The matches
Olimpia were the last club to win the Intercontinental Cup based on the old home-and-away format. European teams were becoming more and more reluctant to travel to South America, and the situation came to a head when 1979 European Cup winners Nottingham Forest finally pulled out altogether. Their place in the tournament was taken by Swedish side Malmö, that year's European runners-up.

Spirited and technically superior, Olimpia got their bid off to a perfect start against the Scandinavians with a 1-0 victory in Sweden, thanks to Isasi's strike just before half-time.

And the return leg was a similar story, as the Paraguayans ran out deserved winners once again in searing heat and in front of almost 50,000 noisy fans crammed into the colourful 'Defensores del Chaco' Stadium in Asuncion. Malmö performed honourably on the day, but the 2-1 scoreline in no way flattered Olimpia.

Key players
Goalkeeper Ever Hugo Almeida is Olimpia's most emblematic player. A Uruguayan by birth but naturalised as a Paraguayan citizen, he won over 20 titles in 18 seasons as the rock behind the guarani club's back line. He had already broken into the first team by the time Olimpia were beating all-comers in their legendary 1979 season, and he played a starring role in their Intercontinental Cup triumph, particularly in the away leg. Almeida was still around for Olimpia's Copa Libertadores triumph in 1990 and, having made 113 appearances in 16 editions of the competition between 1973 and 1990, he set a record which will take some beating.

Coach
Luis Cubilla could be described as South America's Intercontinental Cup specialist, having won it three times as a player with Nacional and Penarol, and twice as a coach. A former Uruguayan international striker, he played in three FIFA World Cups ^TM (1962, 1970 and 1974), and collected more than a hundred caps between 1959 and 1976. After hanging up his boots, he coached ten clubs in total, including Argentinian giants River Plate.

Nevertheless, his greatest memory remains his adventure with Olimpia. "What we did in 1979 is exceptional, because at the time there was no such thing as pre-season training in Paraguay," he recalls. "Medical follow-ups were unheard of and the players were basically left to themselves. But, despite that, we beat the very best and Olimpia are still an example for the rest of Paraguayan football to follow."

Intercontinental Cup 1979
First leg: 18 November 1979 at Malmö Stadium, Malmö
Olimpia Asuncion beat Malmö 1-0
Goal: Isasi (41')
Teams:
Malmö: Moeller, R. Andersson, Johnsson, Erlandsson, Prytz, Hansson, Ljungberg, Malmberg, Arvidsson, Sjöberg, Kinvall.
Coach: Bob Houghton
Olimpia: Almeida - Paredes, Piazza, Souza, Solalinde, Kiese, Delgado, Torres, Ortiz, Céspedes, Isasi.
Coach: Luis Cubilla

Second leg: 2 March 1980 at the 'Defensores del Chaco' Stadium
Olimpia Asuncion beat Malmö 2-1
47,000 spectators.
Goals:
Olimpia: Solalinde (39'), Michelagnoli (71')
Malmö : Erlandsson (46')
Teams:
Olimpia: Almeida, Solalinde, Paredes, Sosa, Di Bartolomeo, Torres, Kiese, Talavera (replaced by Michelagnoli), Isasi, Valik, Aquino.
Coach: Luis Cubilla
Malmö: Moeller, R. Andersson, Parkins, Johnsson, Vidsson, M. Andersson, Olsson, Prytz, Erlandsson, Sjöberg, T. Andersson.
Coach: Bob Houghton