# 1979–80 European Cup
The 1979–80 European Cup was the 25th edition of UEFA's European Champion Clubs' Cup, a knockout competition for the league champions of Europe plus the defending holder, and it was won by Nottingham Forest, who beat [Hamburger SV](https://www.edgepedia.org/hamburger-sv) 1-0 in the final at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid to retain the trophy they had won in 1979.[1](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Winners | Nottingham Forest, retaining the title won in 1979[1](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/) |
| Final | Nottingham Forest 1-0 Hamburger SV, Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) |
| Only goal | John Robertson, 20th minute[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/63642--nottm-forest-vs-hamburg/) |
| Forest's route | Östers IF, FC Arges-Dacia Pitesti, Dynamo Berlin, then Ajax in the semi-finals[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) |
| Hamburg's route | Eliminated Dinamo Tbilisi, who had knocked out holders' rivals Liverpool, then beat Real Madrid 5-1 in the semi-final second leg[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) |
| Season totals | 181 goals in 122 matches[1](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/) |
| Leading scorers | Søren Lerby 10, Harald Blanker 8, Sotiris Kaiafas 6[1](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/) |
## Qualification and format
Nottingham Forest entered as cup holders following their 1-0 victory over [Malmö FF](https://www.edgepedia.org/malmo-ff) in the 1978/79 final, their first European final and a trophy won at the first time of asking.[4](https://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/European/Clubs/Nottm%20F1979-80.htm) • [5](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/025a-0ea6687c95ea-1cc4f4a550f7-1000--1978-79-forest-join-elite-club/) The rest of the field was made up of national league champions, running from a preliminary round through first and second rounds, quarter-finals, and two-legged semi-finals to a single final. The 1979/80 entry list included Liverpool, Milan, Porto, Ajax, Real Madrid, Celtic, and Hamburger SV among the better-known names.[6](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/clubs/)
## Nottingham Forest's road to Madrid
**A gentle draw, then Ajax.** Forest's first three opponents were, in UEFA's own summary, straight from the B-list of clubs: Östers IF of Sweden, FC Arges-Dacia Pitesti of Romania, and Dynamo Berlin of East Germany.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) The Dynamo Berlin tie was the closest call of the run: Forest lost the home leg 1-0 before winning 3-1 in East Germany.[7](https://nottinghamforest.football/2026/08/28/nottingham-forest-european-cup-1979-1980/)
Only in the semi-finals did Forest face a fellow contender, [AFC Ajax](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-ajax). The Dutch side had scored 30 goals in the competition, yet could manage only one in reply to Forest's 2-0 first-leg win at the [City Ground](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-ground).[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/)
## Hamburger SV's road to the final
Hamburg's path crossed the season's biggest names. Liverpool fell to [FC Dinamo Tbilisi](https://www.edgepedia.org/fc-dinamo-tbilisi), who were in turn eliminated by Hamburger SV.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) In the semi-finals Hamburg met Real Madrid, who had already ended Milan's 20-year unbeaten home record in Europe by way of Porto's first-round defeat of the Italians, and had accounted for Celtic in the quarter-finals; Madrid stood two games from a first final in 14 years, one scheduled for their own Bernabéu.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/)
Hamburg lost the first leg 2-0, then crushed Madrid 5-1 at the [Volksparkstadion](https://www.edgepedia.org/volksparkstadion) to reach the final and were installed as favorites.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) The side was coached by Branko Zebec and featured Manni Kaltz, Horst Hrubesch, Felix Magath, and [Kevin Keegan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-keegan), the England forward who had won the [Ballon d'Or](https://www.edgepedia.org/ballon-dor), then called the European Footballer of the Year award, in 1978 and 1979 while at the club.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/197a8e78b382a63a252dedda95fc356f)
