The 111 All-Time Greatest Bundesliga Games

Thanks to everybody for the reputation I received for this thread. Sweet.

 

This is quite a problem. I linked those logos from fussballdaten.de, but they apparently weren't too pleased with all the bandwidth that was "stolen" from BigSoccer thus they disabled the linking of images from their site to this place and replaced it with a legal text. It all wouldn't be a problem if posters were allowed to edit their own posts whenever they wanted to, but this is unfortunately not possible at BigSoccer. Thus the only guy able to replace those fussballdaten.de images is mod Wayne. It is not a job to fancy, he'll have to replace 222 images in this thread alone! (He already did the replacing in the "Players" thread).

 

I wanted to write the commentary for the #1 game at the weekend but things got in the way. I'll tackle that job tomorrow and hopefully it will be ready by the end of the week.

 

Rank #1



Borussia Mönchengladbach 2
Bayern Munich 2

Place: Mönchengladbach, Bökelberg
Time: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.
Date: 26 February 1972
Attendance: 30,000
Referee: Schulenburg (Hamburg)
Goal Scorers:
1-0 Heynckes 4
2-0 Heynckes 20
2-1 Schneider 23
2-2 Roth 47



Commentary:
After referee Schulenberg had whistled this game off, the elation at the Bökelberg knew no boundaries. A football game of superlatives in which two class ensembles had demonstrated all virtues of modern football had just ended. Although Schalke 04 had benefited most from this draw (they won 2-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt, increasing their lead in the table to three respectively four points over Bayern and Gladbach), clearly the best, most attractive football of the season had been staged between Mönchengladbach and Bayern in this game at the Bökelberg. "Prime class, great propaganda for football" was Helmut Schön’s comment after this clash of Germany’s greatest club sides and Bayern manager Udo Lattek stated: "Actually there should have been two winners in this game." There have been many magnificent games between Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach since both gained promotion to top flight in 1965, but this game has to be rated as the very finest of their many encounters. It saw both teams as absolute equals, at the top of their game. The protagonists on both sides were in the form of their lives (Netzer, Beckenbauer, Müller), which alone assured a hell of a game, but also the other players were in exceptional shape. Bayern came to Mönchengladbach full of confidence for they had beaten RW Oberhausen 7-0 in the previous Bundesliga game (Müller had scored five goals). However they had struggled to beat Eintracht Brunswick in the Cup 3-1 at extra-time four days before the clash with Borussia. Gladbach too was in relatively good form, having been unbeaten in six games, they had won the difficult away game at Stuttgart 1-0 and had eliminated Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Cup. For Mönchengladbach, a victory against Bayern was vital, as they were trailing league leaders FC Schalke 04 by four points. Gladbach arguably was still the best side in Germany, but Hennes Weisweiler’s players had been plagued by injuries during most of the season, which was quite a disadvantage for the reigning champions over the course of the season. Günter Netzer shortly before the game against Bayern complained about that: "This season we are facing the devil." To Netzer, the series of injuries of his teammates had an almost eerie quality. "In six Bundesliga seasons we have been largely untroubled by protracted and severe injuries, we even once only needed 15 players in one season. But now we have to pay toll to the witch of misfortune doubly and trebly!" In the game at Stuttgart, Herbert Wimmer suffered a two inches deep and four inches long flesh wound at his right ankle, which handicapped him loads. Center back Ludwig Müller had suffered a broken shinbone in the game against Internazionale, he was out for almost a year. Berti Vogts was wearing a splint after a meniscus operation from early February 1972. Last but not least, midfield all-rounder Jürgen Wittkamp had suffered a concussion in the Cup game at Frankfurt.

