Borussia Mönchengladbach 12–0 Borussia Dortmund
Encyclopedia
On 29 April 1978, the final match day of the 1977–78 Fußball-Bundesliga season, Borussia Mönchengladbach
played Borussia Dortmund
with the possibility of becoming Bundesliga
champions. Knowing that if 1. FC Köln
won their game away to FC St. Pauli
, Borussia Mönchengladbach would have to win by a margin well in excess of ten goals. The match finished 12–0, which, as of , is still the largest margin of victory and biggest win in any Bundesliga game. However, 1. FC Köln beat FC St. Pauli 5–0 to become champions.
of +10.
Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, were struggling to gain ground in their second consecutive season in the Bundesliga after promotion in 1976. Three games previously, the club had secured their Bundesliga status for the following year with a 2–0 away win over FC Schalke 04
. Horst Bertram
, Dortmund's number one goalkeeper, had just recovered from injury, but Dortmund's coach Otto Rehhagel
decided to start with second-choice goalie Peter Endrulat
, giving him a chance to present himself. Endrulat, however, was told the morning before the game, that his contract would not be extended close-season.
38,000 fans made it to the Rheinstadion
in Düsseldorf
since Mönchengladbach's usual home ground, the Bökelbergstadion
, was being renovated. The match was refereed by Ferdinand Biwersi
.
Although Mönchengladbach were not anticipating to win what would have been their sixth Bundesliga title, they were, nonetheless, highly motivated going into the game. Jupp Heynckes
gave the home side the lead after just one minute of playing time had elapsed and in the 32nd minute, had made it 5–0 with his third goal of the game to complete his hat-trick
. Going into the half-time
break, the score was 6–0.
Otto Rehhagel gave a brief talk to his players during at half-time, calling upon the team to play on for their honour. No substitutes were made since no player from the bench wanted to come onto the pitch. Rehhagel asked Endrulat if he would like to be substituted, but the Dortmund goalkeeper said he had no problem with playing on. He later concluded however that this had been the wrong decision:
In the second half, Mönchengladbach's flurry of shots on goal didn't stop. Heynckes and Carsten Nielsen
had made it 8–0 by the hour mark, at which time Otto Rehhagel had asked Sigfried Held to warm-up and get ready to go onto the pitch, but Held declined, saying: "Coach, do you really think I can make a difference to the outcome of the game?" Shortly afterwards, Karl Del'Haye
had made the scoreline 9–0.
After further goals from Heynckes, substitute Ewald Lienen
and Christian Kulik
, the match finished with a final score of 12–0. Since there were no ball boy
s in the 1970s, the referee had to go and fetch the balls which had been shot past Dortmund's goal.
style="font-size:90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center">
Borussia Dortmund:
|
GK
Peter Endrulat
DF
Amand Theis
DF
Werner Schneider
DF
Lothar Huber
DF
Herbert Meyer
MF
Burkhard Segler
MF
Miroslav Votava
MF
Hans-Joachim Wagner
MF
Manfred Burgsmüller
(c)
FW
Wolfgang Frank
FW
Peter Geyer
Manager:
Otto Rehhagel
The day after Mönchengladbach's record victory, Rehhagel was fired from his post as Dortmund manager. Sigfried Held was named as his replacement ad interim
, and Carl-Heinz Rühl
became the new coach on a permanent basis.
Borussia Dortmund fined all of their players 2000–2500 Deutsche Mark for their shoddy performance. The unlucky goalkeeper, Peter Endrulat, was sent packing to 2. Bundesliga
team Tennis Borussia Berlin
and the team was ridiculed during friendly games for weeks afterwards. Köln's goalkeeper, Toni Schumacher
, said he was "disgusted" by Dortmund's poor showing, but was "happy [Köln] had won the title in the end."
that the match had been fixed
were contested by Borussia Dortmund. Defender Amand Theis
explained that "in the end, every shot was a goal and we just gave up." Borussia Mönchengladbach's Herbert Wimmer
, for whom the 12–0 victory was his final Bundesliga game, said in an interview that he was happy the club did not win the league that season, because it could have given more evidence to speculate match-fixing. The German FA made their own enquiries and interviewed the Dortmund players, giving them a dressing-down for their unsporting behaviour
, but chose not to press any charges.
