60 years ago: BVB become first German club to win European Cup | OneFootball

Yesterday, 60 years ago, Borussia Dortmund became the first German club to win a European trophy by claiming the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Of the heroes from the 1966 final in Glasgow, where they beat favored Liverpool FC 2-1 after extra time, only a few are still alive today—making them all the more sought-after when it comes to recalling BVB’s first international title.

Strictly speaking, the foundation for this success was laid in Münster, as early as January 16, 1965. On that day, BVB won 1-0 at Preußen Münster in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. Three more victories in the competition followed, taking Borussia Dortmund to the final. There, the black-and-yellows beat second-division Alemannia Aachen 2-0 in Hanover, with goals from Alfred “Aki” Schmidt and Lothar Emmerich. That victory also qualified BVB for the European Cup Winners’ Cup, making this great triumph possible in the first place.

BVB had no trouble with amateur side FC Floriana of Malta, their first opponent in the competition. The aggregate score after two matches was 13-1. Things were tighter against CSKA Sofia, but a 3-0 home win was enough to send them through to the next round despite a 4-2 defeat in Bulgaria.

In the quarterfinals, Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 away at Atletico Madrid, won 1-0 at the Stadion Rote Erde, and reached the semifinals. There, an opponent from England was already waiting, with the country represented by two teams this time. Defending champions West Ham United, however, were knocked out with two wins. A 2-1 victory in London, followed by a 3-1 win at home, sent Dortmund to the final on May 5, 1966, at Hampden Park in Glasgow, where Liverpool FC awaited.

Held and Libuda score in Glasgow

Their coach Bill Shankly had boasted before kickoff that his team was unbeatable. That this was not the case was disproved by the following Borussia players in that final 60 years ago:

Hans Tilkowski – Gerd Cyliax, Wolfgang Paul, Rudi Assauer, Theo Redder – Dieter Kurrat, Alfred Schmidt, Willi Sturm – Reinhard Libuda, Sigfried Held, Lothar Emmerich

Because Siggi Held gave Borussia a 1-0 lead in the 62nd minute, before Liverpool FC equalized to make it 1-1—a scoreline that remained unchanged until the end of regular time. In extra time, however, Reinhard “Stan” Libuda scored for BVB in the 106th minute, and the English side could not respond.

So yesterday, 60 years ago, BVB became the first German club to win a European trophy—sparking celebrations not only in the Ruhr region but across all of (football) Germany, and to this day it remains one of the club’s greatest achievements ever.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.