# 1978–79 UEFA Cup

The 1978–79 UEFA Cup was the eighth season of the UEFA Cup, the third-tier club football competition organised by UEFA. The final was played over two legs at the Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and at the Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf, West Germany. It was won by Borussia Mönchengladbach of West Germany, who defeated Red Star Belgrade of Yugoslavia by an aggregate result of 2–1 to claim their second UEFA Cup title.
Red Star Belgrade became the third Yugoslav and second Serbian team to reach a European final, but couldn't defeat the more experienced West German side, who reached their fourth European final out of five in a seven-year span.

## Association team allocation

A total of 64 teams from 31 UEFA member associations participate in the 1978–79 UEFA Cup. The original allocation scheme was as follows:
* 3 associations have four teams qualify.
* 3 associations have three teams qualify.
* 18 associations have two teams qualify.
* 7 associations have one team qualify.
East Germany and Bulgaria were the two associations selected to have a third birth for this season, while Poland and Switzerland went back to two qualified teams.
* Four teams
* West Germany
* England
* Italy
* Three teams
* Spain
* East Germany
* Bulgaria
Two teams :
| Netherlands | Soviet Union | Belgium |
| Yugoslavia | Hungary | Portugal |
| Czechoslovakia | Poland | France |
| Scotland | Greece | Switzerland |
| Sweden | Romania | Austria |
| Turkey | Denmark | Norway |
* One team
* Republic of Ireland
* Northern Ireland
* Finland
* Cyprus
* Malta
* Iceland
* Luxembourg
* Did not compete
* Wales
* Albania

### Teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for competition:
* TH: Title holders
* CW: Cup winners
* CR: Cup runners-up
* LC: League Cup winners
* 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position
* P-W: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners
Qualified teams for 1978–79 UEFA Cup :
| Borussia Mönchengladbach (2nd) | Hertha BSC (3rd) | Stuttgart (4th) | Duisburg (5th) |
| Everton (3rd) | Manchester City (4th) | Arsenal (5th) | West Bromwich Albion (6th) |
| Vicenza (2nd) | Torino (3rd) | AC Milan (4th) | Napoli (6th) |
| Athletic Bilbao (3rd) | Valencia (4th) | Sporting Gijón (5th) | Dynamo Berlin (3rd) |
| Lokomotive Leipzig (4th) | Carl Zeiss Jena (5th) | CSKA Sofia (2nd) | Levski-Spartak Sofia (3rd) |
| Botev Plovdiv (4th) | Ajax (2nd) | Twente (4th) | Dinamo Tbilisi (2nd) |
| Torpedo Moscow (3rd) | Standard Liège (3rd) | Lierse (4th) | Red Star Belgrade (2nd) |
| Hajduk Split (3rd) | Budapest Honvéd (2nd) | MTK Budapest (3rd) | Benfica (2nd) |
| Braga (4th) | Dukla Prague (2nd) | Lokomotíva Košice (3rd) | Śląsk Wrocław (2nd) |
| Lech Poznań (3rd) | Nantes (2nd) | Strasbourg (3rd) | Dundee United (3rd) |
| Hibernian (4th) | Panathinaikos (3rd) | Olympiacos (4th) | Basel (3rd) |
| Lausanne-Sport (4th) | Elfsborg (2nd) | Norrköping (4th) | Argeș Pitești (2nd) |
| Politehnica Timișoara (3rd) | Rapid Wien (2nd) | Sturm Graz (4th) | Galatasaray (3rd) |
| Adanaspor (4th) | B 1903 (2nd) | Esbjerg (3rd) | Molde (3rd) |
| IK Start (4th) | Finn Harps (2nd) | Glentoran (2nd) | KuPS Kuopio (2nd) |
| Pezoporikos Larnaca (3rd) | Hibernians (2nd) | ÍBV (3rd) | Jeunesse Esch (2nd) |

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition was as follows. Matches were scheduled for Wednesdays, though some matches took place on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Also, both away games for Śląsk Wrocław in the first two rounds were held on a Saturday.
Schedule for 1978–79 UEFA Cup :
| Round | First leg | Second leg |
| First round | 5–16 September 1978 | 14–28 September 1978 |
| Second round | 18–21 October 1978 | 31 October – 2 November 1978 |
| Third round | 22–23 November 1978 | 6 December 1978 |
| Quarter-finals | 7 March 1979 | 20–21 March 1979 |
| Semi-finals | 10–11 April 1979 | 24–25 April 1979 |
| Final | 9 May 1979 | 23 May 1979 |

