Böhme 74
5-3 Sand 89




Commentary:
After Schalke had triumphed in Munich beating the hosts 3-1 (check this countdown) they had assumed control of the Bundesliga while Bayern had dropped to second. Schalke had their fate in their own hands but two weeks later Bayern had equalized in terms of points after Schalke only away at Bochum while Munich won at home against Freiburg. On the penultimate round of the season, Schalke played a very lacklustre game at Stuttgart, without any passion and determination. They lost 0-1 and it looked as if they gave away the championship on that day. Their inexplicably bad performance really shocked their fans. Stuttgart had scored the decisive goal in the very last minute ... at almost exactly the same second, Alexander Zickler scored the match winner for Bayern against Kaiserslautern in Munich. This gave Bayern a three-points lead over Schalke with one game left - Bayern only to draw in their last league game to secure the championship. Their opponents were Hamburg, who where in no man's land, neither having to fear relegation nor having a chance to reach a UEFA- or even UI-Cup rank. Schalke's last game was at home against SpVgg Unterhaching, who were ranked 16th and thus had to fight against getting relegated. Equally important, Unterhaching was a close suburb of Munich! It thus didn't look terribly good for Schalke.


Now let's check what happened on the last day of the season:
3:30 p.m., Hamburg: The game in Hamburg is supposed to commence but Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn is still occupied clearing his penalty box from bananas. Kahn: "We knew that the Hamburg fans did not want to see a champion from Munich."
3:33 p.m., 3rd min., Gelsenkirchen: Silence in Schalke’s Park stadium. Martin Cizek hit a freekick into the Schalke box, André Breitenreiter scores the 0-1 for Haching!
3:35 p.m., 2nd min., Hamburg: No moves on the Bayern bench upon hearing the good news from Gelsenkirchen.
3:51 p.m., 21st min., Gelsenkirchen: Schalke drops to third place as Dortmund scored the 1-0 against Cologne.
3:54 p.m., 21st min., Hamburg: Kahn dives, gets the ball with his left hand, Hamburg’s best of a number chances. Bayern only had threatened the Hamburg goal once via Carsten Jancker. Ottmar Hitzfeld looks worried.
3:54 p.m., 24th min., Gelsenkirchen: More headshaking on the Schalke bench as even a victory for Unterhaching would be worthless for them, as Cottbus leads 1-0 at TSV 1860 Munich.
3:57 p.m., 27th min., Gelsenkirchen: Game over for Schalke? The paralysed hosts are trailing by two goals! Spizak had nutmegged Oliver Reck in the Schalke goal. 0-2!
3:58 p.m., 28th min., Gelsenkirchen: At least Schalke climbs back to the second rank as Dortmund concedes the 1-1 vs. Cologne.
4:02 p.m., 29th min., Hamburg: Unterhaching’s second goal is celebrated among the Bayern fans: "Haching! Haching!". Uli Hoeness is not pleased with the score from Gelsenkirchen being shown on the screen: "Our players slowed down after that."
4:15 p.m., 44th min., Gelsenkirchen: Unmarked, Ebbe Sand five yards from the Haching goal hits over the ball, but Nico van Kerckhoven is there, tapping the ball over the goalline: 1-2!
4:16 p.m., 45th min., Gelsenkirchen: Schalke rising like phoenix from the ashes? Asamoah scores the equalizer with a backheel! 2-2 only one minute after the 1-2!
4:16 p.m., 43rd min., Hamburg: Schalke’s equalizer is displayed on the stadium screen. "Schalke! Schalke!" is roared from thousands of HSV fans. Meanwhile Ingo Hertzsch is running towards the Bayern goal all alone but his shot misses the goal.
4:19 p.m., 45th min., Hamburg: Half-time break. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge: "The pressure one our players is noticeable."
4:47 p.m., 59th min., Hamburg: Goal for Bayern! Jancker converted a cross by Lizarazu, Bayern celebrated until they see the flag of the linesman: Off-side! A wrong decision. "I can’t believe the referee is deciding the championship" complains Jancker after he is substituted.
4:50 p.m., 62nd min., Hamburg: Bayern plays passive, Hamburg are anxious to score a goal. Bayern fans are already looking forward to the Champions League final on the coming Wednesday, chanting: "Finale! O-Ho! Finale! O-Ho-Ho-Ho!"
4:54 p.m., 69th min., Gelsenkirchen: Another freekick by Cizek, Seifert heads the ball into the back of the Schalke net: 2-3! Unbelievably, Haching leads again!
4:55 p.m., 67th min., Hamburg: Celebrations among the Bayern fans upon hearing of Hachings’ lead!
4:56 p.m., 71st min., Gelsenkirchen: Schalke fans call for their last hope: Schalke legend Olaf Thon enters the pitch for the first time after an eight-months break from injury.
4:58 p.m., 73rd min., Gelsenkirchen: Freekick by Schalke’s Jörg Böhme, he scores from 20 yards: 3-3!
4:59 p.m., 74th min., Gelsenkirchen: Again Böhme! A faint, a subtle chip: 4-3! Orgiastic jubilations in the Park stadium! Finally in the lead! Again their goal came only a minute after the equalizer ... amazing.
