 TheStadion Crvena Zvezda held the final. | |||||||
| Event | UEFA Euro 1976 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Afterextra time Czechoslovakia won 5–3 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 20 June 1976 (1976-06-20) | ||||||
| Venue | Stadion Crvena Zvezda,Belgrade | ||||||
| Referee | Sergio Gonella (Italy) | ||||||
| Attendance | 30,790 | ||||||
←1972 1980 → | |||||||
TheUEFA Euro 1976 final was the final match of theUEFA Euro 1976, the fifth edition of theEuropean Championship,UEFA's topfootball competition for national teams. Contested byCzechoslovakia andWest Germany, the match was played atStadion Crvena Zvezda inBelgrade, Yugoslavia, on 20 June 1976.
En route to the final, Czechoslovakia finished top oftheir qualifying group, which includedEngland,Cyprus andPortugal. After beating theSoviet Union 4–2on aggregate over atwo-legged tie in the quarter-finals, they progressed to the final after defeating theNetherlands 3–1 afterextra time in the semi-finals. West Germany also wontheir qualifying group, which includedGreece,Malta andBulgaria, before beatingSpain 3–1 on aggregate in the two-legged quarter-finals and then tournament hostsYugoslavia 4–2 after extra time in the single-match semi-final.
The final took place in front of 30,790 supporters, and wasrefereed bySergio Gonella from Italy. Following a 2–2 draw after extra time, Czechoslovakia won 5–3 onpenalties to secure their only European Championship title. The winning Czechoslovak penalty, gently lobbed straight in the middle of the net, was famously scored byAntonín Panenka, and his name is now synonymous with thatparticular style of penalty kick.
UEFA Euro 1976 was the fifth edition of theUEFA European Football Championship,UEFA's football competition for national teams.[1] Thirty-two teams competed in qualifying rounds,[2] which were played on a home-and-awayround-robin basis, between 1 September 1974 and 28 February 1976,[3] before thetwo-legged quarter-finals were held between 24 April and 22 May 1976.[3] The semi-finals and final took place inYugoslavia, between 16 and 20 June 1976. A third-place play-off match took place the day before the final.[2]
West Germany went into the 1976 Final as reigning European and world champions, having defeated theSoviet Union 3–0 in theUEFA Euro 1972 Final and theNetherlands in the1974 FIFA World Cup Final.[4][5]Czechoslovakia had failed to progress beyondtheir group stage ofUEFA Euro 1972, finishing level on points withRomania but behind them ongoal difference.[6] Czechoslovakia had failed to qualify for the1974 FIFA World Cup finals when they endedtheir three-team group stage in second place, behindScotland.[7] The UEFA Euro 1976 Final was the third competitive fixture between West Germany and Czechoslovakia, the sides having played one another in the1934 and the1958 FIFA World Cups.[8]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying group | England | 0–3 (A), 2–1 (H) |
| Cyprus | 4–0 (H), 3–0 (A) | |
| Portugal | 5–0 (H), 1–1 (A) | |
| Quarter-final | Soviet Union | 2–0 (H), 2–2 (A) |
| Semi-final | Netherlands | 3–1 (a.e.t.) (N) |
Czechoslovakia commenced their UEFA Euro 1976 campaign inqualifying group 1 where they faced three other teams in a home-and-away round-robin tournament. Their first fixture was againstEngland and was played atWembley Stadium on 30 October 1974. After a goalless first half,Mick Channon opened the scoring midway through the second half. Two goals in quick succession fromColin Bell secured a 3–0 win for England.[9] Czechoslovakia's next qualifying game came almost six months later, at home, when they facedCyprus at theStadion Letná in Prague.Antonín Panenka scored twice before half-time before completing hishat-trick five minutes after the interval with apenalty.Marián Masný added a fourth goal twelve minutes before full-time to give Czechoslovakia a 4–0 victory.[10] Ten days later Czechoslovakia playedPortugal at the Stadion Letná.Přemysl Bičovský scored twice beforeZdeněk Nehoda's goal made it 3–0 at half time. Nehoda scored his second almost immediately after the interval and with a 52nd-minute goal fromLadislav Petráš, Czechoslovakia secured a 5–0 win.[11]