Still, for a long time it appeared as if there would only be one winner in this game. Within the first 20 minutes, Jupp Heynckes had twice put the wet ball past Bayern goalie Sepp Maier, Netzer had hit sensationally long and accurate passes, newcomer Ulrich Surau had left Bayern goalgetter Gerd Müller not an inch of space and the two 19-year-old talents Dietmar Danner and Christian Kulik had proved their class once again (they had only become professionals at the start of season). A series of personalities had set their stamp of excellence on this top class game. The young guard barely ranked behind the older players at that. Paradigms in every aspect: The two skippers Netzer and Beckenbauer! When the long-maned Borussian Günter Netzer worked his magic on the ball, the hearts of his fans virtually melted and when Kaiser Franz was attacking, a murmur of adoration was heard from the crowd. Gladbach’s sweeper Klaus-Dieter Sieloff did move forward just as often as Beckenbauer, though, as the former Stuttgart player (who started his career as a boxer) was in outstanding form. Both sides were attacking vividly, so that goal scoring opportunities accumulated in front of both goals. Four minutes into the game, Borussia got a freekick at the inside left position. Günter Netzer curled the ball past the (mini) wall of Bayern players, Sepp Maier got hold of the leather but then let it slip out, Jupp Heynckes - standing only two yards in front of the goal - immediately took advantage of this blunder, having no problems tapping the ball over the goalline. Center back Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck could not interfere in due time: 1-0! What a blow to Maier and his teammates. Borussia’s keeper Wolfgang Kleff later explained in regard to Maier’s blunder that the ball used by Borussia in home games was especially slick and light as Günter Netzer preferred it that way, which was a plight for any goalkeeper! In the next 15 minutes, Bayern had to face a similar assualt on their goal by the hosts as they had to in their previous game at the Bökelberg in April 1971. Günter Netzer hit a grand volley which beat Maier but Paul Breitner headed the ball out of the danger zone standing at the goalline. A tremendous scene that almost brought the second goal. Twice Sepp Maier proved his value in the moment of highest adversity after a fierce shot by Heynckes and a solo by Dietmar Danner, making up for the less than convincing impression he gave at Borussia’s first goal. In the 20th minute, Dietmar Danner addressed a through ball to Jupp Heynckes at the left side, close to the touchline, Heynckes’ shot from a difficult angle whizzed into the far right corner, Sepp Maier reacted too late: 2-0! A massive roar of joy from the Gladbach crowd! The sky was full of violins for Gladbach at that moment. Things looked very bad for Bayern.

Mönchengladbach cunjured up danger especially from the flanks, with Herbert Wimmer popping up quite frequently on the right and Dane Ulrik Le Fevre on the left, beating off his Danish compatriot Johnny Hansen more than once or twice. But the most powerful impression left Bayern’s super talent Uli Hoeness on the other side. Hoeness virtually exploded from midfield to the flanks and into the penalty box, steamrollering over his opposition, constantly threatening Kleff’s goal. After Mönchengladbach’s second goal, Bayern got into the game far better. The game was now characterised by an extremely high tempo, both sides pushing forward but Bayern slowly but surely won the upper hand. FC Bayern Munich was determined not to go down. As they had only won one Bundesliga championship so far, Bayern were still hungry for titles in those days. From the 30th minute on, Bayern began to stage a veritable powerplay on the Gladbach goal that lasted until the half-time whistle. Rainer Zobel in midfield became Bayern’s greatest asset during those minutes, for he posed a real obstacle to Günter Netzer and also drove his teammates forward but the biggest surprise was Edgar Schneider’s great game at the right wing for Bayern. Mist began to settle on the pitch during the rest of the game, which gave the happenings on the pitch a somewhat eerie quality. Franz Beckenbauer couldn’t tame his urge to go forward, in fact the Kaiser played more offensively in this game than in other games against weaker opposition! But at that day, Mönchengladbach’s sweeper Klaus-Dieter Sieloff was a match for Beckenbauer. Sieloff was attacking just as frequently, wowing the home crowd with his solos deep into the Bayern half and his massive shots that ensued. It was one of the highlights of the game when Beckenbauer and Sieloff faced each other frequently, once Sieloff trying to stop Beckenbauer, then Beckenbauer trying to fend off Sieloff. Both players gave a supreme example of the attacking spirit of their era, which after the game was dubbed by the media as "the super class of total football."

