There can’t be many who would argue against the Dons 1983 European Cup Winners Cup quarter final win over German giants Bayern Munich on March 16th 1983 was Pittodrie’s ‘Greatest Night’. It was the night that Aberdeen turned around a deficit against one of the best sides in world football and set Aberdeen up for European success.

The Red Matchday team tell the story …

Fate decided that Aberdeen would come up against the might of Bayern Munich for the first time in 1983. However, the Dons could have faced Bayern some seven years previously had it not been for a last-minute change of opinion. Back in April 1976, the Dons had lined up glamour friendly against Bayern at Pittodrie as part of the UNICEF charity. The Aberdeen branch of the charity had been busy making the arrangements to take Munich to Pittodrie and a provisional date had been set for May. With Bayern competing in the 1976 European Cup Final at Hampden, the game was eagerly anticipated in the area. However, the powers that be had a change of mind and the game was never allowed to happen. Aberdeen were to get their opportunity in 1983 as they were drawn together at the quarter final stage of the ECWC. When the draw was made in Zurich in December 1982, Alex Ferguson had a ‘feeling’ they would get the Germans, beaten European Cup finalists from the previous year. ‘A lot will depend on our form at the time, but I am happy to avoid Barcelona and the experience my players have picked up against German opponents in the past should augur well for us. This is a great challenge for us and a tie that we can really look forward to.’

After Aberdeen on their travels had seen off Sion, Dinamo Tirana and Polish league leaders Lech Poznan they were drawn against the German Bundesliga side in the last eight. What was perhaps significant was the time from the draw which was made in December with the ties due to be played some three months later. It gave the Dons and their supporters plenty of time to look forward to what promised to be two high profile clashes.

Aberdeen manager Alex Ferguson never hid his admiration for German football. Ever since the Dons were knocked out by Fortuna Dusseldorf (1978 ECWC) and Eintracht Frankfurt (1979 UEFA Cup), the Dons boss studied their organisation and tactical awareness. Ferguson was also in awe of the facilities in Germany, from their training grounds to stadiums, the infrastructure in Germany was light years ahead of what was available in Scotland. Those observations though were taken on the back of huge investment in Germany that created some fantastic new facilities ahead of the Olympic Games in 1972.

With Aberdeen being drawn away from home in the first leg that was certainly an advantage. If the Dons could keep the tie alive for the return in Scotland it would give them the best opportunity to see off the might of Bayern Munich.

Ahead of the game in Germany, there was a sizeable Munich delegation turned up at Celtic Park to watch the Dons in action. Included in the group was Uli Hoeness the Bayern general manager and former West German World Cup winner. It was Hoeness who committed the first minute foul that led to Johan Cruyff opening the scoring. The Germans recovered to win and Hoeness was assured of legendary status for both club and country.

It was on the 12 February 1983 that Hoeness got his first glimpse of the Dons and he was left impressed after Aberdeen cut Celtic apart in a 3-1 win in Glasgow. In what was as hostile an atmosphere as could have been expected it was an Eric Black hat trick that had Hoeness and his colleagues reviewing their initial thoughts on the Dons.

In Germany the media immediately claimed that Bayern would be far too strong for the Scots and that Bayern could not have wished for a better draw. Hoeness was not so sure after watching Aberdeen come through their Parkhead cauldron with an impressive win. The German was quoted after the trip to Glasgow in the Bild; ‘Aberdeen were a lot stronger than I expected them to be. Technically they surprised me, and they are not a typical British side. They have players who link up well and are comfortable in possession. They had a good formation and on the face of it very few weak points. We will need to do well in the first game in Germany.’

Bayern had a more difficult passage, defeating Torpedo Moscow on away goals and then Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 on aggregate. The general feeling was that Bayern had a relatively easy draw when they came out against Aberdeen at that stage. The other teams still left in the competition were Italian giants Inter Milan, Spanish champions Real Madrid, French cup winners PSG, Belgian outsiders Waterschei, Aberdeen’s old foes Austria Vienna and ECWC holders Barcelona. The fact that Aberdeen had to face a preliminary round that year against Sion was also another factor that had the Germans supremely confident of seeing off the Scots challenge. Aberdeen announced ticket prices for the 2nd leg at Pittodrie and it was the now established voucher system that was again used to make sure the regular supporters would get the first chance to obtain the priceless tickets. The Dons stated that the Main Stand would cost £5 for the game with the South Stand at £4, Beach End and Merkland Road ends at £3 with child and OAP admission at £1.50.

Aberdeen were also upset to learn of a possible Bayern interest in signing Gordon Strachan for a £1m fee. German coach Hoeness dismissed these rumours but they were perhaps caused to upset the Aberdeen preparations. Hoeness did not deny talks had taken place but he claimed; ‘I have not seen Strachan play since Scotland played in the World Cup. I hope to see him in action when Aberdeen play Celtic in Glasgow very soon. Strachan was one of a few players that were offered to us by an agent.’ Once Hoeness discovered that Strachan was contracted to the Dons until June 1984, their interest cooled.