4:59 p.m., 71st min., Hamburg: The situation in the AOL-Arena has come to a tense point. The stadium is boiling, the HSV fans are rocking. The home side only needs to score one goal and Schalke would be champions!
5:08 p.m., 83rd min., Gelsenkirchen: Olaf Thon scores Schalke’s fifth goal, but the goal is whistled off due to off-side. But tv repeats prove it wasn’t!
5:12 p.m., 84th min., Hamburg: No Bayern official is calm enough to keep on sitting on the bench, everyone’s stood up. Michael Tarnat has chosen a place among the photographers, Hitzfeld stands at the outermost corner of the coaching zone. There’s no doubt about Schalke winning their game against Haching while Bayern are under high pressure from Hamburg. Very tense!
5:13 p.m., 88th min., Gelsenkirchen: The chants inside the Park stadium are so loud that they could almost be heard in Hamburg: "HSV! HSV! HSV!"
5:15 p.m., 89th min., Gelsenkirchen: Schalke scores the 1,067th and last goal inside the Park stadium, Ebbe Sand had tapped the ball over the goalline from close distance. His 22nd league goal that season, at that moment he’s the sole leader in the goal scorers’ chart. "I didn’t think about that at all" Sand later explained. 5-3 to Schalke!
5:18 p.m., 90th min., Hamburg: Marek Heinz crosses, Sergej Barbarez scores for Hamburg!!! Hamburg scores the 1-0 in the 90th minute!!! Bayern players, fans and officials are shaken and speechless. Some go down, all let their heads hang down. Hamburg celebrates Barbarez excessively as if they had just won the championship themselves. Barbarez stretches his fist into the air in triumph while Kahn grabs the ball and runs to the mid circle, screaming to his teammates: "Go on! Go on!"
5:18 p.m., 93 rd min., Gelsenkirchen: The Schalke fans all jump up at the same time. "At that moment we immediately realized what had happened in Hamburg" stated Andreas Möller. Goal in Hamburg!! Some Schalke players run around the pitch with their arms stretched to the sky although the game is still going. Then referee Strampe whistles off! The spectators invade the pitch in joy and bliss. This is Schalke’s first German championship since 1958!
5:19 p.m., 91st min., Hamburg: Bayern’s assistant coach Michael Henke notes how Ottmar Hitzfeld is clenching his fists. "Suddenly he said to me: 'We will pull it off. We will pull it off'. I thought that was insane." Suddenly all in the Bayern camp believe it. Skipper Stefan Effenberg: "We must try to get near their goal once or twice. Come on!"
5:20 p.m., 92nd min., Hamburg: Sammy Kuffour has the big opportunity to score, but instead kicking the ball he kicks Hamburg goalie Matthias Schober towards the goal post. Schober lies down benumbed. Kuffour can’t comprehend his misery.
5:21 p.m., 93rd min., Hamburg: The last attack. Effenberg addresses a through ball to Paulo Sergio but his marker Ujfalusi kicks the ball with his boot a second earlier back to Schober. Schober takes up the ball with his hands and at the Bayern bench immediately the protests start. "Back pass!" Referee Markus Merk gives a freekick inside the penalty box, Hamburg protests! Effenberg realizes the situation, lays the ball down, shortly discusses with Patrik Andersson what to do. "Andersson is among our hardest shooters," Effenberg later stated. Freekick expert Mehmet Scholl is already substituted. Hard shot expert Michael Tarnat is not in the game. Kahn is rushing out of his goal towards the Hamburg box watching the proceedings at the edge of the penalty box. ..... Andersson scores!!! Kahn storms back to his goal stretching his fist in the air! At the terraces Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge are freaking out, one has to fear for the health of Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder in the middle of the two.
5:22 p.m., 94th min., Hamburg: Final whistle! The game is over! Bayern get the needed point and are in a state of total ecstasy! Kahn runs towards the corner flag, tears it out and whirls it through the air. "None of my teammates was around," Kahn explained later. Hoeness reports that he saw "unbelievable scenes," the heroic goal scorer Andersson gets showered in beer. The stadium announcer celebrates Sergej Barbarez as top goal scorer of the season while the Hamburg fans whistle mercilessly at Bayern.
5:22 p.m., Gelsenkirchen: Fans, players and officials are still in the middle of their celebrations. Ecstasy, bliss and delight inside the Park stadium. The stadium screen is not displaying the result of the other game. Some people still have their ear on the radio and follow the live report from Hamburg while all others are already off celebrating. Suddenly a rumour makes the rounds. Bayern has scored? What? People thought the game in Hamburg was already over? Is this a joke? This must be a joke? But it’s not a joke. It’s the bitter reality. Schalke from the heights of heavenly joy suddenly have to face the brutal truth. It’s like a drop into hell. What a mean, wicked fate. The Park stadium transforms into a sea of tears.
5:34 p.m., Hamburg: Mayer-Vorfelder hands the Champion’s Trophy to Bayern skipper Stefan Effenberg. The most thrilling Bundesliga finale was over.

