Remembering Bayer Leverkusen’s First Ever Major Title

 

Bayer Leverkusen’s first major title was not actually a domestic trophy but a continental one.

Bayer Leverkusen has reached a new important milestone in the club’s history this season by clinching their first ever Bundesliga title. However, their Cinderella story is not yet complete. They are still aiming for two more silverwares next month: the DFB Pokal and the Europa League.

Their first ever title, as a matter of fact, was not a domestic one but a continental trophy, which came in the late 1980s. It was the 1988 UEFA Cup (the old version of the Europa League). At that time, Erich Ribbeck’s men snatched a victory over Espanyol on penalties in a stunning second-leg comeback. How did they win without a single famous name in the squad but a senior South Korean international?

It may have seemed impossible, but 1987/88 remains their most successful European campaign to date, though that record could be broken this season as well. Xabi Alonso’s men have the potential to replicate their continental triumph back in the late 1980s this year.

The Road to Summit

Bayer Leverkusen started off their European campaign with a stalemate versus Austria Vienna in the first round before they crushed the Austrian side 5-1 at their home turf. At that time, there was no group stage, and the format used was a single-elimination tournament. Falko Gotz and Co.’s road to the summit was far from easy. They had to struggle to see off Ligue 1’s Toulouse and Feyenoord in the second and third rounds, respectively. They beat the former 2-1 on aggregate (1-1; 1-0) and defeated the latter 3-2 on aggregate (2-2; 1-0).

Then, they were drawn to meet one of the favourites, Barcelona, in the quarterfinals and Otto Rehhagel’s Werder Bremen in the semifinal. At that time, the Catalan giant was led by Luis Aragones, who replaced Terry Venables in the middle of the season, with Gary Lineker, Bernd Schuster, and Spanish international goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta in the squad. Meanwhile, Bremen had Oliver Reck, Dieter Eilts, young Karl Heinz Riedl, and the former Bremen boss who won their last Bundesliga title in 2004, Thomas Schaaf.

Such star-studded teams were no match with Leverkusen’s. The only well-known figures in their squad were the then-35-year-old South Korean international forward, Cha Bum-Kun, and the Brasilian international, Tita. They were not even considered to go through the final. Nevertheless, lady luck was on their side.

In the clash against Blaugrana, Leverkusen played host to the first leg. Both teams had several attempts. Yet neither side was able to find the back of the net. Leverkusen was rather unlucky, as Andoni Zubizarretta made three clinical saves, including Cha’s header. They could only muster a goalless draw.

In the reverse fixture, Erich Ribbeck’s men opted to sit deep and relied on quick counter attacks to score. The home side was in control of the game. They had at least two huge opportunities, including a penalty, both from Bernd Schuster. Unfortunately, he failed to capitalise on them. His shot from the right side was denied by the goalie, Rudiger Vollborn, whereas his penalty flew wide. Leverkusen eventually netted the winning goal in the 59th minute as Tita took advantage of the Catalan’s defence line’s delay in making clearance of the loose ball from the six-yard box. The Brasilian approached the ball and slotted home to send their fans in raptures. They eliminated Barcelona with a 1-0 win on aggregate.

Leverkusen also sent their fellow German team, Werder Bremen, to the exit on the same aggregate in the semifinal. This time, they optimised their home game after thumping Otto Rehhagel’s men 1-0 in the first leg. The defender, Alois Reinhart, bagged the only goal of the game. Yet, the real hero was once again Rudi Vollborn. The shot-stopper managed to parry three shots on target. Leverkusen were lucky, as Bremen missed two other attempts from the six-yard box.

In the second leg at Weserstadion, the game was as exciting as the previous one since both sides went all out to score. Thomas Schaaf and Co. were once again unable to break the deadlock. Their attempts were either denied by the goalkeeper or went off target. Leverkusen also had a poor finishing touch in the final third. The final score was a stalemate, which was enough to send them through the summit.

The Thrilling Final

The 1988 UEFA Cup final has been widely remembered as one of the most thrilling finals in the tournament’s history. At that time, it still used two-legged finals with home and away games instead of one-off matches in the neutral venue.

In the first leg, Espanyol was the one who snatched a triumphant result, despite being less dominant in the game. They ran rampant and crushed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Estadio Sarria. Real Madrid loanee Sebastian Losada opened the scoring a few minutes before the interval through his bullet header. In the second half, Miguel Soler doubled their advantage through his long-range strike before Losada added his tally for his team’s third goal. The La Liga side had already clinched a convincing 3-0 win at home.

In the second leg, the table was turning. Wolgang Rolff and Co. were unable to break a deadlock until the second half. It was Tita who scored a lifeline, taking advantage of their opponent’s defensive error at the goalmouth in the 56th minute. Then, seven minutes later, Falko Gotz cut the deficit through his header before Cha Bum-Kun netted a dramatic equaliser in the 81^st minute. The winner had to be decided in a shootout.

Once again, Espanyol had the advantage first as Pichi Alonso and Jose Job successfully took the penalty, while Leverkusen’s Ralf Falkenmayer’s shot was denied by Cameroon international goalkeeper Thomas N’Kono. Then, Lady Luck really smiled at the German side as Espanyol’s third executor, Santiago Urquiaga, could not find the back of the net. His penalty only rattled the crossbar. For the next ones, Leverkusen was in control as Rudi Vollborn saved one from Manuel Zuniga, whereas their last two takers did not miss the shot. The score was 3-2 for the home side.

Javier Clemente’s men’s fate then relied on Sebastian Losada, the star in the first leg who confidently stated that their 3-0 victory had been enough to seal the title, as the fifth taker to prevent the German side’s victory. Surprisingly, the forward failed as his strike went wide off the post, and the home fans burst in joy to see their team lift their first ever major trophy.