Bayern had left a self-confident impression right from the start of the game, and their self-confidence allowed them to deal with these two blows early in the game, playing determined and single-minded. Even the jubilant chants and ear-battering support by the Gladbach crowd could not lead them astray. Bayern’s morale was invigorated by the fact that they managed to score their first goal only 120 seconds after Gladbach had scored their second. Rainer Zobel at inside right position passed the ball to Edgar Schneider lurking at the spot, who broke in on Kleff with a Gerd-Müller-like shot after a gyrating turn: 2-1! The stage was now set for one of the very best games in Bundesliga history. Bayern had to attack to keep in touch with Schalke 04 at the top, thus they had to throw all tactical considerations over board, abandoning their usual gentlemanly distance and clinical profit calculation, showcasing themselves so ethnic, well-grounded and cracking as they had not done in ages. With Bayern playing offensively against Borussia Mönchengladbach, themselves untiringly dedicated to attacking football, inevitably an intoxicating, breathtaking, thrilling, phantasmagorically perfect demonstration of football was the result. This was the best game ever seen at the Bökelberg! The scene for the two superstars of German football, Netzer and Beckenbauer, was set. A wild and bold spectacle! In eight years of Bundesliga football, there had never been a game like this one. At one side the motor power of Netzer, who measured the terrain with a double quick step, with his long hair blowing in the wind he was a spectacular sight, brimfully charged with energy and ideas, like a fireball in the misty haze on the pitch! There one Franz Beckenbauer, who examined all and everyone from the highest level, automatically looking down on all others in his supremacy, possessing that very elegance that made one believe that he sorted out even the most bawdy things in a subtle and sublime manner. With Franz Roth, Rainer Zobel and Uli Hoeness on that day Beckenbauer had better players on his side than Netzer had. They were the bridgeheads over which Beckenbauer drove his side forward. Günter Netzer was not only inspirational but also impressed with his workload, however he could not cover his opponent Zobel effectively at the same time, which meant that Bayern at times had a surplus in midfield. Weisweiler’s gameplan was that in cases when Netzer could not commit himself to marking Zobel, Herbert Wimmer should overtake that duty, but that did not work out as planned. It would have been probably better to have Christian Kulik in midfield and Herbert Wimmer on the right wing, so that Wimmer could have committed himself to attacking from the flanks without having to worry too much about defensive duties. However the "defencencies" in both teams were about even, as Gerd Müller found no way getting out of Ulrich Surau’s tight marking, which neutralized Bayern’s most dangerous weapon (Müller only had two opportunities during the 90 minutes).

Bayern’s powerplay on Mönchengladbach’s goal did pay off two minutes after the break. An exemplar combination between Schwarzenbeck, Roth, Müller and Sühnholz tore the Gladbach defence apart, Sühnholz headed the ball back to Franz Roth, who unleashed a bombshell of a shot high into the right angle of Kleff’s goal: 2-2! The Gladbach goalie had no chance to parry that shot. Bayern were now on fire. Enthused by their comeback at the Bökelberg, the only direction they headed to during the next 15 minutes was Kleff’s goal. But they had to be cautious, as Mönchengladbach interspersed Bayern’s waves of attacks with many quick and sharp counter attacks. The spectators didn’t believe their eyes, as both sides kept on attacking without pauses at the highest tempo. After about an hour of constant attacking football, the players on the pitch showed first signs of fatigue. But that did not last too long, very soon the game was back at the incredible pace. Johnny Hansen started a solo from the center circle, played a 1-2 with Müller but his shot narrowly missed the goal, then it was time for another one of Klaus-Dieter Sieloff’s enforcing solos but his tremendous shot was parried by Sepp Maier. Then Wolfgang Sühnholz had the opportunity to decide the game after being set up by a Breitner header but Kleff in the Gladbach goal was attentive and the otherwise cool Günter Netzer shot overhasted when he got the opportunity to score from the edge of the box. But the neutral observers in the stadium would have regretted if any side had carried away two points, as none of the two teams would have deserved to lose that game. During the last 20 minutes, the hosts Mönchengladbach staged a stirring finish that delighted the 30,000 fans in the stadium, but Bayern stood firmly in defense, with Sepp Maier now in great form, thus despite plenty of goal scoring opportunities at the end, Borussia could not score the match winner. Even Hennes Weisweiler conceded that none of the two sides should have lost this game. “It would have been unfortunate if one team had scored the winning goal.” That the players we able to keep up such a high pace almost the whole game through was a phenomenal testimony to the players’ fitness, but high pace alone is not of much use if the players’ concentration level cannot keep up with it, which was another remarkable fact in this game, the accuracy of the passing did not suffer at any time. Fluid combinations by both sides where a regular feature of this fascinating encounter, even during the last part of the game, when Mönchengladbach was going for the decisive goal.

