1963- FC Zurich
FC Zurich were Dundalk’s first European opponents back in the 1963 European Cup. Having beaten Dundalk 3-0 in Dalymount Park, the Swiss Champions were made to sweat by Dundalk in the 2nd leg when the visitors went into a 2-0 lead and hit the crossbar. Finally, Zurich went through 4-2 on aggregate. After that victory, Zurich defeated Galatasary on away goals and PSV Eindhoven 3-2 on aggregate to face Real Madrid in the semi final only to lose 8-1 on aggregate. FC Zurich also reached the semi-final of the European Cup in 1977 before losing to Liverpool.
Since 1963, Zurich have won the Swiss league a further six times. Their most recent title success was in 2006 when they ended a 15 year baron spell. In a match that has since been termed the “Disgrace of Basel” Zurich snatched the title away from Basel with an injury time goal. This provoked a pitch invasion as Basel supporters attacked Zurich players. Currently Zurich are one point clear of Basel with three matches remaining in the Swiss Super League.
1967- Vasas Budapest
Vasas supplied the opposition in 1967 in the first game ever played under floodlights in Oriel Park. A 1-0 win at Oriel was followed up with a 8-1 win in Budapest. Vasas followed that victory with an even more comprehensive victory in the second round by beating Iceland’s Valur FC 11-1 on aggregate. Vasas were eventually eliminated in the ¼ final stage by Eusebio’s Benfica.
Since 1967 Vasas have only won the Hungarian title once (in 1977) and Hungarian Cup in 1986.
1968 – DOS Utrecht
Dundalk defeated DOS Utrecht in the 1968 Fairs Cup. In 1970, DOS Utrecht joined up with two other clubs from the city (Elinkwijk and Velox) to form Utrecht FC. This club has never won the Dutch league but recently won the Dutch Cup in 2003 and 2004.
Dundalk were eliminated by Glasgow Rangers in the next round of the competition.
1977 – Hadjuk Split
Despite a memorable 1-0 win over Split in the first leg of this Cup Winners Cup Match, the then Yugoslav team defeated Dundalk 4-0 in the second leg. They then defeated Hungarian team Diősgyőr before losing to Austria Vienna in the ¼ finals on a penalty shoot out.
Hadjuk went on to win the 1979 Yugoslav Championship and have won the Croatian Championship six times since 1991.
1979 – Celtic
Dundalk narrowly lost out to Celtic in the 1979-80 European Cup 2nd Round. Famously, Dundalk missed out on a glamour 1/4 Final tie against Real Madrid. Celtic won the first leg 2-0 but were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate.
1981 – Fram Reykjavík
Dundalk overcame Fram Reykjavík in the first round of the 1981 Cup Winners Cup. Since then Fram have won the Icelandic Championship three times (1986, 1988, 1990) but in 2005 were relegated for the first time in their history. However, they succeeded on being promoted at the first time of asking.
1988 – Red Star Belgrade
The Red Star team that demolished Dundalk 5-0 in Oriel Park in September 1988 were eliminated from the competition on a penalty shoot out by eventual champions AC Milan in the next round. Red Star, or “Crvena Zvezda” as they are more commonly known today, eventually won the European Cup in 1991 and continued to dominate both the last years of the Yugoslav championship and the new Serbian Championship since 1992.
1989- FC Wettingen
After dispatching Dundalk in the first round of the 1989 UEFA Cup, FC Wettingen took on Diego Maradona’s Napoli in the second round. Napoli won a tight encounter 2-1 on aggregate. Wettingen suffered from financial problems and reformed as Wettingen 93.
1991 – Kispest Honved
As the official army team of Budapest, for decades Honved were the most famous team in Hungary. After Russian withdrawal, the club renamed itself Kispest Honved in 1991 just before taking on Dundalk in the European Cup. After defeating Turlough O’Connor’s men 3-1 on aggregate, Kispest were knocked out by eventual runners up Sampadoria. Kispest won the Hungarian league in 1996 but were struck by major tax problems in recent years. This lead to a new club, Budapest Honved, being formed in 2006. They have recently won the Hungarian Cup.
1995 – Malmo
The Swedes of Malmo knocked Dundalk out of the 1995 UEFA Cup 4-0 on aggregate at the Preliminary Round stage. Malmo were knocked out in the next round by Nottingham Forest, who coincidentally also defeated them in the 1979 European Cup Final. Since then Malmo were relegated in 1999 but fought back to become Swedish Champions in 2004.
2002 – Varteks Varazdin
Croatians Varteks knocked Dundalk out of the 2002 UEFA Cup. They were knocked out in the next round by Midtjylland of Denmark. Last season they finished third in the Croatian League. Currently they are in seventh place in the league. Their best player against Dundalk, Miljenko Mumlek, is now back in Croatian football after two years with Standard Liege in Belgium.
