12 May, a legendary date

One of the greatest moments in French sporting history took place exactly 40 years ago today, in Glasgow, Scotland. AS Saint-Étienne had made it through to the final of the European Cup after a giant-killing run in which they knocked out Dynamo Kiev and PSV Eindhoven, and they proceeded to give reigning champions Bayern Munich a real run for their money.
 
By that point, green fever had long swept across France. The 'Les Verts' phenomenon went beyond the simple confines of football. As Dominique Rocheteau explains in the latest issue of Maillot Vert magazine, Parisian showbiz personalities rubbed shoulders with the traditional Saint-Étienne fans as ASSE had the whole of France united under a giant green banner.
 
Saint-Étienne were dominant, outplaying the mighty Bayern and hitting the woodwork courtesy of Dominique Bathenay’s long-range strike and Jacques Santini’s crashing header. The famous square goalposts denied 'Les Verts' by a matter of inches and Franz Roth’s free-kick from a central position caught out Ivan Curkovic to give the Germans the lead just before the hour mark. 'Les Verts' would prove unable to mount a comeback and Bayern Munich captured another European crown.
 
Beaten as they may have been, the Saint-Étienne players nevertheless claimed the greatest of consolation prizes, winning the battle for hearts and minds. After landing back in Paris on 13 May, 'Les Verts' embarked on a parade of the Champs-Elysées, on the initiative of the journalist and commentator Jacques Vendroux. They were subsequently received by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the president of the Republic, who was actually made to wait because the Parisian crowds had held up the team’s convoy.
 
Forty years later, the entire French sporting world has been united in its celebrations of what was a legendary European campaign and an epic feat of human endeavour. The magazine France Football went green, on Tuesday and tregional newspaper Le Progrès got in on the act for their Thursday edition. ASSE, le coq sportif and Saint-Étienne council have also come together to commemorate this anniversary, organising a big public party in Place Jean-Jaurès.