Oddball moment in Bundesliga history
Fri, 10/04/20, 12:00
Augenthaler’s four substitutions against Düsseldorf
World champion, seven-time German champion and a unique USP - in addition to numerous honours and successes, Klaus Augenthaler's career features a curious record that no one has ever matched: he's the only Bundesliga coach in history to have made four substitutions in one match.
Group photo before the match: Oliver Kahn (back row, 1st left), Dieter Frey (back row, 3rd left), Mehmet Scholl (front row, 2nd left) and Emil Kostadinov (front row, 1st left) were all subbed at half-time, which was a first – and last – in the history of the Bundesliga.
The long-serving Bayern captain wasn't even the German record champions' coach in that memorable 2-2 draw against Fortuna Düsseldorf. Augenthaler was only temporarily standing in for his boss Franz Beckenbauer, who was out with a kidney colic.
Meaningless fixture ahead of the party
In sporting terms, the season was all but over for both teams: Düsseldorf had previously avoided the drop and the Bavarians were already runners-up. The match was effectively intended to kick off the celebrations with the fans afterwards on Marienplatz, after the Reds had secured their first UEFA Cup title three days earlier - and that was precisely the problem:
On Marienplatz, Klaus Augenthaler and Co. were suitably acclaimed for their victory in the UEFA Cup final.
"I also wanted to give other players the opportunity to lower their blood alcohol limit," Augenthaler later explained with a wink in an interview with the football magazine 'Kicker', referring to his team's party marathon during the week after winning the second leg of the final at Bordeaux.
During the half-time break Emil Kostadinov, Dieter Frey and Mehmet Scholl volunteered to come off and they were replaced by Alexander Zickler, Andreas Herzog and Marcel Witeczek. However, the fact that Oliver Kahn had to be taken off after 45 minutes due to a shoulder injury and replaced by Michael Probst was overlooked by Augenthaler - as well as by referee Lutz Wagner.
Jürgen Klinsmann scored a brace in the second half to secure the 2-2 draw.
Düsseldorf waive right to appeal
The story of the remainder of the game can be told quickly: Bayern continued to play with four fresh players and Jürgen Klinsmann cancelled out the visitors' 2-0 lead with a brace in the final 15 minutes. Due to the sporting insignificance of the result, however, the club from the Rhine waived their right to appeal - which meant Klaus Augenthaler secured a special place in Bundesliga history.
The Bundesliga is currently on hiatus and the matches originally scheduled for April cannot take place as planned. fcbayern.com makes your football-free time easier to bear with further reviews of legendary battles in Germany's top tier:
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