Strasbourg's European history revisited on eve of Europa Conference League campaign
Strasbourg are a club accustomed to the highs and the lows. From bankruptcy earlier this century, to a revitalised new project under their new owners, Le Racing stand on the brink of another European adventure, but it is far from their first.
First steps in the 1960s
RCSA's introduction came in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a FIFA-led competition, which was ultimately replaced by the UEFA-organised UEFA Cup back in 1971. Their first participation in that competition came back in the 1961-62 season, where they were dumped out by Hungarian outfit MTK Budapest 13-3 on aggregate.
They would fare better in the 1964-65 season when they went all the way to the quarter-finals of the competition, losing ultimately to Manchester United.
Then came their participation in the Intertoto Cup one season later. Their journey in that competition came to an end in the group stage, and despite qualifying for the competition the following year, they once again fell victim to the same fate.
from relegation and back into Europe
A period of turbulence then gripped the club in the early 1970s, which not only saw Les Alsaciens disappear from the European scene, it also saw them relegated to the second tier. Rising from the second tier, for the second time that decade, back in 1978, Strasbourg enjoyed a meteoric rise, not too dissimilar to the one that we have seen in recent years.
Their first season back in the top-flight in France saw them qualify for European competition the following year. A run to the third round of the UEFA Cup was followed by a run to the quarter-finals of the European Cup one year later. That foray into Europe led all the way to the quarter-finals and to a defeat to Ajax.
It would be another 15 years until they would grace the European stage once more. A period of stagnation drifted into a period of decline and another relegation in 1986. Having returned to the top-flight in the early 1990s, Strasbourg completed one of their almost cyclical rises by returning to the Intertoto Cup in 1996 and then to the UEFA Cup one year later.
Fluid Strasbourg grace UEFA Cup
A first-round exit at the hands of Belgian side Standard Liege marked a brief flirtation with European football back in the 2001-02 season, but it was their 2005-06 campaign in that same competition that was their most successful in recent times.
Having won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2005, Strasbourg embarked on another European adventure. A 7-0 aggregate win over Austrian side Grazer AK was followed by a 2-0 win over Basel and then another 2-0 over Tromso.
Jacky Duguépéroux's side looked unstoppable in those opening encounters, and despite drawing their next two group games against Roma and Red Star Belgrade, qualified for the knockout phase.
Their journey would come to an end at the hands of Basel, who they had earlier beaten in the group stage, in the Round of 16. However, RCSA left their mark. Only eventual winners Sevilla, finalists Middlesbrough, Basel, and FCSB scored more than Strasbourg's 18 goals. Miraculously, Strasbourg's top-scorers, Amara Diané, Ulrich Le Pen (pictured), Mickael Pagis, and Kevin Gameiro, all only netted two apiece. The goals came from everywhere.
It would be their final European appearance for a while. Once again, Les Alsaciens fell on hard times. Having gone bankrupt, they had to make their way back to Ligue 1 McDonald's from the lower tiers of French football.
But from the Championnat National in 2010, they were back in Ligue 1 McDonald's by 2017 and just two years later, they had a brief taste of European football. It was short-lived, as they came unstuck against Eintracht Frankfurt in the play-off, losing 3-1.
Strasbourg make history ahead of European return
Of the players who played that day, none remain at Strasbourg. Matz Sels was the final one to depart as new owners BlueCo instigated a squad overhaul, prioritising youth, which is at the heart of their project.
Their line-up in Ligue 1 McDonald's on Sunday, a 1-0 win over Metz, was the first in Europe's top five leagues to feature exclusively players from 2000 or later. As they prepare to host Brondby on Thursday in the Europa Conference League, this young and inexperienced side have the chance to make more club history.
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