 The final was played atHeysel Stadium(pictured in 2013). | |||||||
| Event | UEFA Euro 1972 | ||||||
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| Date | 18 June 1972 (1972-06-18) | ||||||
| Venue | Heysel Stadium,Brussels | ||||||
| Referee | Ferdinand Marschall (Austria) | ||||||
| Attendance | 43,437 | ||||||
←1968 1976 → | |||||||
TheUEFA Euro 1972 final was afootball match played atHeysel Stadium inBrussels, Belgium, on 18 June 1972, to determine the winners of theUEFA Euro 1972 tournament. It was the fourthEuropean Championship final,UEFA's top football competition for national teams. The match was contested byWest Germany and two-time tournament finalists, theSoviet Union.
En route to the final, West Germany finished top oftheir qualifying group, which includedTurkey,Albania andPoland. After beatingEngland over atwo-legged tie in the quarter-finals, they progressed to the final after defeating tournament hostsBelgium in the semi-finals. The Soviet Union also wontheir qualifying group, which includedCyprus,Spain, andNorthern Ireland before beating Yugoslavia in the two-legged quarter-finals, and then Hungary in the single-match semi-final.
The final was played in front of 43,437 spectators, and wasrefereed byFerdinand Marschall from Austria. West Germany won the match 3–0 to secure a first European Championship title in the nation's history.
UEFA Euro 1972 was the fourth edition of theUEFA European Football Championship,UEFA's football competition for national teams.[1] Qualifying rounds were played on a home-and-awayround-robin tournament basis prior to the semi-finals and final taking place in Belgium, between 14 and 18 June 1972.[2] A third-place play-off match took place the day before the final.[3]
TheSoviet Union had lost at thesemi-final stage ofUEFA Euro 1968, going out after acoin toss following a 0–0 draw withItaly.[4]West Germany failed to progress pasttheir qualifying group, finishing as runners-up toYugoslavia who were eventual tournamentfinalists.[5] In the1970 FIFA World Cup, West Germany lost in the semi-final 4–3 to Italy but won the third-place play-off match 1–0 againstUruguay, who had knocked the Soviet Union out in the quarter-finals.[6] The UEFA Euro 1972 Final was the second-ever competitive match between the sides, their first being in the1966 FIFA World Cup which was won 2–1 by West Germany.[7]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying group | Turkey | 1–1 (H), 3–0 (A) |
| Albania | 1–0 (A), 2–0 (H) | |
| Poland | 3–1 (A), 0–0 (H) | |
| Quarter-final | England | 3–1 (A), 0–0 (H) |
| Semi-final | Belgium | 2–1 (A) |
West Germany commenced their UEFA Euro 1972 campaign inQualifying Group 8 where they faced three other teams in a home-and-away round-robin tournament. Their first fixture was againstTurkey at theMüngersdorfer Stadion in Cologne on 17 October 1970.Kamuran Yavuz [tr] gave Turkey the lead in the 15th minute butGerd Müller equalised with apenalty kick eight minutes before half-time. The second half was goalless and the match ended 1–1.[8] West Germany's next opponents wereAlbania with their first match being played at theQemal Stafa Stadium in Tirana on 17 February 1971. Müller scored the only goal of the game late in the first half to secure a 1–0 victory for West Germany.[9] The next qualifying match for West Germany was the return fixture against Turkey which took place at theİnönü Stadı in Istanbul on 25 April 1971. Müller scored his third and fourth goals of the qualifying stage, two minutes either side of half time, andHorst Köppel made it 3–0 midway through the second half.[10] West Germany then faced Albania at theWildparkstadion in Karlsruhe on 12 June 1971 where first-half goals fromGünter Netzer andJürgen Grabowski secured a 2–0 win for the hosts.[11] The final opponents in Group 8 for West Germany werePoland with the first match taking place at theStadion Dziesięciolecia in Warsaw on 10 October 1971.Robert Gadocha gave Poland the lead midway through the first half but Müller equalised a minute later. He doubled his tally 19 minutes into the second half before Grabowski's goal twenty minutes before the end of the match ensured a 3–1 win for West Germany.[12] The return match was played on 17 November 1971 at theVolksparkstadion in Hamburg, which ended goalless.[13] West Germany finished their qualifying campaign top of Group 8 and progressed to thequarter-finals.[14]
There, West Germany faced their1966 FIFA World Cup Final opponentsEngland and the first match of the two-legged tie was played atWembley Stadium in London on 29 April 1972 in front of 96,800 spectators.[15] In rainy conditions, West Germany dominated the game while England defended deeply and committed numerousfouls. In the 27th minute,Bobby Moore lost possession of the ball, allowingUli Hoeneß to shoot from around 20 yards (18 m), his strike taking a deflection offNorman Hunter and beatingGordon Banks in the England goal.Emlyn Hughes saw his half-volley strike the top of the West Germany crossbar beforeFrancis Lee equalised for England in the 76th minute; a shot fromMartin Peters was kept out bySepp Maier but Lee converted the rebound from close range. West Germany regained the lead seven minutes later. Moore fouledSigfried Held and although Banks got a hand to the resulting penalty from Netzer, the ball spun into the net. With two minutes remaining, Held won the ball from Hughes, passed to Hoeneß who then gave it to Müller whose low shot beat Banks to give West Germany a 3–1 victory.[16] The return match was held two weeks later at theOlympiastadion in Berlin.[17] In another match marred by fouls from both teams, each side had limited opportunities to score.Martin Chivers saw his shot cleared off the goalline byHorst-Dieter Höttges while both Netzer and Held missed chances. In the second half,Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck cleared the ball from the West Germany goalmouth under pressure fromRodney Marsh. The game ended goalless and with a 3–1 aggregate victory, West Germany progressed to the semi-final where they faced the host teamBelgium.[18]