England were Czechoslovakia's next opponents and although the match was originally scheduled for 29 October 1975, it was abandoned after 17 minutes as a result of thick fog. The fixture was fulfilled the following afternoon and although Channon gave England the lead midway through the first half, goals either side of half-time from Nehoda andDušan Galis ensured a 2–1 victory for Czechoslovakia.[12] Their next opponents were Portugal at theEstádio das Antas in Porto on 12 November 1975.Anton Ondruš gave Czechoslovakia the lead in the seventh minute butNené equalised almost immediately and no further goals were scored, resulting in a 1–1 draw.[13] The final group match for Czechoslovakia was away against Cyprus at theTsirio Stadium on 23 November 1975. Nehoda opened the scoring early in the first half before Bičovský and Masný made it 3–0 before half-time. The second half was goalless and the result ensured that Czechoslovakia ended as winners of Group 1, one point ahead of England, and securing progression tothe quarter-finals.[14][15]
Czechoslovakia faced the Soviet Union there with the first leg being played atTehelné pole in Bratislava on 24 April 1976.[16]Konstantin Beskov, the Soviet Unionmanager, had been dismissed following defeat to theRepublic of Ireland during thequalifying round. His replacement,Valeriy Lobanovskyi was theDynamo Kiev manager and selected eight of his club side for the national team. The match was played in wet conditions andJozef Móder opened the scoring for Czechoslovakia, striking pastAleksandr Prokhorov in the 34th minute. Just after half-time, Panenka doubled Czechoslovakia's lead when his free kick passed under the Soviet Union's defensive wall and into the bottom corner of the net.Oleg Blokhin missed an opportunity to reduce the deficit for the Soviet Union late in the second half and the match ended 2–0.[17] The second leg was held at theCentral Stadium in Kiev on 22 May 1976.[18]Ivo Viktor, the Czechoslovak goalkeeper, made several saves in the first half, denying Blokhin,Volodymyr Veremeyev andAnatoliy Konkov, before Móder gave Czechoslovakia the lead with a free kick just before half-time. Eight minutes into the second half,Leonid Buryak equalised but Móder restored Czechoslovakia's lead after aKarol Dobiaš breakaway with eight minutes remaining. Blokhin sent achipped shot over Viktor in the 87th minute to make it 2–2, but Czechoslovakia progressed with a 4–2 aggregate victory.[17]
In their semi-final, Czechoslovakia's opponents were the Netherlands with the one-off match being played at theStadion Maksimir inZagreb, aneutral venue.[19] The match was played in torrential rain with the referee holding an umbrella over the two captains for the pre-match handshake.[20] Czechoslovakia dominated the early stages and took the lead in the 19th minute when Ondruš scored with a header from Panenka's free kick.Jaroslav Pollák was booked for encroaching on the Netherlands' free kicks and was thensent off for a foul onJohan Neeskens on the hour mark. With 17 minutes remaining, Ondruš sliced the ball into the Czechoslovak net when attempting to clear a cross fromRuud Geels to level the score with anown goal. Neeskens was then dismissed for a foul on Nehoda before Viktor deniedRob Rensenbrink on three separate occasions to send the game intoextra time. In the 114th minute,substituteFrantišek Veselý crossed for Nehoda whose header made it 2–1, beforeWillem van Hanegem of the Netherlands became the third player to be sent off, for dissent.[21] Four minutes later, Panenka passed to Veselý who avoided Netherlands defenderPiet Schrijvers before striking the ball into the goal, securing a 3–1 victory and passage to the final.[22]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying group | Greece | 2–2 (A), 1–1 (H) |
| Malta | 1–0 (A), 8–0 (H) | |
| Bulgaria | 1–1 (A), 1–0 (H) | |
| Quarter-final | Spain | 1–1 (A), 2–0 (H) |
| Semi-final | Yugoslavia | 4–2 (a.e.t.) (N) |