## First round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Dukla Prague | 2–1 | Vicenza | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Milan | 1–1 (7–6 p) | Lokomotíva Košice | 1–0 | 0–1 (a.e.t.) |
| CSKA Sofia | 3–5 | Valencia | 2–1 | 1–4 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 7–2 | Sturm Graz | 5–1 | 2–1 |
| Argeș Pitești | 5–1 | Panathinaikos | 3–0 | 2–1 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 2–3 | Ajax | 2–0 | 0–3 |
| Finn Harps | 0–10 | Everton | 0–5 | 0–5 |
| Jeunesse Esch | 0–2 | Lausanne-Sport | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Nantes | 0–2 | Benfica | 0–2 | 0–0 |
| Sporting Gijón | 3–1 | Torino | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Braga | 7–3 | Hibernians | 5–0 | 2–3 |
| Galatasaray | 2–6 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–3 | 1–3 |
| BFC Dynamo | 6–6 (a) | Red Star Belgrade | 5–2 | 1–4 |
| KuPS | 6–5 | B 1903 | 2–1 | 4–4 |
| Basel | 3–7 | Stuttgart | 2–3 | 1–4 |
| Torpedo Moscow | 7–3 | Molde | 4–0 | 3–3 |
| Elfsborg | 3–4 | Strasbourg | 2–0 | 1–4 |
| MSV Duisburg | 10–2 | Lech Poznań | 5–0 | 5–2 |
| Standard Liège | 1–0 | Dundee United | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Start | 0–1 | Esbjerg | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Arsenal | 7–1 | Lokomotive Leipzig | 3–0 | 4–1 |
| Carl Zeiss Jena | 3–2 | Lierse | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| ÍBV | 1–1 (a) | Glentoran | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Twente | 3–4 | Manchester City | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| Hibernian | 3–2 | IFK Norrköping | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| Politehnica Timișoara | 3–2 | MTK Budapest | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Pezoporikos Larnaca | 3–7 | Śląsk Wrocław | 2–2 | 1–5 |
| Olympiacos | 3–4 | Levski Sofia | 2–1 | 1–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Dinamo Tbilisi | 3–1 | Napoli | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Hajduk Split | 3–2 | Rapid Wien | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Hertha BSC | 2–1 | Botev Plovdiv | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Budapest Honvéd | 8–2 | Adanaspor | 6–0 | 2–2 |

### First leg

Enzo Ferrero scored an olympic goal.

### Second leg

Dukla Prague won 2–1 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Milan won in a penalty shoot-out.
Valencia won 5–3 on aggregate.
Borussia Mönchengladbach won 7–2 on aggregate.
Argeș Pitești won 5–1 on aggregate.
Ajax won 3–2 on aggregate.
Everton won 10–0 on aggregate.
Lausanne-Sport won 2–0 on aggregate.
Benfica won 2–0 on aggregate.
Sporting Gijón won 3–1 on aggregate.
Braga won 7–3 on aggregate.
West Bromwich Albion won 6–2 on aggregate.
6–6 on aggregate, Red Star Belgrade won on away goals rule.
KuPS won 6–5 on aggregate.
Stuttgart won 7–3 on aggregate.
Torpedo Moscow won 7–3 on aggregate.
Strasbourg won 4–3 on aggregate.
MSV Duisburg won 10–2 on aggregate.
Standard Liège won 1–0 on aggregate.
Esbjerg won 1–0 on aggregate.
Arsenal won 7–1 on aggregate.
Carl Zeiss Jena won 3–2 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate, ÍBV won on away goals rule.
Manchester City won 4–3 on aggregate.
Hibernian won 3–2 on aggregate.
Politehnica Timișoara won 3–2 on aggregate.
Śląsk Wrocław won 7–3 on aggregate.
Levski Sofia won 4–3 on aggregate.
Dinamo Tbilisi won 3–1 on aggregate.
Hajduk Split won 3–2 on aggregate.
Hertha BSC won 2–1 on aggregate.
Budapest Honvéd won 8–2 on aggregate.