The corresponding fixture in the following season four months later at Mönchengladbach's Bökelbergstadion ended in a 2–2 draw
.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
played Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
with the possibility of becoming Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
champions. Knowing that if 1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln
1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07....
won their game away to FC St. Pauli
FC St. Pauli
Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that also has Rugby Fußball-Club St. Pauli is a German sports club based in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. The football section is part of a larger club that...
, Borussia Mönchengladbach would have to win by a margin well in excess of ten goals. The match finished 12–0, which, as of , is still the largest margin of victory and biggest win in any Bundesliga game. However, 1. FC Köln beat FC St. Pauli 5–0 to become champions.
Preamble
Borussia Mönchengladbach went into the match with Borussia Dortmund as reigning Bundesliga champions of the previous season. Having only won two of their first seven league games in the autumn of 1977, they had managed to reach second place in the table after 22 games. With the final round of games, the league championship went down to the wire with both Mönchengladbach and 1. FC Köln equal on points, but 1. FC Köln having a far superior goal differenceGoal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
of +10.
Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, were struggling to gain ground in their second consecutive season in the Bundesliga after promotion in 1976. Three games previously, the club had secured their Bundesliga status for the following year with a 2–0 away win over FC Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
. Horst Bertram
Horst Bertram
Horst Bertram is a retired German football manager and former player.Bertram appeared twice for Kickers Offenbach in the Fußball-Bundesliga before embarking on a 12-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, playing 200 games, 94 of which also coming in the Bundesliga.-External links:...
, Dortmund's number one goalkeeper, had just recovered from injury, but Dortmund's coach Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel is a German football coach and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Udo Lattek and Hennes Weisweiler, he is considered one of the most successful German managers....
decided to start with second-choice goalie Peter Endrulat
Peter Endrulat
Peter Endrulat is a former German footballer.After coming through the ranks of his local team VfB 07 Weidenau as a youth, Endrulat moved to FC Schalke 04 in 1973 and made his Fußball-Bundesliga debut as a 20 year old for the Gelsenkirchen-based team in a 1–1 draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on...
, giving him a chance to present himself. Endrulat, however, was told the morning before the game, that his contract would not be extended close-season.
The match
Rheinstadion
The Rheinstadion was a multi-purpose stadium, in Düsseldorf, Germany. The stadium was built, near the Rhine, in 1926 and held 55,900 people, at the end of its life....
in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
since Mönchengladbach's usual home ground, the Bökelbergstadion
Bökelbergstadion
The Bökelbergstadion was a football stadium in Mönchengladbach, Germany.-History:It was the home of Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach before Borussia-Park opened in 2004. The stadium had a capacity of up to 34,500 people. The inauguration took place on September 20, 1919 under the name...
, was being renovated. The match was refereed by Ferdinand Biwersi
Ferdinand Biwersi
Ferdinand Biwersi is a former football referee from Germany.Biwersi was a referee for the German Football Association between 1965 and 1978. He refereed 121 games in the Fußball-Bundesliga and 27 games in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga in this time. One of his last matches was the record Bundesliga...
.
Although Mönchengladbach were not anticipating to win what would have been their sixth Bundesliga title, they were, nonetheless, highly motivated going into the game. Jupp Heynckes
Jupp Heynckes
Josef "Jupp" Heynckes is a German football coach and former player. As player he belonged to the core of the team of Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and 1970s where he won many national championships and the Cup as well as the UEFA Cup...
gave the home side the lead after just one minute of playing time had elapsed and in the 32nd minute, had made it 5–0 with his third goal of the game to complete his hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
. Going into the half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
break, the score was 6–0.