West Germany were inQualifying Group 8 and the first match of their campaign was againstGreece at theKaraiskakis Stadium in Piraeus on 20 November 1974.Georgios Delikaris scored the only goal of the first half to give Greece a 1–0 lead at half-time.Bernhard Cullmann equalised for West Germany early in the second half beforeKostas Eleftherakis restored Greece's lead with 20 minutes of the game remaining.Herbert Wimmer then levelled the match in the 82nd minute and the game ended in a 2–2 draw.[23] The following month, West Germany facedMalta in the first competitive match between the sides, at theEmpire Stadium in Gżira.[24][25] Cullmann gave West Germany the lead just before half-time and with a goalless second half, the match finished 1–0.[25] West Germany's next opponents were Greece who they played at theRheinstadion in Düsseldorf on 11 October 1975. After a goalless first half,Jupp Heynckes scored midway through the second to give West Germany the lead, but Delikaris equalised with twelve minutes remaining to secure a 1–1 draw.[26] West Germany then played their return fixture against Bulgaria on 19 November 1975 at theNeckarstadion in Stuttgart. The only goal of the game came midway through the second half as Heynckes' strike secured a 1–0 win.[27] In their final group game, West Germany's faced Malta at theWestfalenstadion in Dortmund on 28 February 1976.Ronald Worm scored twice and Heynckes added a third beforeErich Beer converted a penalty to give West Germany a 4–0 half-time lead. Heynckes and Beer both doubled their tally beforeBerti Vogts andBernd Hölzenbein scored late in the game to secure an 8–0 win for their side.[28] West Germany finished top of their group, two points ahead of Greece, and qualified for the quarter-finals.[15]
There, West Germany faced Spain in the two-legged tie with the first match taking place at theMetropolitano Stadium in Madrid on 24 April 1976.[29]Santillana gave Spain the lead midway through the first half: outjumpingHans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, he controlledGoyo Benito's cross and struck it pastSepp Maier in the West Germany goal. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Beer equalised with a shot from around 25 yards (23 m) which Spain's goalkeeperJosé Ángel Iribar could not keep out, and the match ended 1–1.[30] The return leg was held at theOlympiastadion in Munich on 22 May 1976.[31]Uli Hoeneß put West Germany ahead in the 17th minutevolleyed Beer's cross over his own shoulder to make it 1–0 beforeKlaus Toppmöller doubled the lead just before half-time when he converted a rebound afterMiguel Ángel savedFranz Beckenbauer's shot. The second half was goalless and the match ended 2–0, West Germany progressing with a 3–1 aggregate win.[32]
In the semi-final, West Germany's opponents were the host nationYugoslavia and the match was played on 17 June 1976 at theCrvena Zvezda Stadium in Belgrade.[33] Yugoslavia dominated the first half,Dragan Džajić later suggesting that it was "maybe the best half the Yugoslav national team have ever played".[34] They took the lead in the 19th minute throughDanilo Popivoda who controlledBranko Oblak's high ball before outrunning Beckenbauer and striking the ball under Maier. Eleven minutes later, Yugoslavia doubled their lead when Maier failed to keep hold ofSlaviša Žungul's cross and Džajić scored with his knee, and afterJosip Katalinski cleared a shot from Hoeneß off the Yugoslavia goalline, the first half ended 2–0.[34] Midway through the second half, West Germany substituteHeinz Flohe's shot was deflected off Wimmer pastOgnjen Petrović in the Yugoslavia goal to halve the deficit. In the 79th minute, West Germany made their second substitution with Wimmer being replaced byDieter Müller who was making his international debut, and scored with his first touch, a header from aRainer Bonhof cross to level the score at 2–2. In the first half of extra time, Yugoslavia had several opportunities to score but Maier was not beaten. With five minutes remaining, Müller scored again after a Hölzenbein pass, before completing his hat-trick four minutes later, converting a rebound after Bonhof's initial shot had hit the Yugoslavia goalpost. The match ended 4–2 and West Germany progressed to the final.[35]
Müller retained his place in the West Germany team, replacingDietmar Danner, and Beckenbauer was selected for his100th cap, an unparalleled achievement for theGermany national football team.Ján Švehlík came in for Czechoslovakia as Pollák was suspended for the final following his dismissal in the previous match. It was the eighth meeting between the sides, each team having won three of those encounters.[36] The most recent match was afriendly in March 1973 which West Germany won 3–0.[37]