## Second round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Ajax | 5–0 | Lausanne-Sport | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Budapest Honvéd | 4–2 | Politehnica Timișoara | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Everton | 2–2 (a) | Dukla Prague | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Argeș Pitești | 4–6 | Valencia | 2–1 | 2–5 |
| Carl Zeiss Jena | 0–3 | MSV Duisburg | 0–0 | 0–3 (a.e.t.) |
| Torpedo Moscow | 2–3 | Stuttgart | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Hajduk Split | 2–2 (a) | Arsenal | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Hertha BSC | 2–1 | Dinamo Tbilisi | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| ÍBV | 1–4 | Śląsk Wrocław | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| KuPS | 1–6 | Esbjerg | 0–2 | 1–4 |
| Manchester City | 4–2 | Standard Liège | 4–0 | 0–2 |
| Levski Sofia | 1–4 | Milan | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Strasbourg | 2–1 | Hibernian | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Braga | 0–3 | West Bromwich Albion | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Benfica | 0–2 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 0–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) |
| Sporting Gijón | 1–2 | Red Star Belgrade | 0–1 | 1–1 |

### Second leg

Ajax won 5–0 on aggregate.
Budapest Honvéd won 4–2 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate, Dukla Prague won on away goals rule.
Valencia won 6–4 on aggregate.
MSV Duisburg won 3–0 on aggregate.
Stuttgart won 3–2 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate, Arsenal won on away goals rule.
Hertha BSC won 2–1 on aggregate.
Śląsk Wrocław won 4–1 on aggregate.
Esbjerg won 6–1 on aggregate.
Manchester City won 4–2 on aggregate.
Milan won 4–1 on aggregate. On 23 November 1978, UEFA fined Milan $14,000 for a bribery attempt to the Scottish referee John Gordon and linesmen Rollo Kyle and David McCartney (Italian club took the officials to shop for free the day before the game). Curiously, UEFA did not sanction the referee at all, however, Scottish Football Association suspended him.
Strasbourg won 2–1 on aggregate.
West Bromwich Albion won 3–0 on aggregate.
Borussia Mönchengladbach won 2–0 on aggregate.
Red Star Belgrade won 2–1 on aggregate.

## Third round

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Milan | 2–5 | Manchester City | 2–2 | 0–3 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 5–3 | Śląsk Wrocław | 1–1 | 4–2 |
| Budapest Honvéd | 4–3 | Ajax | 4–1 | 0–2 |
| Esbjerg | 2–5 | Hertha BSC | 2–1 | 0–4 |
| Strasbourg | 0–4 | MSV Duisburg | 0–0 | 0–4 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2–1 | Arsenal | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Valencia | 1–3 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Stuttgart | 4–5 | Dukla Prague | 4–1 | 0–4 |

### Second leg

Manchester City won 5–2 on aggregate.
Borussia Mönchengladbach won 5–3 on aggregate.
Budapest Honvéd won 4–3 on aggregate.
Hertha BSC won 5–2 on aggregate.
MSV Duisburg won 4–0 on aggregate.
Red Star Belgrade won 2–1 on aggregate.
West Bromwich Albion won 3–1 on aggregate.
Dukla Prague won 5–4 on aggregate.

## Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Budapest Honvéd | 4–4 (a) | MSV Duisburg | 2–3 | 2–1 |
| Hertha BSC | 3–2 | Dukla Prague | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Manchester City | 2–4 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2–1 | West Bromwich Albion | 1–0 | 1–1 |

### Second leg

4–4 on aggregate, MSV Duisburg won on away goals rule.
Hertha BSC won 3–2 on aggregate.
Borussia Mönchengladbach won 4–2 on aggregate.
Red Star Belgrade won 2–1 on aggregate.

## Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| MSV Duisburg | 3–6 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2–2 | 1–4 |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2–2 (a) | Hertha BSC | 1–0 | 1–2 |

### Second leg

Borussia Mönchengladbach won 6–3 on aggregate.
2–2 on aggregate, Red Star Belgrade won on away goals rule.

## Final
### Second leg

Borussia Mönchengladbach won 2–1 on aggregate.