18 September 2010 - Saint-Étienne's Brief Return To Glory

On 18 September 2010, Saint-Étienne, Ligue 1's most successful club, returned to the top of the table for the first time in 29 years. Unfortunately for them, their stay at the summit was short.

Founded in 1919, Saint-Étienne won their first Ligue 1 title in 1957, then dominated the league through the '60s and '70s, winning another eight titles between 1964 and 1976, as well as reaching the European Cup final in 1976. They claimed their tenth and last title in 1981, which remains a Ligue 1 record. Then, aided by scandals and financial woes, the club spent the next couple of decades struggling to recapture their past glory and even suffered a few relegations into the second division (though never for very long).

In the 2009-10 season, they limped to a 17th-place finish in Ligue 1, never rising higher than 12th in the table. But they got off to a strong start the following season with three wins and a draw out of their first five matches and climb to the league's third position.

Matchday 6 saw them host Montpellier, who were sitting one spot back in fourth at the time. Saint-Étienne winger Dimitri Payet (pictured, center) opened the scoring in the 21st minute by splitting two defenders and powering the ball into the lower right corner. Striker Emmanuel Rivière doubled the lead with a 32nd-minute header and Payet finished the day with a 66th-minute free kick off the left upright.

The 3-0 victory put Les Verts into the top spot thanks to a better goal differential than Toulouse, whose draw on the same day saw them slip to second. They stayed at the top for only three weeks, however, and finished the season in 10th.

12 May 1976 - Once, Twice, Three Times A Champion

On 12 May 1976, Bayern Munich won their third consecutive European Cup, beating Saint-Étienne 1-0 at Glasgow's Hampden Park. It is the last time that any club has won three straight competitions and only the third time that a club has won more than two consecutive Finals.

Saint-Étienne, that season's Ligue 1 champions, had already visited Hampden Park in that year's competition - they beat Rangers there by the score of 1-2 in the second leg of their Second Round meeting with the Scottish club to advance 4-1 on aggregate. As a result, thousands of Scottish supporters turned out to cheer them on in the Final. Combined with the French club's own visiting fans, approximately 45,000 of the 55,000-strong crowd were supporting Saint-Étienne.

The Final was a close contest. Bayern thought they had taken an early lead, but Gerd Müller's goal was flagged (incorrectly) as being offside. The French side then had a number of first half opportunities, but could not take advantage. A 34th-minute shot from midfielder Dominique Bathenay beat Bayern keeper Sepp Maier, but hit the crossbar. Five minutes later, midfielder Jacques Santini's shot just missed the net, slipping inches wide of the goalpost.

The missed chances shook the confidence of the Saint-Étienne players and Bayern took control of the match early in the second half, as midfielder Franz Roth turned a 57th-minute Franz Beckenbauer free kick into the net. The French side attacked with renewed vigor, but were unable to get past the Germans' defense.

Bayern's victory matched the accomplishment of Ajax, who won the European Cup three straight times from 1971 to 1973. The only team with a better streak is Real Madrid, who won the first five European Cups from 1956 to 1960.