Uli Hoeness (Bayern managing director): "I thought it was all over. A normal side could not come back after such a blow."

Andreas Müller (Schalke) after having heard of Hamburg’s 1-0: "I raise a drink on Hamburg!"

Ebbe Sand (Schalke): "We were champions for four minutes. It was so great."

Gerald Asamoah (Schalke): "God knows what he does."

Edmund Stoiber (Prime minister of Bavaria): "Only the one who really wants to win will win in the end."

Dieter Hoeness (brother of Uli and managing director of Hertha BSC): "Insane! Unbelievable! Madness!"

Rudi Assauer (Schalke managing director): "From today on I don’t believe in the god of football anymore for he is unjust."

Klaus Fischer (Schalke legend): "At everything they attempt, they are blessed with luck. They seem to have the pope in their trouser pockets." (note: the pope John Paul II. was a member of Schalke 04).

Berti Vogts (manager of Bayer Leverkusen): "If you’re not a fan of Bayern, this is quite bitter."

Adam Matysek (goalkeeper of Bayer Leverkusen): "The same shit as last year." (when Leverkusen was toppled from the top of the league at the last day by Bayern).

Giovane Elber (Bayern): "Whoever had cardiac problems was knocked out today. And those without cardiac problems now have them."

Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern president) after being asked how many years he aged during that game: "I have to count first."