The irony was that Strachan was an injury doubt for the Dons ahead of the trip to Germany and manager Ferguson was not hopeful; ‘Gordon will be touch and go but I will not take any chances. We will need every player to be fully fit as this game will need us to be at our very best.’ Strachan did travel with the 18-strong party that went to Germany. Bayern warmed up for the visit of Aberdeen with a 5-0 win over Armenia Bielefeld and they had an injury scare after German World Cup star Paul Breitner limped off. The bookies also offered Aberdeen at a generous 9/2 with 3/1 for the draw and Bayern odds on at 4/9 to win the first leg. The German players were being offered a rich harvest if they defeated Aberdeen. Each player was on 5000 marks ((£1,357) to beat the Dons and a further 4000m if the attendance topped 40,000 in the Olympic Stadium. The German media were again disrespectful on the Dons chances as Franz Beckenbauer got in on the act of writing off the Dons; ‘Aberdeen are technically inferior to Belfield who lost to Bayern last Saturday. Bayern must outplay them and that is what I think they will do in Munich. As soon as the Scots set foot outside of their country, they are not so good.’

Keith Burkinshaw, the manager of defeated Tottenham in the previous round against Bayern was more optimistic; ‘It is a big stadium over there and it could be frightening for the younger Aberdeen players, but I am sure they have enough experience to overcome that. Make no mistake about it; Bayern are a very good side and they have skill right through their team. Aberdeen must remain compact as a team and not get dragged about. Aberdeen will go there with a lot of confidence and they have a few young players who will run their socks off and get in about them. Bayern will not like that. Rummenigge is the best striker in Europe now and he must be stopped. He is strong and quick and very accurate. He would be a threat against any side in the world just now. You have got to congest the area in front of him to stop him and close him down quickly.’ Hamburg captain Manny Kaltz the German international right back also voiced his admiration for the Dons; ‘Aberdeen were undoubtedly our hardest opponent last year in the UEFA Cup. They could have scored seven goals against us in Scotland.’ Paul Breitner was determined to play after picking up a knock; ‘Even if I have to play in crutches I will play against Aberdeen’ he said on the eve of the game.

Manager Ferguson knew all about Rummenigge and his threat and he gave Aberdeen captain Willie Miller the responsibility of keeping the German international quiet. It was a huge challenge for Miller and a key element in the tie.

Jim Leighton was the first keeper called into action, but it was Aberdeen who launched the opening raid. Rummenigge gave an early indication of his danger when he slipped between McLeish and Miller as Leighton moved quickly off his line to retrieve the ball. Miller showed that the Scots defence meant business with a crunching tackle on Kraus in four minutes. The German required medical attention and from the free kick Augenthaler shot narrowly wide. Aberdeen were more than holding their own in the early stages although Munich looked dangerous with their incisive breaks. Nachtweih was next to try his luck as his shot went wide. Miller began a good Aberdeen move in 11 minutes when he sent Weir down the left. The move ended after Doug Bell brought out a fine save from Muller. Five minutes later Peter Weir went close when his powerful shot was just turned around the post by Muller at full stretch.

The Dons early play had the Red Army in fine voice and in 22 minutes Grobe was derided by the away support after his shot flew ell wide. A minute later the Germans did find the target through Nachtweih, but Leighton saved well. Stuart Kennedy broke clear down the right and his cross just eluded Eric Black as the young Aberdeen striker only had the keeper to beat. The Bayern goal had a narrow escape in 36 minutes when Muller did well to turn a McGhee effort. The Dons were certainly matching their more experienced opponents and the home support were getting more frustrated. McGhee then brought out another save from Muller as Aberdeen continued to be undaunted in the surroundings.

In the second half Aberdeen continued to look comfortable and almost took the lead in 52 minutes when Black just failed to connect with a superb Peter Weir cross. Bayern responded by increasing the pressure and Leighton did well to save from a Rummenigge header after a dangerous Dremmler cross. Aberdeen were certainly sticking to their task and Cooper was lectured by the Spanish referee after a tough challenge on Del Haye. Bayern again came close in 65 minutes when Rummenigge held off Miller to get in a shot that brought out a fine save from Jim Leighton. However, the Bayern raids were becoming less frequent as Aberdeen began to impose themselves in midfield with Neil Simpson and Neale Cooper getting through a power of work. Augenthaler gave a hint of Bayern’s frustration when he hoofed the ball high into the stands after Aberdeen were awarded a corner kick in 85 minutes. Aberdeen ran down the final minutes without being seriously tested much to the delight of the Aberdeen supporters who had witnessed one of the most resolute performances from their team on foreign soil.