## The final
The final was played at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on 28 May 1980.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) John Robertson gave Forest the lead in the first half, credited as the 20th minute on UEFA's match record, and [Peter Shilton](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-shilton) saved everything Hamburg produced thereafter; Forest won 1-0 and were continental champions for a second time.[3](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/63642--nottm-forest-vs-hamburg/) • [2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/) Shilton and a defense marshalled by Kenny Burns and Larry Lloyd withstood a long second half of Hamburg pressure.[7](https://nottinghamforest.football/2026/08/28/nottingham-forest-european-cup-1979-1980/)
The result made Forest the first club to lift the [European Champion Clubs' Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-champion-clubs-cup) in back-to-back seasons since Liverpool in 1977 and 1978, and Forest's manager [Brian Clough](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-clough), working with assistant [Peter Taylor](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-taylor-footballer-born-1928), had now taken the club from the Second Division to two European Cups in three seasons.[9](https://www.uefa.com/uefasupercup/history/1979/) • [7](https://nottinghamforest.football/2026/08/28/nottingham-forest-european-cup-1979-1980/)
## The wider competition
The quarter-final line-up paired Forest with Dynamo Berlin and also included Celtic, Hajduk Split, and Strasbourg, with Ajax and Real Madrid eliminated in the semi-finals by Forest and Hamburg, who advanced to the final.[6](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/clubs/) • [11](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec197980.html) The first round produced the season's notable upset when Porto beat Milan, ending the Italian side's 20-year unbeaten home record in Europe; Porto then went out against Real Madrid.[2](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/)
Across the whole competition 122 matches produced 181 goals. Søren Lerby of Ajax was the leading scorer with 10, followed by Harald Blanker with 8 and Sotiris Kaiafas with 6. Forest's own spine topped the appearance list: Larry Lloyd, John McGovern, and Peter Shilton each played 9 matches.[1](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/)
## Aftermath
As European champions, Forest met Barcelona, winner of the 1979 [UEFA Cup Winners' Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-cup-winners-cup), in the two-legged 1979 [UEFA Super Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-super-cup). The clubs could not find convenient dates in late 1979, so the final was actually played at the beginning of 1980, and Forest won it.[9](https://www.uefa.com/uefasupercup/history/1979/) The 1980 final remains the last time an English club retained the European Cup, and Forest's two stars above the club badge date from these back-to-back wins of 1979 and 1980.[7](https://nottinghamforest.football/2026/08/28/nottingham-forest-european-cup-1979-1980/) For Hamburg, the defeat was Keegan's last European final with the club; he had already revealed he was returning to England.[10](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/kevin-keegan-how-liverpool-hamburg-southampton-and-newcastle-fell-head-over-heels-in-love-with-king-kev)
## References
1. [Season 1979/80, UEFA Champions League, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/)
2. [1979/80: Shilton keeps Hamburg at bay, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/007d-0e6a0985c1d4-9c3f4571f066-1000/)
3. [History: Nott'm Forest 1-0 Hamburg, 1979/80 Final, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/63642--nottm-forest-vs-hamburg/)
4. [Nottingham Forest European Cup results 1979/80, footballsite](https://www.footballsite.co.uk/Statistics/European/Clubs/Nottm%20F1979-80.htm)
5. [1978/79: Forest join elite club, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/025a-0ea6687c95ea-1cc4f4a550f7-1000--1978-79-forest-join-elite-club/)
6. [Season 1979/80 Clubs, UEFA Champions League, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/history/seasons/1979/clubs/)
7. [Nottingham Forest European Cup: how the Reds won it twice in 1979 and 1980, Nottingham Forest News](https://nottinghamforest.football/2026/08/28/nottingham-forest-european-cup-1979-1980/)
8. [Kevin Keegan, England soccer star, dies at 75, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/197a8e78b382a63a252dedda95fc356f)
9. [1979 Super Cup: Burns' night for Forest, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/uefasupercup/history/1979/)
10. [Kevin Keegan: how Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle fell Head Over Heels In Love with King Kev, FourFourTwo](https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/kevin-keegan-how-liverpool-hamburg-southampton-and-newcastle-fell-head-over-heels-in-love-with-king-kev)
11. [European Competitions 1979-80](https://www.rsssf.org/ec/ec197980.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › UEFA competitions › UEFA club competitions › European Cup and UEFA Champions League*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license