Otto Rehhagel gave a brief talk to his players during at half-time, calling upon the team to play on for their honour. No substitutes were made since no player from the bench wanted to come onto the pitch. Rehhagel asked Endrulat if he would like to be substituted, but the Dortmund goalkeeper said he had no problem with playing on. He later concluded however that this had been the wrong decision:
In the second half, Mönchengladbach's flurry of shots on goal didn't stop. Heynckes and Carsten Nielsen
Carsten Nielsen
Carsten Nielsen is a Danish former football player.-External links:* *...
had made it 8–0 by the hour mark, at which time Otto Rehhagel had asked Sigfried Held to warm-up and get ready to go onto the pitch, but Held declined, saying: "Coach, do you really think I can make a difference to the outcome of the game?" Shortly afterwards, Karl Del'Haye
Karl Del'Haye
Karl Del'Haye is a German former footballer who played as a winger. He is best remembered as a Borussia Mönchengladbach player, but also played for Alemannia Aachen, Bayern Munich and Fortuna Düsseldorf...
had made the scoreline 9–0.
After further goals from Heynckes, substitute Ewald Lienen
Ewald Lienen
Ewald Lienen is a German former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Lienen began his professional career at Arminia Bielefeld of the 2.Bundesliga North in 1974. After three seasons, he moved up to the top flight with Borussia Mönchengladbach...
and Christian Kulik
Christian Kulik
Christian Kulik is a retired German football player of Polish origin. He spent 10 seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach.-Honours:* European Cup finalist: 1977.* UEFA Cup winner: 1975, 1979....
, the match finished with a final score of 12–0. Since there were no ball boy
Ball Boy
Ball Boy is a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano and also the name of the main character. It first appeared in issue 1735, dated 18 October 1975. It features a five-a-side football team that includes:* Ball Boy - the captain of the team, Ball Boy bears resemblances to The Dandy's Owen Goal...
s in the 1970s, the referee had to go and fetch the balls which had been shot past Dortmund's goal.
Match details
| style="font-size:90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> | Borussia Mönchengladbach: | |||
| GK | Wolfgang Kleff Wolfgang Kleff Wolfgang Kleff is a former German football player whose resemblance to German actor and comedian Otto Waalkes allowed him to pick up minor roles in motion pictures and his referring nickname "Otto" as well.... |
|||
| DF | Berti Vogts Berti Vogts Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria... |
|||
| DF | Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp is a retired German football player. He spent 11 seasons in the Bundesliga with FC Schalke 04 and Borussia Mönchengladbach.-Honours:* European Cup finalist: 1977.* UEFA Cup winner: 1975.* UEFA Cup finalist: 1973.... |
|||
| DF | Wilfried Hannes Wilfried Hannes Wilfried Hannes is a former German football player and manager, known for achieving his career despite being visually impaired after a pupil-tumor had caused him to lose his sight in his right eye as a child.... |
|||
| MF | Horst Wohlers Horst Wohlers Horst Wohlers is a former German football player and manager.- Playing career :Wohlers joined first teams of SC Brunsbüttelkoog and FC St. Pauli until his 1975 transfer to Borussia Mönchengladbach... |
|||
| MF | Christian Kulik Christian Kulik Christian Kulik is a retired German football player of Polish origin. He spent 10 seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach.-Honours:* European Cup finalist: 1977.* UEFA Cup winner: 1975, 1979.... |
|||
| MF | Herbert Wimmer Herbert Wimmer Herbert "Hacki" Wimmer is a former footballer. Besides winning five national championships and two UEFA Cups with his club side Borussia Mönchengladbach he won the 1974 World Cup and the 1972 European Football Championship with Germany.Herbert Wimmer started his playing career with lowly Borussia... (c) |
