1967 Cup Winners' Cup Final

Lore & Background

In season 1959–60, Eintracht took part in the European Cup. In this season, they became the first German club to reach a European final, eventually losing 7–3 to Real Madrid. In the 1966–67 season, the club played in the Intertoto Cup which they finally won, defeating Slovan Bratislava in the final. In 1967, the Eagles won the Cup of the Alps, a tournament then composed of Italian, Swiss and German teams. Frankfurt's first appearance in the renamed UEFA Cup was in 1972, the first step in the Cup Winners' Cup stage was made in 1974. In the 1979–80 edition of the UEFA Cup, Eintracht reached the finals. The first leg was lost at fellow West German club Borussia Mönchengladbach, but the second leg was decided by the send on striker Fred Schaub in the 81st minute and secured the Mainhattan club the first major European title. In the 1980s, the club struggled to participate regularly in European competitions. Between the beginning to the mid-1990s the Eagles re-established themselves as a powerhouse in Europe and advanced far in the UEFA Cup regularly with players such as Uwe Bein, Jay-Jay Okocha, Uli Stein, Ralf Weber and Tony Yeboah on the books. Despite reaching the 1994–95 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, Eintracht bounced between the first two tiers for almost ten years after the relegation from the Bundesliga in the 1995–96 campaign. Since 2005, they were part of the first Bundesliga again and immediately qualified for the UEFA Cup due to the participation in the DFB Cup final against Bayern Munich who were already qualified for the Champions League. In the following UEFA Cup campaign, Eintracht reached the group stage and seemed to be likely to advance to the next round but conceded two goals at Fenerbahçe after being up 2–0 what meant that Eintracht had to defer to the Istanbul club. In 2013, Eintracht played at Bordeaux with 12,000 fans from Frankfurt and about 8,000 Bordeaux supporters. Eintracht were eliminated in the round of 32 after drawing twice with Porto. In 2018, the qualification for the Europa League group stage was achieved by winning the DFB Cup for the first time in thirty years. In the 2018–19 Europa League, Luka Jović with his ten goals aided Eintracht to reach the semi-finals of the competition, only losing on penalties to the eventual champions, Chel

In Their Own Story

The roar of the crowd at Wembley was a physical force as the referee blew for extra time, the score tied at 4-4. The air was thick with tension and the smell of wet grass under the London floodlights. Bernd Hölzenbein, chest heaving, watched the ball roll toward him near the edge of the box. He didn't hesitate. A sharp touch past a sliding defender, a low drive that kissed the underside of the crossbar and trickled over the line. The stadium erupted, but for the Frankfurt players, it was a moment of pure release, the culmination of years of struggle finally rewarded on the grandest stage.

Reader's Guide

The source article does not mention a 1967 Cup Winners' Cup Final. It states that in the 1966–67 season, Eintracht played in the Intertoto Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, and won the Cup of the Alps in 1967. No details about a Cup Winners' Cup final are provided.

Did You Know?

• Eintracht Frankfurt's first official European match was a 4–1 away win against BSC Young Boys on 11 November 1959.
• In 1959–60, Eintracht became the first German club to reach a European Cup final, losing 7–3 to Real Madrid.
• Eintracht won the Europa League in 2022, defeating Rangers 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.