Zwickau celebrated the cup room: Croy - hero of the penalty shootout!

Zwickau celebrated the cup room: Croy - hero of the penalty shootout!

Zwickau, Deutschland - In June 1975, BSG Sachsenring Zwickau wrote football history. On June 14 of this year, the eagerly awaited final around the FDGB Cup took place in the World Youth Stadium in Berlin. In front of 55,000 enthusiastic spectators, the Zwickauer met the favorites Dynamo Dresden as a blatant outsider. The game developed into a true thrill, because after 120 minutes it was 2-2. What followed afterwards is still celebrated in Zwickau as legendary.

Jürgen Croy, the goalkeeper of the Zwickauer, became a celebrated cup hero in a penalty shootout. He parried two penalty kicks by Gerd Weber and Hans-Jürgen Dörner. He also converted the decisive penalty to 4: 3, which made the Zwickauer the winner for the first time in the history of the FDGB Cup after a finale in the penalty shootout was decided. According to [Kicker.de] (https://www.kicker.de/pokalheld-croy-als-ich-14-tache-zwickau-Zurueckkam-Hat-Hat-in-Stadt-Noch-Bünt-1125216/articles, Croy is still a legend in the 1970s at the best goalkeeper counted worldwide.

The dramatic final

It was a real drama that took place on the day of the final. After Gert Heidler Dynamo Dresden brought the lead in the 65th minute, Joachim Schykowski equalized just eight minutes later. The second half was also exciting: Frank Richter brought Dresden again in the 110th minute, but Peter Nestler replied in the 119th minute and brought Zwickau back into play. These exciting turns caused breathtaking moments on the square and in the audience.

The lineups of the two teams show how many talents the final consisted of. Zwickau competed with Croy, Schykowski, Stemmler and other players, while Dynamo Dresden came up with players such as Boden, Dörner and Weber. Both teams did their best, but it was the Underdog Zwickau who conquered the hearts of the fans. According to Nordkurier, the cup victory was the third and last big title of BSG Sachsenring.

an unforgettable success

After the victory, Zwickau also qualified for the European Cup winner in 1975/76. The rumors are also legendary that Stasi boss Erich Mielke would have had the TV recordings of the final extinguished to protect the shocked SED leadership. Nevertheless, the premium for each team member was around 1,000 GDR marks, an appreciative wage for heroic victory. In the following European Cup season, however, Zwickau was eliminated in the semi-finals against RSC Anderlecht, but the cup final remains unforgettable.

The FDGB Cup, whose history began in 1949 and has produced many exciting encounters in the following decades, the Zwickau final was further highlighted. Wikipedia documents the development of this competition, which had numerous emotional and sporting highlights until its last hosting in 1991.

Jürgen Croy and his team not only got a title, but also an entire generation of football fans in Zwickau, even in the entire GDR, also enthusiastically and shaped. The 1975 cup victory remains a big chapter in the history of GDR football.