It’s the 50th anniversary of what is probably the most famous comeback in the Bundesliga, which FC Bayern Munich failed to achieve. Because the Betzenberg had its own laws in those years.
The downfall is taking shape: a dismayed Uli Hoeneß accompanies Red sinner Bernd Gersdorff from the field. imago sports photography service
The term feared opponent is also used in German in the Munich area, but not when it comes to FC Bayern. This term, apart from Borussia Mönchengladbach at times, has only existed internationally for years. That was not always so.
Bayern can send the points to Kaiserslautern straight away in the mail, said Paul Breitner, who was injured on October 20, 1973 when they suffered the bitterest of the regular away defeats at FCK at the time. One of the most memorable defeats in Bundesliga history.
Bayern led 4-1
On this autumn afternoon of all days, the Munich team were about to show off their feared opponents in their home fortress; they quickly found themselves 2-0, then 3-0, and later 4-1 in the lead. Nobody could have guessed until just under an hour later that this 12th matchday would find its way into Bundesliga folklore. The stands were already emptying.
Then, however, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Co. switched off, mentally already at the first German-German European Cup game against GDR champions Dynamo Dresden four days later and were no longer able to flip the famous switch when the FCK did exactly that.
The 7:4 – the match report
Suddenly it was 3:4, after a free kick trick it was 4:4, right winger “Seppl” Pirrung made the game of his life with three goals. Suddenly the stands were fuller than before. Bayern decimated themselves by Bernd Gersdorff’s insult to the referee, then fell apart completely and more or less endured the Lauter game euphoria that only this one opponent could trigger.
FCK coach Ribbeck “didn’t take Bayern very seriously”
When the FCK showed the FCB in the final minutes with plucked passes, even clearly beaten them with fantastic shots into the corners, when the big Bavarians came at least a step too late in every duel, that was – if all of this hadn’t taken place on the Betzenberg – wrong world. Likewise the reassuring explanation of the young Lautern coach Erich Ribbeck for the initially so clear deficit: “After our last successes, we didn’t take Bayern completely seriously.”
Words that have not been used in German football for a long time. They will be 50 years old on Friday.
2023-10-19 22:00:00
#Kaiserslautern #Bayern #fell