|||
| MF |  Carsten NielsenCarsten Nielsen Carsten Nielsen is a Danish former football player.-External links:* *... |
|||
| FW | Karl Del'Haye Karl Del'Haye Karl Del'Haye is a German former footballer who played as a winger. He is best remembered as a Borussia Mönchengladbach player, but also played for Alemannia Aachen, Bayern Munich and Fortuna Düsseldorf... |
|||
| FW | Jupp Heynckes Jupp Heynckes Josef "Jupp" Heynckes is a German football coach and former player. As player he belonged to the core of the team of Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and 1970s where he won many national championships and the Cup as well as the UEFA Cup... |
|||
| FW | Allan Simonsen Allan Simonsen Allan Rodenkam Simonsen is a former Danish footballer and manager. He most prominently played for German team Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona from Spain, winning the 1982 Cup WInners' Cup... |
|||
| Substitutes: | ||||
| MF | Ewald Lienen Ewald Lienen Ewald Lienen is a German former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Lienen began his professional career at Arminia Bielefeld of the 2.Bundesliga North in 1974. After three seasons, he moved up to the top flight with Borussia Mönchengladbach... |
|||
| Manager: | ||||
| Udo Lattek Udo Lattek Udo Lattek is a former German football player and coach, and is now a television sportscaster.... |
||||
Peter EndrulatPeter Endrulat
Peter Endrulat is a former German footballer.After coming through the ranks of his local team VfB 07 Weidenau as a youth, Endrulat moved to FC Schalke 04 in 1973 and made his Fußball-Bundesliga debut as a 20 year old for the Gelsenkirchen-based team in a 1–1 draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on...
Amand TheisAmand Theis
Amand Theis is a retired German footballer who made a total of 296 appearances in the Fußball-Bundesliga during his playing career.- References :...
Werner SchneiderWerner Schneider
Werner Schneider is a retired German football player. He spent 12 seasons in the Bundesliga with MSV Duisburg, Borussia Dortmund and Hertha BSC.-External links:...
Lothar HuberLothar Huber
Lothar Huber is a German football coach and a former player and currently manager of TSG Sprockhövel.- Career :As a player, he spent 15 seasons in the Bundesliga with 1...
Herbert MeyerHerbert Meyer (footballer)
Herbert Meyer is a retired German footballer who made a total of 201 appearances in the Fußball-Bundesliga during his playing career.- References :...
Burkhard SeglerBurkhard Segler
Burkhard Segler is a retired German footballer who made a total of 88 appearances in the Fußball-Bundesliga during his playing career....
Miroslav VotavaMiroslav Votava
Miroslav "Mirko" Votava is a former German footballer and coach.A defensive midfielder of stamina and tactical awareness, Votava played 546 matches in the Bundesliga , retiring at the age of 41...
Hans-Joachim WagnerHans-Joachim Wagner
Hans-Joachim Wagner is a retired German football player. He spent 7 seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. The best league finish he achieved was 6th place.-External links:...
Manfred BurgsmüllerManfred Burgsmüller
Manfred "Manni" Burgsmüller is a retired German footballer who played mainly as a striker – he could occasionally operate as a midfielder....
(c)
Wolfgang FrankWolfgang Frank
Wolfgang Frank is a German football manager and former player.Frank made a total of 215 appearances in the Fußball-Bundesliga during his playing career, scoring 89 goals...
Peter GeyerPeter Geyer
Peter Geyer is a retired German football player. He spent 9 seasons in the Bundesliga with Tennis Borussia Berlin, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Braunschweig. The best league result he achieved was 6th place....
Otto RehhagelOtto Rehhagel
Otto Rehhagel is a German football coach and former football player. Along with Helmut Schön, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Udo Lattek and Hennes Weisweiler, he is considered one of the most successful German managers....
