The club enjoyed their most success under legendary Austrian manager Ernst Happel as he led the club to three straight league championships from 1975–76 to 1977–78 and a Belgian Cup victory in 1976–77. Happel also guided Club Brugge to their first European final, reaching the 1976 UEFA Cup Final. Over the two-legged final against English giants Liverpool, Club Brugge fell 3–4 on aggregate. Two years later, Brugge again met Liverpool in a European final, this time in the 1978 European Cup Final at Wembley, becoming the first Belgian club to reach the final of the competition. Brugge fell to a lone second-half goal from Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool won their second European Cup and third European trophy in succession. Following the cup final loss to Liverpool, Happel left Club Brugge and would lead Netherlands later that summer to the final of the 1978 FIFA World Cup.