20 long years of waiting was finally over: A European title was within reach. In the UEFA Cup final in 1996, FC Bayern held all the trump cards against Bordeaux after winning the first leg 2-0 at the Olympic Stadium. The crowning ceremony awaited in the second leg in France on 15 May. But the opponents were not to be underestimated as Bordeaux had players like Zinedine Zedane and Bixente Lizarazu in their side and FCB were well aware of that.
Long wait
Today's Bayern legend Bixente Lizarazu (l.) was the Bordeaux captain back then.
The French were in a tight spot after the first leg and had to come out and play. But Bayern were determined not to miss out on the long-awaited title. Oliver Kahn, then in his second season at FCB, was a safe pair of hands for the few chances for the opposition. In the second half, Emil Kostadinov and Mehmet Scholl brought relief to the travelling Bayern fans at the Stade du Parc Lescure. When Kostadinov back-heeled the ball on the edge of the box on 53 minutes, Scholl was in the right spot and his shot ended in the back of the net for the first strike on the night.
Lifting the title with goalscoring record
Lothar Matthäus and Co. with the eagerly anticipated UEFA Cup.
It did not take long for the second goal to come. This time it was Kostadinov himself who headed in a corner from Scholl. Daniel Dutuel briefly curbed the enthusiasm of Bayern when he pulled a goal back on 76 minutes but Jürgen Klinsmann (70') settled the result two minutes later. The striker deflected a shot from Thomas Strunz to make it 3-1. With his 15th goal of the tournament, Klinsmann was the top scorer of the competition and he also set a new UEFA Cup goalscoring record. The fans counted down the last 13 minutes and then it was done and dusted: Referee Vadim Zhuk kept it short and the Reds were able to celebrate after just 21 seconds of added time. 20 years after the victory in Glasgow, FC Bayern were back on the European stage under coach Franz Beckenbauer.
We've put together all the legendary knockout games from the 90s for you: