1970s
The following season, Hibs played in a European competition after winning the FA Trophy. Their opponents for the Cup Winners’ Cup tie were the Spanish team Real Madrid. The first leg was played at The Stadium in Gżira. Against all expectations, Hibernians did well and finished the match in a 0-0 draw. In the return match in Spain the Maltese team suffered a 5-0 defeat but still gave a good performance. That same season the Madrilenos lost the final of the cup. In the same season Hibernians won their third trophy and the second in a row. In the final match they defeated Sliema Wanderers 2-0.
Season 1971-72 again saw Hibernians participating in the Cup Winners’ Cup. They drew Fram Reykjavik from Iceland. Hibs passed the round on an aggregate score of 3-2 after winning the first encounter 3-0 and lost the second leg 0-2. In the second round Hibs faced another famous team, Steaua Bucharest of Romania. Hibs managed to hold out for a goalless draw against the Romanian giants both at home and away but were unlucky to be eliminated after the team conceded an own-goal in the extra time.
Hibs returned into the European football scene in 1974-75 when they played in the UEFA Cup against FC Amsterdam from the Netherlands. The Dutch won both matches 5-0 and 7-0 respectively.
In the 1976-77 season, Hibernians again took part in the UEFA Cup. They were drawn with Grasshopper of Switzerland. Hibs played the first match away from home losing 7-0, in the return match the Swiss won the match 2-0.
Tony Bezzina took charge of the club in the 1978-79 season. The season for Hibs started with UEFA Cup matches against Sporting Braga of Portugal. The Portuguese won the first tie 5-0 in front of their spectators, the second tie in Malta finished with a rare 3-2 win for Hibernians. In the domestic competitions, Hibs won their fourth league championship.
In 1979-80, Hibs played in the Champions Cup where they were tied with the Irish team, Dundalk. Hibs failed to qualify for the next round after losing the first leg 2-0 in Ireland and winning the return match in Malta 1-0. Hibernians gained another success as they won the Maltese Cup for the fourth time, beating Sliema Wanderers 2-1 in the final.
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