--------------------------------------------------Hamburg SV

-----------------------------------------------------Schober

------------------------------Hertzsch-----Hoogma------Ujfalusi-----Kientz

------------------------------Mahdavikia---Töfting-----Hollerbach---Heinz

---------------------------------------------Präger----------Barbarez

--------------------------------------------Manager: Frank Pagelsdorf


-------------------------------------------------Bayern Munich

-----------------------------------------------Elber-------------Jancker

---------------------------------------------------------Scholl
---------------------------------------------Effenberg--------Hargreaves
------------------------------------Lizarazu----------------------------Sagnol

----------------------------------------Linke------Andersson------Kuffour

-------------------------------------------------------Kahn

--------------------------------------------Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld


--------------------------------------------Subs:
--------------------------------------------68 Sergio in, Scholl out
--------------------------------------------77 Bester in, Kientz out
--------------------------------------------77 Yilmaz in, Präger out
--------------------------------------------78 Zickler in, Jancker out
--------------------------------------------88 Santacruz in, Elber out
--------------------------------------------90 Fischer in, Mahdavikia out




----------------------------------------------------FC Schalke 04

-----------------------------------------------------------Reck

--------------------------------------Waldoch-----------Hajto-------van Hoogdalem

---------------------------------van Kerckhoven-----------------Böhme
-------------------------------------------Asamoah-------------Nemec
------------------------------------------------------A.Möller

--------------------------------------------Mpenza----------Sand

-------------------------------------------Manager: Huub Stevens


---------------------------------------------SpVgg Unterhaching

---------------------------------------------Spizak-------Breitenreiter

------------------------------------Cizek----Hirsch--------Schwarz----Zimmermann

------------------------------Haber--------Grassow--------Strehmel-------Seifert

------------------------------------------------------Tremmel

------------------------------------------Manager: Lorenz-Günter Köstner


------------------------------------------Subs:
------------------------------------------29 Oude-Kamphuis in, Waldoch out
------------------------------------------68 Rraklli in, Spizak out
------------------------------------------68 Büskens in, van Kerckhoven out
------------------------------------------71 Thon in, Nemec out
------------------------------------------79 Ahanfouf in, Breitenreiter out

 

Rank #10



Bayern Munich 5
FC Schalke 04 1

Place: Munich, Olympiastadion
Time: 28 June 1972
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: Horstmann (Niederstemmen)
Goal Scorers:
1-0 Hansen 31
2-0 Breitner 40
2-1 Fischer 56
3-1 Hoffmann 67
4-1 Hoeness 80
5-1 Beckenbauer 89



Commentary:
Eleven days before the 34th and final round of the 1971-72 Bundesliga season was kicked off, West Germany had won the European Championship against the Soviet Union. Seven of the players that had been part of arguably the greatest ever German national side were to be seen on the pitch in the Olympiastadion on this Wednesday night as well. Six in the Bayern side, one in the Schalke side. The mood in the second game ever staged in the Olympiastadion (West Germany had played there first) and the first of 732 Bundesliga games was one of high expectations and general satisfaction. After having been treated with regular depressing updates on the 1971 Bundesliga scandal (in which Schalke played a major part) for the past 12 months, the amazing way the German national team dominated its opponents and the equally amazing way Germany’s best club sides played fresh, thrilling and adventurous football offered a most welcome contrast. Slowly but surely it dawned upon people that there had never been a better time to watch football in Germany, despite the match-fixing scandal. Schalke despite being heavily involved in the scandal had managed their best ever Bundesliga campaign, featuring a team of mostly young, unspent players like goalgetter Klaus Fischer, center back Rolf Rüssmann, the fantastic goalkeeper Norbert Nigbur, full backs Jürgen Sobieray and Helmut Kremers, midfielders Klaus Scheer and Herbert 'Aki' Lütkebohmert and left wing Erwin Kremers. These young players were led by three seasoned veterans: sweeper Klaus 'Tanne' Fichtel at the back, Dutchman Heinz van Haaren in midfield and wizardry right wing Reinhard 'Stan' Libuda in attack. This team had played exceptionally well throughout the season and would probably have won the championship in most other years. Their problem was however that they had to contest with a Bayern side that was reaching a spectacular peak and that featured no less than four players of world class calibre: left back Paul Breitner who at age 20 was already considered to be the prototype of the modern attacking full back, goalkeeper Sepp Maier, skipper Franz Beckenbauer and of course the unrivalled goal scoring machine Gerd Müller who never was more dangerous than in 1972. These four were so good at what they did, that they probably could have led an amateur side to win the professional league. Beckenbauer, Müller, Maier and Breitner were in their own league but their teammates were not shabby either. Most of all young Uli Hoeness, midfield workers Franz Roth and Rainer Zobel, Danish right back Johnny Hansen and center back Georg 'Katsche' Schwarzenbeck. It is testimony to the great quality of the Schalke side that they managed to keep this superb Bayern side at bay from August 1971 to March 1972 and kept on hunting them closely once Bayern captured the top spot in March 1972. It is remarkable that Schalke before the last game of the season was still only trailing Bayern Munich by one point and thus was still able to overtake them with a win at Munich. Schalke had to cope with the psychological pressure of their (at that time only alleged) involvement in the 1971 Bundesliga scandal. Schalke’s players were the only ones that had sworn in front of a court that they had not deliberately lost their game against Arminia Bielefeld, denying all charges and as long as the German F.A. could not prove their involvement they could not suspend them from partaking in the 1971-72 Bundesliga season.

