VfB Stuttgart won the 1984 German championship in a memorable final day drama. Despite losing their final match 0-1 to Hamburger SV, a superior goal difference secured the title.

The decisive Saturday, 26 May 1984, began with a shock. Direct rivals HSV surprisingly lost 0-2 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. Helmut Benthaus's team knew this as they took to the pitch in Bremen. A win there would have sealed the title early. Hermann Ohlicher scored the 2-1 winner in the 89th minute after goalkeeper Burdenski could only parry a free-kick from Bernd Förster. This meant VfB went into the direct clash with HSV already two points ahead and with a nine-goal better difference.

The nerve test in Neckarstadion

In front of 70,000 fans at a sold-out Neckarstadion, a defeat by up to four goals would still have been enough. The team, led by captain Karlheinz Förster and outstanding playmaker Ásgeir Sigurvinsson, defended superbly for almost the entire match. Jürgen Milewski scored a late 0-1 for the visitors. "That was an absolute surprise," Karlheinz Förster later said about the title win. They played out the final minutes, the 0-1 scoreline stood.

The triumph ended a 32-year drought since the last championship in 1952 under Robert Schlienz. It was the club's third Bundesliga title. The team had started the season strongly and were unbeaten after five matchdays. They also secured the unofficial autumn championship ahead of Bayern Munich. Two matchdays before the end, Stuttgart and Hamburg were level on points at the top.

Celebrations in the city

After the final whistle, there were victory laps in front of the home crowd. A motorcade parade went through the city, and a large reception was held on the packed Stuttgart town square. The joy was immense, especially for a team not considered the absolute favourite. Karlheinz Förster summed it up: "wussten wir, dass wir nicht jedes Jahr den Titel holen" (we knew we wouldn't win the title every year). The success was the result of a united team performance over the entire season.

VfB Stuttgart's current squad sits 11th in the Bundesliga with six points. The next task is an away match at Hamburger SV on Saturday. The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 4-0 home win for VfB in April. VfB's recent form has been patchy, with just one win from their last five league games. Karlheinz Förster sees his club as the favourite in the upcoming clash too. He is convinced HSV no longer has its former class. The match kicks off at 15:30 and will be broadcast live on the Sportschau.de audio stream.

The report in full is at swr.de