EUROPEAN CUP CHAMPIONS 1979

30 May 2009

EUROPEAN CUP CHAMPIONS 1979

On 30 May 1979, Nottingham Forest captain John McGovern held the European Cup aloft to complete one of the most remarkable fairytales in football history. The Unforgettable Fairytale.

It was just Forest's luck that, having beaten Liverpool to championship the previous year, the Reds' first opponents in the European Cup would be Liverpool. The critics wouldn't give Forest a hope against the current Champions of Europe, but Forest never took any notice of the odds.

They beat Liverpool 2-0 at the City Ground, and held them to a 0-0 in the second leg at Anfield, to start off a glorious cup run.

They saw off AEK Athens with ease.

Before knocking out Grasshoppers of Zurich to reach the semi-final.

In a thrilling two-legged encounter, Forest beat Colonge by an aggregate score of 4-3, Ian Bowyer scoring the crucial goal in the away leg.

Forest would face Swedish side Malmo in the final to be played Munich's glorious Olympic Stadium on May 30, 1979. The Reds had been beaten to the championship by Liverpool, but were boosted by the European debut of the million-pound man, Trevor Francis who had completed his record-breaking transfer a few months previously.

And it was money well spent as moments before the half-time break, John Roberton's searching cross found Francis at the far post. Francis' diving header beat the keeper and put Forest in the lead.

There were no more goals and in front of 30,000 traveling fans from Nottingham, John McGovern lifted the European Cup for Forest, making them the smallest club ever to take the title of Champions of Europe.

European Cup Team 1979

EARLY ROUNDS:

Liverpool (H) 2-0, (A) 0-0 Aggr. 2-0 Highlights

A.E.K. Athens (A) 2-1, (H) 5-1 Aggr. 7-2 Highlights
Grasshopper Zurich (H) 4-1, (A) 1-1 Aggr. 5-2 Highlights
F.C. Cologne (H) 3-3, (A) 1-0 Aggr. 4-3 Highlights 1 2 3

FINAL:
30th May 1979 Olympic Stadium, Munich Highlights

Nottingham Forest 1 Malmo 0