The Olympic stadium's 80,000 seats were all sold-out on this midsummer night. All Bayern needed was a draw but of course there was no question that the hosts were trying to win in style, to put on a show that would remove all doubts that the German football community may have had about which really was the greatest side in German football. Schalke knew that Bayern would bring the game to them and their penalty area and during the first five minutes, ten Schalke players were positioned in their own box trying to fight off the wave of attacks that Bayern under the command of Franz Beckenbauer sent towards Nigbur’s goal. Center back Rolf Rüssmann didn’t move an inch from Gerd Müller as Schalke’s gameplan was based on a non-scoring Müller getting neutralized being the key to success. Just one or two yards next to the Müller-Rüssmann pair sweeper Klaus Fichtel was on goard in case Müller once managed to beat off his committed marker. In the first minute, Schwarzenbeck had Bayern’s first good chance but his hammer shot was parried by Nigbur. In the second minute sweeper Klaus Fichtel cleared a shot by Hoeness with his head in the very last second. Blow after blow. In the fourth minute, Franz 'Bulle' Roth unleashed one of his feared shots but the ball just went over the bar. Bayern was on fire but at the same time cold as ice. In midfield, Hoeness, Roth and Zobel put a stop at whatever move van Haaren, Scheer and Lütkebohmert were coming up with. Only once did a Bayern player lose his nerves, Franz Beckenbauer of all players was protesting so passionately against a corner decision that the referee had no other choice than to book the Kaiser (43rd minute). Bayern’s best chance to score had come in the 17th minute when Nigbur had already been beat by Uli Hoeness’ diagonal shot but Müller missed the ball at the far post of the empty goal! Bayern’s powerplay continued but the Schalke defense was well positioned plus the guests managed to place some dangerous counter attacks, but to no avail. Then Bayern were lucky when Maier had miscalculated a cross by Libuda, Klaus Scheer headed the ball but luckily for the goalkeeper Johnny Hansen stood at the goalline clearing the situation (7th minute). After another wonderful cross by Libuda, the forward-rushing Klaus Scheer didn’t hit the ball perfectly with a volley, the ball flew straight towards Maier, otherwise Schalke could have well scored. And then center back Schwarzenbeck had brought on a dangerous situation with a careless back pass, but Sepp Maier managed to grab the ball before Klaus Fischer could reach it. All this happened during the first 15 minutes! After this outburst Schalke again convolved like a hedgehog as Bayern came back in force, with especially the back four increasing the pressure, be it Schwarzenbeck, Hansen, Breitner or Beckenbauer who had already steadily accommodated himself in the midfield. Bayern thus had a constant preponderance in midfield but somehow they failed to score the first goal. Bayern’s two wingers Franz Krauthausen and Willi Hoffmann additionally constantly switched positions. Schalke was hurried from one spot to the other! After 20 minutes Krauthausen tested Nigbur with a shot from 32 yards but the Schalke goalie tipped it over the bar. With virtually every Bayern player attacking, Schalke had every player assembled around their goal blocking every shot. In the 24th minute, Roth again sent one of his hard shots in Nigbur’s direction but the Schalke keeper fisted the ball. After 27 minutes Schalke had another corner but Breitner intercepted and immediately started a run towards the Schalke half, Breitner passed to Hoeness who was in a good position to shoot but Hoeness preferred to pass the ball to Müller instead but Müller was unable to get on the ball as Rüssmann intervened. Then finally, after 31 minutes Bayern got in front: After Roth had swung in Bayern’s ninth corner (the third in a row), a Schalke defender deflected the ball, it came to Johnny Hansen who headed the ball into the back of Schalke’s net: 1-0! A highly deserved lead for the home side. Just a minute later Hansen tried it again, this time with a shot but the ball went over the top. A full back had scored the all-important goal, "What Hansen can do, I can do as well" probably was what Paul Breitner said to himself. Nine minutes later he further proved that he was one of the best full backs in the business: Breitner had started a galloping run into the Schalke half of the pitch on his left side, beating off several Schalke players on his way to the box, there he knew Gerd Müller was lurking, a quick pass to the 'Bomber' who played the ball back with a subtle touch straight into Breitner’s path and from there (difficult angle!) Breitner hit the ball past Nigbur into the Schalke goal: 2-0! A superb goal that proved how modern Bayern’s play was. Faced with being down 0-2 quite suddenly after having defended their asses off, Schalke started some angry attacks but their shots all went over the top. The enthused Bayern crowd gloatingly chanted "Üben! Üben!" (practice!). Then came the half-time whistle.

