Monday, May 16, 2011

16 May 1979 - When The Scoring Came In Waves

On 16 May 1979, Barcelona and Düsseldorf needed extra time to decide the Cup Winners' Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland.

Playing before a crowd of 58,000 at the St. Jakob Stadium, the teams exchanged a pair of quick goals from Barcelona midfielder José Vicente Sánchez (5') and Düsseldorf striker Thomas Allofs (8'). Another pair of goals followed before the break, as Barcelona reclaimed the lead (Juan Manuel Asensi 34') and Düsseldorf again equalized (Wolfgang Seel 41'). Then the scoring dried up for a while.

After a scoreless second half, they went into extra time, where the goals began to flow once more. Barcelona forward Carles Rexach put his side ahead once more in the 104th minute, then his fellow forward Hans Krankl (pictured)--who had finished second in voting for the 1978 Ballon d'Or--extended the lead seven minutes later. Seel scored once again for Düsseldorf in the 114th minute, but the Germans could not find another equalizer and the match ended as a 4-3 win for Barcelona.

It was the first and only appearance in the Final for Düsseldorf. Barcelona, who finished as runners-up in 1969, returned to the Final four more times, winning it in 1982, 1989, and 1997.

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