120 years FC Bayern - that is 120 years full of triumphs, emotions and passion. On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the club on 27 February, fcbayern.com looks back on significant sporting moments in the history of the German record champions.
After promotion to the Bundesliga in 1965, young coach Tschik Cajkovski and others began to lust for success. Captain Werner Olk's team stormed to third place in the league in their very first season in the top tier and won the DFB Cup for the second time following a win in 1957. In the final, Beckenbauer, Müller & co. beat Meidericher SV 4-2 to secure their place in the European Cup Winners' Cup.
It was then and there that Bayern took off on the international stage the following season. In the first round, the Munich team faced Tatran Prešov of the Czechoslovakia. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, FCB won the second leg 3-2, and, by the same result, beat Shamrock Rovers of Ireland in the round of 16 to advance to the last eight.
Quarter-final against Rapid goes the distance
In the quarter-finals, the team drew Rapid Vienna. The first leg in the Austrian capital saw Rapid come out 1-0 winners, but Bayern turned the tie around, winning the return leg 2-0 after extra time. Gerd Müller scored the goal in the 106th minute to propel Bayern into a semi-final tie against Standard Liège. But the Belgian cup winners did not present too much of a hurdle; FCB won both legs of the tie, 2-0 and 3-1, securing a place in the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in their first appearance.
Fittingly, this took place on 31 May 1967 in Nuremberg, the scene of the first German title in 1932. The opponents were hardened European campaigners Glasgow Rangers, although they'd only made it to the final thanks to a toss of a coin after their quarter-final tie against Real Zaragoza finished 2-2 after both legs.
Settled in extra time
In front of a crowd of 71,000, favourites Rangers and the less experienced Bayern played out a fierce battle. After 90 minutes on a heavy playing surface, it was still 0-0 and the match went into extra time. In the 108th minute, it was the young Franz Roth who secured Bayern's much-heralded first European title with an artistic winning goal.
The match-winner later recalled that "when falling", the long ball from Rainer Ohlhauser had reached him. "The goalkeeper came out, the ball went over him and under the bar. There was a hint of luck but it was also a reward for good work," Roth descibred the unexpected title win. He later labelled this as the "beginning of the great Bayern era", which was to take its course in the years that followed.
Topics of this article