Schalke was facing a very difficult challenge. They needed to score three goals but that was impossible if they kept to their defensive gameplan. But then again they reasoned if they should really 'waste' their energy for this lost cause when they still had the chance to win the German Cup three days later against Kaiserslautern. Whatever Schalke’s intentions for the second half were, when both teams were on the pitch again Bayern continued to exert its total powerplay, clearly wanting to finish off their rivals with a decisive third goal. Rainer Zobel started a solo in the 46th minute but failed to get past Nigbur. Then Franz Roth hammered the ball just inches past the post (47th). Two minutes later Franz Krauthausen repeated the trick! Schalke tried their luck with steep counter attacks but Breitner tackled the ball off Libuda in a very calm manner and so did Beckenbauer against Erwin Kremers. There seemed to be no way to beat the cool Bayern players. That’s what it seemed like ... but after 54 minutes, Erwin Kremers showed how to do it. He beat off Beckenbauer, Hansen couldn’t reach him but Maier just managed to clear to a corner. Kremers brought in the corner, tall center back Rolf Rüssmann got his head to the ball, Maier couldn’t control the ball and there was Klaus Fischer who, in the best Gerd-Müller-tradition, tapped the ball over the line: 2-1! Now Schalke had some 35 minutes left to add the two needed goals! But Bayern had no intentions to decrease their pressure on the Schalke goal. The most brilliant scene of the whole match came after a tremendous solo by Beckenbauer, shortly before the box he tapped the ball towards Müller who – as always in these situations – passed it back to Beckenbauer but then Beckenbauer’s shot only hit the goal post! A stunning scene deserving of a goal. The way Beckenbauer and Müller had perfected the art of the 1-2 was always stunning. They don’t make players like them anymore. However it was clearly visible that Bayern had not been shocked by Fischer’s goal, to the contrary they were even spurred by it. Bayern were on the road to glory and had no intentions to change their path. What was especially remarkable about Bayern’s forechecking during the first 70 minutes was not that it was not only possible due to superior force and strength but also made possible because of the tremendous safety of the players whenever they were on the ball. Almost no bad passes, quick one-touch combinations between six or seven players, then a pass forward to Müller or one of the wingers. The crowd was thrilled and responded very positively upon the demonstration of the high art of football that they were allowed to witness that night.

