Is Bayern Munich the "biggest" club in Germany? When the club became Bundesliga winners in 1969, it was only their second title, having last won the German Championship Final in 1932. But having assembled a team including Beckenbauer, Muller, Maier and Breitner, all was about to change!
In 1972 the club won its second Bundesliga, pipping Schalke on the final day of the season...well thrashing them actually 5-1. This was the first "leg" of an unprecedented title hat trick in Germany. In the following season, Bayern won the title with a record-breaking ELEVEN points, then beat rivals Borussia Monchengladbach to the 1973-4 title, but they made their mark in Europe, following Ajax's three European Cups with their own hat trick.
Their "reign" owed this success to some luck, for in the First Round of the 1974 European Cup, Bayern were within 15 minutes of an exit, having thrown away a 3-1 first leg lead against under dogs, Swedish Atvidabergs (who?). Uli Hoeness scored to take the match to penalties where he helped his team to a 4-3 victory. Bayern then beat Dynamo Dresden 7-6 on aggregate, having been earlier 6-3 up in the tie!
In the Final versus Atletico Madrid, having gone behind to a goal from a young Luis Aragones, a last minute 30 yard "daisy-cutter" by defender George Schenzenbeck earned a replay which they won 4-0 gloriously. Bayern's luck continued in the 1975 Final, when they met a rampant Leeds United, who had two good penalty claims denied and also an goal turned down for "offside". Bayern scored twice late in the game to win the Cup. In the 1976 Final, St Etienne hit the post twice before conceding the only goal of a scrappy match.
Bayern's luck in European Cup Finals eventually ran out, when in 1987 they were 13 minutes from victory before conceding two late goals against Porto who had scored one goal by an outrageous backheel fron Rabah Madjer.
In 1999, having been one up against Manchester United and having hit a post and bar, with a minute to go....
No comments:
Post a Comment