1979/80: Schaub first for Frankfurt

VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
(Kulik 44 88, Matthäus 76; Karger 37, Hölzenbein 71)
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach
(Schaub 81)
(agg 3-3; Eintracht win on away goals)

The cast list for the 1979/80 UEFA Cup season was West German, the main players those from 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Eintracht Frankfurt, FC Bayern München, VfB Stuttgart and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach. A record five Bundesliga clubs had entered the fray; and how they prospered. Kaiserslautern alone failed to reach the semi-finals, but that was because they ran into champions-elect Bayern in the quarter-finals.

Bayern surprised
Bayern, with Paul Breitner and Uli Hoeness remaining from their European Champion Clubs' Cup-winning side, were then favoured to beat Eintracht in the last four. All went to plan when the above pair scored the only goals in Munich. Indeed, it was an advantage that lasted 87 minutes of the return leg, till the Austrian Bruno Pezzey hit his second goal of the night to force extra time. Here Eintracht ran riot, going through 5-3 on aggregate.

Schaub decider
The Waldstadion team had already seen off Aberdeen FC, FC Dinamo Bucuresti, Feyenoord and FC Brno, and their final opponent would be the holders, Mönchengladbach. They were appearing at this stage for the fourth time after a narrow victory over Stuttgart, and looked to be on course for another success when they edged the home leg 3-2. That, however, was counting without Fred Schaub, whose 81st-minute strike in Frankfurt am Main won the cup for Eintracht on the away goals rule. The club famous for losing a European Champion Clubs' Cup final now had a European trophy of their own.