If there still had been any doubts who would remain victorious that night and crown themselves as best German club side, these were finally removed ten minutes after Schalke had scored their goal. Gerd Müller had addressed a through ball towards Bayern’s left wing Willi Hoffmann. Hoffmann faced Nigbur who came rushing out of his goal but he managed to get his boot on it faster than Nigbur could get his hands on it and thus put it past Nigbur to score the third goal: 3-1! Unluckily for Schalke, their great goalkeeper got injured in that scene and had to be replaced by the untried reserve keeper Helmut Pabst. When Nigbur was carried off the pitch, he was applauded by the 80,000 in the stadium, a moving scene. Ten minutes before time, Bayern managed to raise the score so that it gradually came closer to mirror the proportions on the pitch. Uli Hoeness had scored the landmark 100th league goal of Bayern’s 1971-72 Bundesliga campaign. Reserve keeper Pabst couldn’t control a shot by Beckenbauer, Uli Hoeness was there: 4-1! Of course everything was now decided but there was still one goal left. Kaiser Franz scored one minute before time with a freekick after Rüssmann had fouled Müller: 5-1! It was the first time since May 1967 that Bayern had scored five goals in a Bundesliga game without Gerd Müller being among the scorers. But although Müller failed to score in this game, he was still one of the best players on the pitch, together with Breitner and Beckenbauer. Dropping back from the spotlight of the penalty box, Müller had impressed in his role of playmaker behind the forwards. The people in the stadium were naturally in high spirits after all this football bliss, singing the traditional German football well-feel anthem "So ein Tag, so wunderschön wie heute, so ein Tag, dürfte nie vergehen!" (Such a day, as wonderful as today, such a day, should never pass!). Despite being devastatingly beaten, Schalke got to terms with the reality that Bayern simply was a class above them and concentrated on the German Cup final on the following Saturday. They won it in style beating Kaiserslautern 5-0.

After the game the Bayern players stated the following:

Roth: "Marvellous! Wonderful! Everyone fought! It wasn’t as easy as it looked. Schalke’s concentrated defense was hard to beat. Only after the 3-1 did Schalke back down."

Breitner: "It feels good being champion."

Beckenbauer: "We are a deserving champion. The unity and closeness of the team, fighting effort until the very last minute and the fact that everyone fulfilled the task he was assigned brought us so far."

Hoeness: "I was fully concentrating on this game like I have never done before. Mine was Bayern’s hundredth goal. But at the time I shot it, I didn’t realize that. Anyway I’m not so keen on that statistic, I’m simply glad that I was successful."

Schwarzenbeck: "We are now the champions. It couldn’t have come any other way. Anything else would have been an impudence!"



------------------------------------------------- Bayern Munich

--------------------------------------------------------Maier

-----------------------------Hansen----Beckenbauer---Schwarzenbeck---Breitner

-----------------------------------U.Hoeness--------Roth--------Zobel

----------------------------------Krauthausen-----G.Müller------W.Hoffmann

---------------------------------------------Manager: Udo Lattek


------------------------------------------------ FC Schalke 04

------------------------------------E.Kremers-----Fischer------Libuda

-----------------------------------van Haaren-----Scheer-----Lütkebohmert

------------------------------H.Kremers---Rüssmann----Fichtel-----Huhse

--------------------------------------------------------Nigbur

----------------------------------------------Manager: Ivica Horvat


----------------------------------------------Subs:
----------------------------------------------70 Pabst in, Nigbur out