1. FC Magdeburg: A historic comeback in the UEFA Cup!

1. FC Magdeburg: A historic comeback in the UEFA Cup!

A piece of history was written in football on November 2, 1977, when 1. FC Magdeburg had to play against Schalke 04 in the UEFA Cup competition. Nine years later, in 2023, the club will celebrate its 60th birthday on December 22nd. The celebrations are a fitting occasion to look back on the ups and downs of the club's history. Who would have thought that 1. FC Magdeburg could play with their best players in the second leg against Schalke at the Gelsenkirchen Parkstadion? They lost the first leg 2:4, but the second leg performance showed the team's fighting heart.

A football festival was experienced in front of 70,600 spectators when Jürgen Pommerenke scored the first goal for the FCM in the 15th minute. Just five minutes later it was Wolfgang Steinbach who extended the exciting 2-0 lead. The Magdeburgers were not deterred and another honorable goal followed after the break from Pommerenke, who increased the score to 3-0. Although Erwin Kremers was able to reduce the score to 1:3 for Schalke 04, the FCM remained successful in this encounter with an overall result of 7:3. In the round of 16, the Magdeburgers beat RC Lens 4-0 and 2-0, only to unfortunately fail in the quarter-finals against PSV Eindhoven - only one goal decided whether they would advance.

The path to success and the challenges

1. FC Magdeburg has experienced both successes and setbacks in its history. The club is one of the few German teams that managed to win an international title - in 1974 they won the European Cup Winners' Cup and thus wrote club history. What is particularly noteworthy is that the FCM also competed against well-known opponents who are included in the list of the most successful European Cup teams such as FC Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona and AC Milan, all of whom have collected numerous titles over the years.

If you look at the list of European Football Cup winners, 1. FC Magdeburg is not alone with a title. They find themselves in good company with major clubs from across Europe, such as FC Schalke 04, with whom they once enjoyed a memorable rivalry. These successes are a placeholder in a long list of challenges the club has had to overcome.

The legacy of the club and a look into the future

As 1. FC Magdeburg approaches its 60th anniversary, it is important to honor the solidarity of the fans and the passion for the club. In Cologne, everyone who is interested in football has an opinion about the club, and the discussions surrounding the FCM show that the club could continue to play an important role in German football in the coming year.

We can't wait to see what the next few years will look like and what new chapters the history of 1. FC Magdeburg still has in store. But one thing is certain: in the memory of the glory of 1977 there will always be a spark that shapes the pride and identity of the club. To find out more about the team's successes, you can read the details in the various reports.