Although Czechoslovakia were considered underdogs, Beckenbauer warned that "[Czechoslovakia] as a team is to be estimated higher than Yugoslavia. How strong they are, we have seen in the extra time against Holland, where they were even able to increase [their strength]".[38] Schön was confident of his side's chance to win: "We have a wonderful team. You can absolutely rely on them."[38] The final was broadcast live in the United Kingdom on theITV network.[39] Before the match, the teams had agreed that should the result be a draw, then a penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the overall winner, as opposed to areplay the following Tuesday.[40]
German magazineKicker reported that the Germany team had suggested the use of the penalty shoot-out, while author Thomas Roth claimed that theGerman Football Association had made the decision without consulting their players.[41][38] The Czechoslovak team had prepared for a potential shoot-out while training ahead of the tournament, their managerVáclav Ježek deploying hundreds of people behind the goal to intimidate the penalty takers.[42]
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The final took place on 20 June 1976 at the Red Star Stadium in front of 30,790 supporters and wasrefereed bySergio Gonella from Italy.[43] Czechoslovakia took the lead in the eighth minute through Švehlík: Masný passed to him on the edge of thepenalty area and his initial shot was saved by Maier. The rebound fell to Nehoda who passed the ball across the goalmouth, which was missed by Ondruš but converted by Švehlík. He was then elbowed in the head by Schwarzenbeck and required medical treatment, but the West Germany player was not booked. Müller then passed to Viktor down the right wing but Maier came out to block the opportunity to score. The Czechoslovak goalkeeper then punched Bonhof's strong shot away before pushing Hölzenbein's curling strike over the crossbar.[44] Midway through the first half, Schwarzenbeck fouledKoloman Gögh and Masný took the resulting free kick which was cleared by Beckenbauer as far as Dobiaš who struck a half-volley past Maier to make it 2–0.[45] Within four minutes, West Germany had halved the deficit as Müller scored his fourth international goal in 80 minutes after volleying Bonhof's cross into the Czechoslovak goal.[46]
During the half-time interval, the Germany managerHelmut Schön made his first substitution, replacing Wimmer with Flohe.[40] Early in the second half, Flohe relinquished possession and allowed Švehlík to shoot but the ball flew wide of the West Germany goal. Müller's shot was then blocked by Viktor who claimed the rebound at the feet of Beer. In the 60th minute, a shot from Hoeneß hit a defender and Beer's strike from the rebound was saved by Viktor before Hoeneß then struck the post. Schwarzenbeck cleared a shot from Ondruš off the West Germany goalline before Viktor made saves from both Bonhof and Beckenbauer. Nehoda's header hit the West Germany goalpost before Bonhof's deflected free kick was palmed over the crossbar by Viktor.[46] With around ten minutes remaining, both sides made substitutions, Czechoslovakia'sLadislav Jurkemik coming on for Švehlík and West Germany's Beer being replaced byHans Bongartz.[40] In the final minute of regular time, West Germany won a corner which was headed past Viktor by Hölzenbein at the near post.[46] With the score level at 2–2 and no time left to re-start, the game went into extra time.[40]
Viktor made saves from Flohe and Müller but with no change to the scoreline after the additional 30 minutes, the match went to apenalty shoot-out for the first time in the tournament's history.[46] Masný scored the first penalty kick before Bonhof levelled the shoot-out when his strike went in off the goalpost. Nehoda, Ondruš and Jurkemik then all scored for Czechoslovakia while Flohe and Bongartz converted their penalties to make it 4–3 as Hoeneß stepped up to take his kick. Striking it firmly, the ball sailed high over the Czechoslovak crossbar leaving Panenka with the opportunity to win the final for his side should he score. Taking a short and stuttering run-up, he gently struck the ball in an arcing parabola into the net while Maier had already dived and was resting on his knees. The match ended 5–3 with Czechoslovakia winning their only European Championship.[47]