Man of the Match: Jupp HeynckesJupp Heynckes Josef "Jupp" Heynckes is a German football coach and former player. As player he belonged to the core of the team of Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and 1970s where he won many national championships and the Cup as well as the UEFA Cup... (Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth... ) |
Aftermath
In spite of their 12–0 victory, Mönchengladbach missed out on the league title since 1. FC Köln beat FC St. Pauli 5–0 in Hamburg and became champions thanks to their slightly better goal difference. This was 1. FC Köln's third and as of , last Bundesliga title.| width=185Team |
width=56Points |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. FC Köln 1. FC Köln 1. FC Köln is a German association football club based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 as a merger of the clubs Kölner Ballspiel-Club 1901 and SpVgg Sülz 07.... (C) |
34 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 86 | 41 | +45 | 48:20 |
| 2 | Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth... |
34 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 86 | 44 | +42 | 48:20 |
| 11 | Borussia Dortmund Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football... |
34 | 14 | 5 | 15 | 57 | 71 | –14 | 33:35 |
The day after Mönchengladbach's record victory, Rehhagel was fired from his post as Dortmund manager. Sigfried Held was named as his replacement ad interim
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
, and Carl-Heinz Rühl
Carl-Heinz Rühl
Carl-Heinz Rühl is a retired German football player and manager.-External links:...
became the new coach on a permanent basis.
Borussia Dortmund fined all of their players 2000–2500 Deutsche Mark for their shoddy performance. The unlucky goalkeeper, Peter Endrulat, was sent packing to 2. Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
team Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in Berlin-Westend.- History :The team was founded in 1902 and takes its name from its origins as a tennis and ping-pong club. "Borussia" is a Latinised version of Prussia. In 1903 the club took up football and quickly developed a rivalry with...
and the team was ridiculed during friendly games for weeks afterwards. Köln's goalkeeper, Toni Schumacher
Harald Schumacher
Harald Anton Schumacher , commonly known as Toni Schumacher, is a German former football goalkeeper, and a member of the West German national team. He won the 1980 European Championship and lost two World Cup finals, in 1982 and 1986...
, said he was "disgusted" by Dortmund's poor showing, but was "happy [Köln] had won the title in the end."
Match-fixing suspicion
Suggestions from the supervisory committee of the German Football AssociationGerman Football Association
The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB organises the German football leagues, including the national league, the Bundesliga, and the men's and women's national teams. The DFB is based in Frankfurt and is...
that the match had been fixed
Match fixing
In organised sports, match fixing, game fixing, race fixing, or sports fixing occurs as a match is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. Where the sporting competition in question is a race then the incident is referred to as...
were contested by Borussia Dortmund. Defender Amand Theis
Amand Theis
Amand Theis is a retired German footballer who made a total of 296 appearances in the Fußball-Bundesliga during his playing career.- References :...
explained that "in the end, every shot was a goal and we just gave up." Borussia Mönchengladbach's Herbert Wimmer
Herbert Wimmer
Herbert "Hacki" Wimmer is a former footballer. Besides winning five national championships and two UEFA Cups with his club side Borussia Mönchengladbach he won the 1974 World Cup and the 1972 European Football Championship with Germany.Herbert Wimmer started his playing career with lowly Borussia...
, for whom the 12–0 victory was his final Bundesliga game, said in an interview that he was happy the club did not win the league that season, because it could have given more evidence to speculate match-fixing. The German FA made their own enquiries and interviewed the Dortmund players, giving them a dressing-down for their unsporting behaviour
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Unsportsmanlike conduct is a foul or offense in many sports that is not necessarily a violation of the respective sport's rules of play, but violates the sport's generally accepted rules of sportsmanship and/or participant conduct...
, but chose not to press any charges.
The corresponding fixture in the following season four months later at Mönchengladbach's Bökelbergstadion ended in a 2–2 draw
Tie (draw)
To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as...
.
External links
- Matchday line-ups at fussballdaten.deFussballdaten.defussballdaten.de is a German language website which predominantly collects comprehensive statistics on the top five tiers of German football.The website offers statistics on every Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga match and team squad since the leagues' foundation in 1963 and 1974, respectively....