Léonard Specht and Carlos Bianchi recall Strasbourg’s 1979 comeback before Mainz return | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Strasbourg’s old guard who overturned Dukla Prague in 1979 are revisiting that feat as the current team seek a similar rescue against Mainz on Thursday at 21:00, after a 0-2 first-leg loss in the Conference League quarter-finals.

Carlos Bianchi, 76, says Gilbert Gress tried to push him into midfield. “Did Bayern play Gerd Müller in midfield? No,” he said. Unused in the 0-1 first leg on 24 October, he began the second leg on the bench on seven November 1979.

Introduced on 64 minutes, Bianchi headed for Francis Piasecki to score in the 67th, forcing extra time. Michel Decastel found the winner in the 117th to clinch a 2-0 after extra time, in rain and cold at a noisy Meinau with 28,000 present.

Léonard Specht, 72 on Thursday, said, “I would love to be in their place. They have the chance to make club and even French history by reaching a European semi-final.” He remembered a sparse yet loud Meinau.

Joël Tanter, 75, recalled the first leg ordeal. “The Czechoslovak authorities made us circle the airport for an hour and we were fully searched three times. In the stands there were only soldiers, it was the army’s club with seven Czechoslovakia internationals. That really fired us up for the return.”

After the tie, Jacky Novi had a thigh issue and René Deutschmann a broken nose. Tanter fractured his knee condyle. “Even our injured were running. You have to be ready for a fight,” Specht said.

Source: L'Équipe