Fürth's most celebrated moment in their one and only top-flight season was an away win at Schalke in February 2013 - © © imago / Revierfoto
Fürth's most celebrated moment in their one and only top-flight season was an away win at Schalke in February 2013 - © © imago / Revierfoto

When the big boys fell...

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bundesliga.com looks at four unheralded sides who stunned the big boys in their sole top-flight season.

1965/66 Matchday 1: Tasmania 1900 Berlin 2-0 Karlsruher SC

Tasmania 1900 Berlin are best-known for enduring the worst season in Bundesliga history... and yet, it all started so well. German championship runners-up in 1956, the year they also defended their DFB Cup title, Karlsruhe arrived in the capital confident of putting the newcomers in their place. They left with their tails between their legs following Wulf-Ingo Usbeck’s second-half double. Tasmania, however, would not win again until the penultimate game of the season, 31 matches later, while Karlsruhe would avoid the drop.

1986/87 Matchday 3: SpVgg Blau-Weiss 90 Berlin 3-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach

Jupp Heynckes has had a litany of famous successes as both player and coach, but even he could not steer his Mönchengladbach side clear of ignominy during his first spell as boss at the club where he made his name. All was going according to plan with Michael Frontzeck’s late first-half goal making it 2-1 to Heynckes’ men, but a 19-year-old Karl-Heinz Riedle came off the bench to strike twice in the last nine minutes and stun the illustrious visitors.

1999/00 Matchday 15: SSV Ulm 1846 3-1 1.FC Kaiserslautern

Otto Rehhagel may have won more Bundesliga games than any other coach, but the legend of the dug-out famously came unstuck in Ulm. Champions in 1997/98, the Kaiserslautern side bristled with the class of Youri Djorkaeff, Mario Basler and Ciriaco Sforza, who also graced the UEFA Cup that year. The unheralded hosts overshadowed the stars, however, with Tamas Bodog one of three home goalscorers inside the first 22 minutes as Martin Andermatt’s men secured a famous upset.

2012/13 Matchday 20: FC Schalke 04 1-2 SpVgg Greuther Fürth

With the Champions League knockout stages to look forward to, Schalke would have expected to sweep past a Fürth side that arrived in Gelsenkirchen bottom of the table. A spectacular strike from new signing Michel Bastos put the hosts ahead just after the break, but Nikola Djurdjic then silenced the Veltins-Arena. First, he teed up Felix Klaus to equalise before finding the net himself two minutes into added time to secure a second of just four wins all season for the Shamrocks.