West Germany’s national team manager Helmut Schön for a change did not leave the stadium ten minutes before time to escape journalists like he usually did as he was virtually enchained by the strong and thrilling finish. Schön: "A phenomenal game, if only all games could be like this. A fair fight with great commitment, a fair score." Mönchengladbach’s coach Hennes Weisweiler after the game: "Two classy sides not giving in to each other. The pace was exceptional, the score is just. Günter Netzer fought for two today, I’ve never seen him this strong before." And his counterpart Udo Lattek: "This match deserved two winners! If people could see such a game every week, the stadiums would be sold-out again. Instead of 2-2 the score could well have been 5-5. Everyone gave his all. This was our third game in eight days." Both teams had showed what they were capable of, had demonstrated the broad panobly of what was possible in terms of fight and technique in 1970s football, Mönchengladbach at the start and at the end of the game, Bayern in the middle of it. Helmut Schön and German football fans in general were delighted that they had two sides as formidable as Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The best players of both clubs (Netzer, Heynckes, Wimmer, Beckenbauer, Müller, Breitner, Hoeness, Maier and Schwarzenbeck) together formed the great team that won the European Championship four months later in astonishing style. German football had reached its pinnacle in 1972, the national side being generally accepted as the greatest side in the World, combining supreme physical and technical features in one side, getting the best of both worlds. A welcome change from the bitter headlines that the Bundesliga match fixing scandal of the previous season produced around the time

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview with Helmut Schön:

Kicker: Everyone raves about the top game Gladbach vs. Bayern. Do you do, too?

Schön: I am convinced that I have seen a magnificent encounter. It was first class, an advertisement for Bundesliga football as such. The hosts have to be commended for they managed to go strong in a splendid way despite them lacking four regulars. It was fortunate for the development of the game that Borussia scored an early goal. Thus Bayern had to show what they are made of.

Kicker: Wasn’t this game the best proof that offensive football is still paying off?

Schön: One can’t simply only attack unconditionally in modern football. But in this game the perfect switch from defense to attack and vice versa was demonstrated, and that by both sides.

Kicker: Which of the nine German internationals in this game did you like best?

Schön: I don’t want to start reviewing single players. I talk to the players themselves about their performances. Of the nine players, none's performance dropped.

Kicker: Schalke’s Nigbur and Bayern’s Maier both didn’t look too well when they played here in Mönchengladbach. Do goalkeepers suffer from stage fright when they know that you are watching?

Schön: Sepp Maier certainly not, also not Nigbur. The whole game back when Schalke lost here 0-7 was unfortunate for Nigbur. But one must concede to goalkeepers that they sometimes make mistakes.

Which of the young talents has made the biggest leap forward since both sides last met?

Schön: The Gladbach side that lost 0-2 in Munich in September is not comparable to this one. They have stepped up, also in a pugnacious way, that they are now strong as never before. One Günter Netzer, taking his heart into his hand, again became the great role model.

Your impression of Ulrich Surau?

Schön: He's got something in him. Who at that age has been so good? His development can become interesting.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Belgian football writer René Marien was among the spectators watching this game. He wrote down his impressions for Kicker magazine a week later in the following article:

The King With The Long Hair!

Hitherto people still talked about the unforgettable World Cup semi between West Germany and Italy in Mexico, since a few days football fans in Belgium also talk about the magnificent game between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich. Before the league game between Beveren and Standard Liege one day after the Gladbach and Bayern encounter, I met Beveren’s vice president who greeted me with the words: "Yesterday I witnessed an incredible game in Mönchengladbach. To me, that was a football festival which I will never forget." What stood out most for me was the unconditional devotion to offensive football of both sides, the high pace right until the last minute and the commitment of the 22 players.

I admired Bayern for the way they kept on fighting after being down 0-2, to level the score. In Belgium, almost all teams resign after being down by two goals. The players usually already think about the next game, as nothing can be won in that game anymore. In Mönchengladbach, there was constant, uninterrupted attacking, not only by the forwards but also by the defenders. There actually were no forwards or defenders, only players that tirelessly stormed forward and then rushed back again. Nobody could stall to catch some breath during this incredibly paced game. Of all players, Günter Netzer impressed me the most. The Belgian football fans too could not praise Mönchengladbach’s skipper enough. He moved like a young god with long blond hair, fast and elegant, thirty, forty yards, only to address his very accurate passes to his teammates in a flawless and astute way. Unforgettable what Netzer contributed during the 90 minutes.

