That year turned out to be the most successful season in his career, after PSV won the Eredivisie, the domestic cup and the UEFA Cup. In the UEFA Cup semi-finals, PSV faced FC Barcelona, with Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens as opponents. PSV won 4-3 on aggregate and advanced to the finals, where Bastia was beaten 3-0 at home (after a goalless draw in the first leg). Van der Kuijlen scored the third and final goal: a pass by Jan Poortvliet resulted in an effort that first hit the post, but rebounded back into his feet, enabling him to score nonetheless. Van der Kuijlen declared that "it was one of the few times we played really well on the European level. When you score a goal like that it stays in your memory."