Czechoslovakia  | 2–2 (a.e.t.) |  West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Report Positions[48] |
| |
| Penalties | ||
| 5–3 | ||
       Czechoslovakia[49] |    West Germany[49] |
|  |
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After the match, the sides upheld a pre-match agreement to exchange shirts.[42] All but three ofUEFA's team of the tournament had featured in the final, including six Czechoslovakia and two West Germany players.[2] Hoeneß later described how he had approached his penalty: "I was so exhausted, I was taking no chances, and I hit it with full force. I saw the ball climb higher and higher like a rocket. It whizzed into the clouds. At that moment, everything around me went grey."[47] The European press describedPanenka's penalty as "the falling leaf": it has since been replicated by players such asLionel Messi,Andrea Pirlo andZinedine Zidane, and is often referred to as "a Panenka".[47][50] David Lacey, writing forThe Guardian described Panenka's winning penalty as "a remarkably cool double shuffle ... before scoring with a cheeky little chip."[40] He went on to suggest that while West Germany "had speed, wit and invention", Czechoslovakia were "more direct in their methods, more inclined to launch searching attacks from deep positions".[40]Berliner Zeitung described the final as dramatic and suggested that Czechoslovakia's win was a "sensation".[51] Fellow Berlin newspaperNeues Deutschland also said the match was "dramatic" and described the Czechoslovakia side as a "brilliant team".[52]
Viktor later recalled that he blamed himself for Czechoslovakia conceding the equaliser in the final moments of the match, suggesting that he "wasn't aggressive enough going for the ball", that he had been tired and had lost concentration.[46] Schön had found it difficult to find five Germany players prepared to take part in the penalty shoot-out.[53] Dietz claimed "I'll drop [if I take one]. I'm broken." while Beckenbauer said that he was not sure he could shoot "with this injured shoulder".[46] Schwarzenbeck remarked that he had not taken a penalty kick for nine years, so "why now?" while Maier was unfazed, stating "I'll take one."[46]
In a 2020 interview withCzech Television, the Czechoslovakia defenderJozef Čapkovič noted that despite their side being composed of both Czechs and Slovaks, there was a harmonious atmosphere, "It wasn't ... who was from where, but what we were playing for. We played for Czechoslovakia then. There was absolute peace, cohesion."[54] Panenka agreed, stating that the team "was an excellent bunch, cohesive. The atmosphere was absolutely great ... There was no difference between a Czech and a Slovak "[54] Dobiaš remarked that Czechoslovakia went into the final without "any worries", and were confident following their victory over the Netherlands.[54]
The French newspaperL'Équipe reported that "this final showed a great dialogue between the playful ease of [Czechoslovakia] and the German football machine. Previously hardly known dimensions were reached."[38] Belgrade'sPolitika noted that "Czechoslovakia and the Federal Republic left nothing to owe the spectators and played a football dignified of the final. [Czechoslovakia] is completely deservedly the new champion. The Germans endured the failure calmly and stoically."[38] In Italy,Corriere dello Sport reported that "The success has rewarded the unquestionably better team. Germany was deadly wounded in the short time span of 18 minutes in the first half. The Germans have lost the European crown they had won in Brussels in 1972, but they have confirmed that they are an absolutely world class team."[38]
In the following international tournament, the1978 FIFA World Cup, Czechoslovakia failed to progress pasttheir qualifying group, finishing behind Scotland. West Germany automatically qualified as champions of the 1974 FIFA World Cup but were knocked inthe second group stage, placing third behind the Netherlands andItaly.[55]
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