Alex McLeish said after the game; ‘It was a good performance from us. I felt we could have played for a fortnight and they would not have scored.’ Willie Miller lost a tooth in an almighty clash with Rummenigge and typically shrugged that off, as anyone would expect from a player that had never missed a game for the Dons through injury in 11 years. In the aftermath of the game there was a sudden change in attitude by the Germans.

Both Rummenigge and German legend Beckenbauer were astonished at the quality of the Dons. Beckenbauer said; ‘I have never seen a British side to tactically and technically aware. They never allowed Bayern to dictate the game and the Scots created the better chances. Bayern were clearly stunned as Aberdeen matched them in every aspect of the game. British teams normally have big hearts and strength, but Aberdeen have added a technical side to their game which makes them a dangerous opponent.’ Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness had warned his country that Aberdeen were a genuine force and he said that Aberdeen were the best British team he had seen in years.

Manager Ferguson was only too aware that the tie was far from over and he was keen to manage expectations. The Dons had a tough Scottish Cup quarter final at Firhill against Partick Thistle days before the return meeting with Munich. Aberdeen were still going for a unique treble and the Dons showed their class to get past a spirited Thistle on their own patch. The build up to the European tie had captured the imagination of the Aberdeen support and a packed Pittodrie would certainly be giving the Dons their full backing. There were only around 200 supporters that travelled from Munich. Perhaps the Germans were still supremely confident that Bayern would go through. There was plenty of merit in that school of thought. Munich were packed with international players and proven winners on the world stage. There was also the away goals rule which was very much to their advantage.

Aberdeen made only one change from the team that started in Munich with Strachan fully fit he replaced Doug Bell. Bayern also made one change with Pflugler coming into take over from Nachtweih. The general belief was that the first goal would be all-important, and Ferguson was concerned as to how his players would react if they went behind. That realisation came in 10 minutes when Augenthaler fired a fierce shot past Jim Leighton from the edge of the box. Breitner played a short free kick before the German side-stepped McLeish before hitting a screamer past the Aberdeen keeper. It was a hammer blow to the Dons hopes and they would now have to find at least two goals to rescue the tie. For the next 20 minutes Aberdeen laid siege on the Germans who defended as impressively as the Dons had done in Munich.

The Dons almost levelled when Weir’s corner was turned in by Kennedy and Black’s header rattled the bar. However, the Dons resolve was strong, and they kept at their task and were finally rewarded with an equaliser in 38 minutes. McGhee crossed for Eric Black at the far post and the young Dons headed the ball back across goal. Kraus seemed in control as he tried to take the ball away from danger, but Neil Simpson swept him aside to score.

It was all Aberdeen from that point as they peppered the Bayern goal, which at times was leading a charmed life. Black went past three defenders before setting up Strachan who shot wide, then Bayern defender Grobe hit his own bar attempting a clearance. Just before the break A Weir corner was just headed past by McLeish.

The second half began in the same manner, but it was Bayern who shocked the Dons in 61 minutes. Del Haye’s cross was cleared by McLeish only for Pflugler to volley past Leighton from the edge of the box. It was a hammer blow for the Dons and one that suggested that their European dream was all but over. The relief on the Bayern bench was obvious as they danced with delight after they had taken the lead. Aberdeen boss Ferguson then made changes when he took of Kennedy for John McMaster with Cooper moving to left back and Rougvie to the left. Black was clattered by Horsmann in the box, but no penalty was awarded.

Then Ferguson played his last card when he brought on John Hewitt for Simpson.

In 77 minutes, the game turned on its head as Aberdeen hit two sensational goals to take the lead. First it was Alex McLeish who headed past Muller after a superbly worked free kick from McMaster and Strachan had fooled just about everyone apart from the players themselves.

With the Germans caught off their guard McLeish powered his header to make it 2-2.

Aberdeen still required another goal and within seconds it arrived.

A Black header was only palmed out by Muller and John Hewitt squeezed the ball through the German keepers’ legs to send Pittodrie into ecstasy. It was that quick that even the television cameras struggled to keep up.

The final minutes seemed to last forever as the Dons held on as the Germans threw everything at Aberdeen. It was now down to Jim Leighton, Willie Miller and Alex McLeish to show some true grit and thwart Munich as they attacked in desperation in those nervous closing seconds.

The outpouring of emotion at full time saw a small number of fans spilling on to the pitch as the Aberdeen players celebrated a famous win.

For manager Ferguson he had come full circle in his initial admiration for German football to defeating the biggest and most famous side ever in German football.

Hoeness was certainly gracious in defeat as he praised Aberdeen; ‘We knew that they would be a difficult side to overcome. They had that unknown element that made them a surprise team for us. They did not play like a typical British side and that caught us out in the first game. We knew if we could score first in Scotland then we would have an outstanding chance to go through. It didn’t work out that way. Aberdeen were technically and tactically better than we expected. When you add that Scottish ‘fire’ they made for a formidable opponent.’

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