<b>Game Of My Life #03: We are back!</b>
Having just managed a 2-2 draw in the first leg, Bayern traveled to Barcelona and secured their progress to the final by a 1-2 away win in the return leg.April 16, 1996, Barcelona. FC Barcelona welcomes FC Bayern in the second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final. Bayern needed a high-scoring draw or an away win to push through to the final in front of a crowd of 115,000 fanatic supporters in the Camp Nou, where Barcelona had not lost a European competition home game since 1992. The game marked the first time the two giants had ever met in a competitive match.<a href="#why-the-game-was-special"></a>Why the game was special<a href="#fc-bayern-in-the-middle-of-the-1990s-almost-an-ordinary-club"></a>FC Bayern in the middle of the 1990s – almost an ordinary club.The 1990s. Football shoes were black. The players on the pitch were numbered 1 to 11. FC Bayern Munich was frequently dubbed “FC Hollywood”, but in sporting terms they were far away from shiny glamour.The glorious 1970s were but a distant memory, the bloodletting of many top German players to Italy’s greener pastures had left its mark on German football in general and Bayern in particular.<a href="#disappointing-years-by-bayern-standards"></a>Disappointing years by Bayern standardsOver the last five years, Bayern had won the Bundesliga title only once. The last triumph in the DFB-Pokal had been in 1986, their cup runs were spotted with embarrassing defeats to lower division clubs like Weinheim, Homburg, and Vestenbergsgreuth.They did not fare much better on the European stage. In 1991/92, they went out of the UEFA Cup after a 2-6 defeat against Copenhagen in the second round. In 1992/93, they were not even qualified, and 1993/94 they again suffered a second round elimination, this time at the hand of Norwich. In 1994/95, they participated in the still very young Champions League for the first time. They advanced from the group stage and two draws against Gothenburg in the quarter finals were enough to prevail. But in the semis, Louis van Gaal’s Ajax Amsterdam proved a bridge too far, inflicting a comprehensive 5-2 defeat on Bayern. Despite the fairly easy route to the semi-finals, having got there was a respectable achievement.<a href="#and-then-came-barcelona"></a>And then came BarcelonaAt the beginning of the 1995/96 season, Otto Rehagel was appointed as the fifth Bayern head coach in four years. After a defeat in the first match, seven consecutive wins under his reign saw Bayern march through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. And now Barcelona waited. Johan Cruyff’s team was one of the top teams in Europe in the early 1990s: from 1991 to 94 they were Spanish champions four times in a row and reached the final of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1992 and 94, which they also won in 1992. But in the spring of 1996, Cruyff’s era at Barcelona seemed to be beyond its peak. The squad was still top class, but the departures of stars like Laudrup, Stoichkow and Koeman could not be compensated. In La Liga, a fourth place in 1995 and a third place in 1996 were the result. Nevertheless, they firmly believed in their chance to reach the final against Bayern.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/BarcaFCB1996en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsJohan Cruyff sent his team out in its usual 4-3-3 formation. He had to make do without injured Pep Guardiola. Ferrer, Nadal, Popescu and Sergi Barjuán defended in front of goalkeeper Busquets. Bakero played in the holding midfielder position and Amor and Roger García in the two number eight positions. Luís Figo as the right winger, Jordi Cruyff as a fluid center-forward and Kodro as the nominal left-winger completed the first eleven. Otto Rehhagel opted for a 3-5-2/3-6-1 formation. In front of Kahn, Babbel, Kreuzer, and Helmer formed the back three. Regular holding midfielder Matthäus…
Having just managed a 2-2 draw in the first leg, Bayern traveled to Barcelona and secured their progress to the final by a 1-2 away win in the return leg.April 16, 1996, Barcelona. FC Barcelona welcomes FC Bayern in the second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final. Bayern needed a high-scoring draw or an away win to push through to the final in front of a crowd of 115,000 fanatic supporters in the Camp Nou, where Barcelona had not lost a European competition home game since 1992. The game marked the first time the two giants had ever met in a competitive match.<a href="#why-the-game-was-special"></a>Why the game was special<a href="#fc-bayern-in-the-middle-of-the-1990s-almost-an-ordinary-club"></a>FC Bayern in the middle of the 1990s – almost an ordinary club.The 1990s. Football shoes were black. The players on the pitch were numbered 1 to 11. FC Bayern Munich was frequently dubbed “FC Hollywood”, but in sporting terms they were far away from shiny glamour.The glorious 1970s were but a distant memory, the bloodletting of many top German players to Italy’s greener pastures had left its mark on German football in general and Bayern in particular.<a href="#disappointing-years-by-bayern-standards"></a>Disappointing years by Bayern standardsOver the last five years, Bayern had won the Bundesliga title only once. The last triumph in the DFB-Pokal had been in 1986, their cup runs were spotted with embarrassing defeats to lower division clubs like Weinheim, Homburg, and Vestenbergsgreuth.They did not fare much better on the European stage. In 1991/92, they went out of the UEFA Cup after a 2-6 defeat against Copenhagen in the second round. In 1992/93, they were not even qualified, and 1993/94 they again suffered a second round elimination, this time at the hand of Norwich. In 1994/95, they participated in the still very young Champions League for the first time. They advanced from the group stage and two draws against Gothenburg in the quarter finals were enough to prevail. But in the semis, Louis van Gaal’s Ajax Amsterdam proved a bridge too far, inflicting a comprehensive 5-2 defeat on Bayern. Despite the fairly easy route to the semi-finals, having got there was a respectable achievement.<a href="#and-then-came-barcelona"></a>And then came BarcelonaAt the beginning of the 1995/96 season, Otto Rehagel was appointed as the fifth Bayern head coach in four years. After a defeat in the first match, seven consecutive wins under his reign saw Bayern march through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. And now Barcelona waited. Johan Cruyff’s team was one of the top teams in Europe in the early 1990s: from 1991 to 94 they were Spanish champions four times in a row and reached the final of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup in 1992 and 94, which they also won in 1992. But in the spring of 1996, Cruyff’s era at Barcelona seemed to be beyond its peak. The squad was still top class, but the departures of stars like Laudrup, Stoichkow and Koeman could not be compensated. In La Liga, a fourth place in 1995 and a third place in 1996 were the result. Nevertheless, they firmly believed in their chance to reach the final against Bayern.<a href="https://miasanrot.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/12/BarcaFCB1996en-650x650.png">Media</a><a href="#in-case-you-missed-it"></a>In case you missed it<a href="#the-starting-lineups"></a>The starting lineupsJohan Cruyff sent his team out in its usual 4-3-3 formation. He had to make do without injured Pep Guardiola. Ferrer, Nadal, Popescu and Sergi Barjuán defended in front of goalkeeper Busquets. Bakero played in the holding midfielder position and Amor and Roger García in the two number eight positions. Luís Figo as the right winger, Jordi Cruyff as a fluid center-forward and Kodro as the nominal left-winger completed the first eleven. Otto Rehhagel opted for a 3-5-2/3-6-1 formation. In front of Kahn, Babbel, Kreuzer, and Helmer formed the back three. Regular holding midfielder Matthäus…