He was however not the only one having a big share in this top game. Sieloff too had to exhibit a strong performance, in my opinion he was even better than Beckenbauer. How Sieloff unleashed massive shots after each of his many solos out of Gladbach’s defense was incredible! I was amazed to see how many young talents both sides, and especially Mönchengladbach, featured. If Standard or Anderlecht have to replace a player like van Moer or van Himst in a top game, they do not find proper replacements for them. Borussia had to replace four players but still they kept their level of play. Two players disappointed me: Sepp Maier and Gerd Müller. The Munich goalkeeper’s mistakes were partly responsible for Gladbach’s early goals and Müller simply did not happen. He made reproaches to his teammates already in the first minute as they didn’t pass the ball to him. But it has to be said Müller did help out quite a bit in midfield and even in defense.

The game was on a high level technically and physically. I know, not every Bundesliga game reaches these heights and Bayern as well as Gladbach both cannot go that strong this magnificently in every game. From my point of view this game was a propaganda show for football and especially the Bundesliga. In the future even more people from Belgium and Holland will travel to Germany to watch football, as they know extraordinary things are featured. Bayern and Borussia played football of most modern mould. It wasn’t all about avoiding to concede goals, it was about scoring goals! And people go to football games to see goals!

Completing, a negative point: Before the crowd whistled at Müller and Beckenbauer when the stadium announcer mentioned their names before the game, that was the only thing I didn’t like.




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

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

--------------------------Bonhof------Sieloff-------Surau-----Bleidick

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

--------------------------------Kulik-------Heynckes-----Le Fevre


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

-----------------------------Sühnholz-----G.Müller-----E.Schneider

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

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

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

----------------------------------------------No subs

 

The game I picked for #1 certainly not outstanding due to a weird scoreline. I picked it because it appeared to be the game with the highest football quality of all those games I checked.

 

Some explanations for the no. 1:

While checking plenty of newspapers and kicker reports for this countdown, I never came across a game that was as outstanding from the quality of what happened on the pitch as the game I ranked at no. 1. If there ever was a game people raved about without any reservations, it was the B.M.G. 2-2 Bayern from 1972. It simply stood out as the game that provided the highest quality, and that's what I was looking for mostly. Think about Czech Republic 3-2 Holland from Euro 2004. Judging from the scoreline, it did not stand out at all. But anyone who saw the game knew that it was simply fantastic from the quality that was displayed. If you're looking for an outrageous scoreline, the 7-4 of K'lautern may have been the no. 1 game. But if I had the choice which game I would have liked to watch on a tape, it would have been the 2-2. There you had the two greatest sides that ever played in the Bundesliga both at the top of their game as total equals. A continuous exchange of blows at high pace with great football skills displayed. It was arguably the best Bundesliga game there was from a pure football perspective. Look at the 7-4, Bayern was in a crisis at the time this game came about. They had a bad phase mentally, made some amateurish mistakes and all. So it had an outrageous scoreline and great drama, but from a pure football perspective, was it as good as what Gladbach and Bayern staged in February 1972? Arguably not!

 

You know I had an eye on H96's "glory years" when they were part of the Bundesliga for nine consecutive seasons between 1964 and 1973. They even took part in the Fairs Cup in 1968-69, a result of them signing "big" in 1967 and 1968 - Jupp Heynckes came from Borussia Mönchengladbach, Josip Skoblar came from Yugoslavia, Zvezdan Cebinac from Nuremberg, former Cologne and Bayern manager Tschik Cajkovski was the coach. So H96 was quite a "force" for some time in the late-1960s. In 1973 they were almost certainly relegated but on the last day managed to avoid it at the expense of arch rivals Brunswick, who couldn't believe what had happened. But H96 was on the way down, got relegated in 1974, got back shortly in 1975-76 and 1986-86 and 1987-88. But there was not a game that stood out as a "must" inclusion in the countdown. Which didn't mean that they did not have some impact.

 

Ha!

BTW, Overath profile should be ready sometime this week.