The match was held at theBosuilstadion in Antwerp on 14 June 1972 in front of a crowd of 55,669.[19]Helmut Schön, the West Germanymanager, described the pitch as "an unplayable stone desert" but despite that, his side took the lead midway through the first half through Müller. Netzer crossed the ball into the centre and Müller rose to head the ball pastChristian Piot, the Belgium goalkeeper who had attempted to punch the ball clear.[20] The second half saw Maier make saves from bothGeorges Heylens andLéon Semmeling but with less than 20 minutes remaining, Müller scored, once again from a Netzer pass, to make it 2–0 to West Germany. In the 83rd minute,Jean Dockx's pass foundOdilon Polleunis who held offHerbert Wimmer and struck the ball into the roof of the West Germany goal. Late in the match, Belgium'sErwin Vandendaele headed aRaoul Lambert corner wide of goal and the game ended 2–1 to West Germany who qualified for their first European Championship final.[21]
| Round | Opposition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying group | Cyprus | 3–1 (A), 6–1 (H) |
| Spain | 2–1 (H), 0–0 (A) | |
| Northern Ireland | 1–0 (H), 1–1 (A) | |
| Quarter-final | Yugoslavia | 0–0 (A), 3–0 (H) |
| Semi-final | Hungary | 1–0 (N) |
The Soviet Union's first match intheir qualifying group wereCyprus who they faced at theGSP Stadium in Nicosia on 15 November 1970. Early goals fromViktor Kolotov andGennady Yevryuzhikhin gave the Soviet Union a 2–0 lead butNikos Charalambous reduced the deficit for Cyprus just before half-time.Vitaly Shevchenko scored five minutes after the interval and with no further goals, the match ended 3–1.[22] The Soviet Union's next match was againstSpain and took place at theCentral Lenin Stadium in Moscow on 30 May 1971. The first half was goalless and Kolotov gave the Soviet Union the lead in the 79th minute before Shevchenko doubled his side's advantage four minutes later.Carles Rexach halved the deficit for Spain with two minutes of the match remaining but it ended 2–1 to the Soviet Union.[23] They faced Cyprus in the return match nine days later at the Central Lenin Stadium where they secured a 6–1 victory, with a goal each from Kolotov andAnatoliy Banishevskiy, and a brace from both Yevryuzhikhin andVladimir Fedotov, whileStefanis Michael scored the consolation goal for Cyprus.[24] The Soviet Union's third and final group opponent wereNorthern Ireland who they faced at the Central Lenin Stadium on 22 September 1971.Vladimir Muntyan scored the only goal of the game just before half-time to give the Soviet Union a 1–0 win.[25] The two sides met again three weeks later, this time atWindsor Park in Belfast.Jimmy Nicholson scored in the 13th minute to give the hosts the lead butAnatoliy Byshovets equalised 15 minutes before half time, and with a goalless second half, the match was drawn 1–1.[26] The Soviet Union ended the round-robin tournament top of Group 4 and qualified for the quarter-finals.[14]
The Soviet Union's opposition there were Yugoslavia, against whom they had won in the1960 European Nations' Cup Final. The first match of the two-legged tie took place at theCrvena Zvezda Stadium in Belgrade on 30 April 1972.[27] The Soviet Union adopted a very defensive approach to the game, althoughEduard Kozynkevych's strike hit the Yugoslavia crossbar in the first half. After the interval, a combination of profligate finishing and numerous saves from the Soviet Union goalkeeperYevhen Rudakov resulted in the game ending goalless.[28] The second leg was held two weeks later at the Central Lenin Stadium.[29] Played in warm and sunny conditions, Yugoslavia had the first chance to score butMladen Ramljak's cross failed to be converted by any of his three teammates in the Soviet Union penalty area. After missing numerous opportunities to take the lead, the Soviet Union scored early in the second half when Kolotov took the ball past two defenders and struck the ball under Yugoslavia goalkeeperEnver Marić. Banishevskiy doubled his side's advantage in the 74th minute with a shot from inside the box, before Kozynkevych headed into an empty net after Marić had left his goal unattended. The Soviet Union won the match and the tie 3–0 to progress to the semi-final.[30]
There, they facedHungary with the match taking place atÉmile Versé Stadium at the same time as the Belgium–West Germany game. As a result, it was attended by fewer than 2,000 people, as of 2020[update] the smallest crowd at a European Championship finals match.[a] The pitch was saturated and first-half opportunities to score were limited toSándor Zámbó's shot and anIstván Kocsis free kick both being saved by Rudakov. Eight minutes after half-time, the Soviet Union took the lead.[31]Anatoly Baidachny won a corner and took it himself: the ball was headed cleared byMiklós Páncsics but fell toAnatoliy Konkov whose shot took a deflection offPéter Juhász and ended in the Hungary goal. Although Hungary had late chances to score, Zámbó's free kick was kept out by Rudakov andJúlius Szöke struck the rebound into theside netting. The match ended 1–0 and the Soviet Union progressed to their third final in four European Championships.[20]
Between the quarter- and semi-finals, West Germany and the Soviet Union played afriendly at theOlympiastadion in Munich on 26 May 1972. After a goalless first half, the game ended 4–1 to West Germany with Müller scoring all of his side's goals while Kolotov scored the Soviet Union's consolation.[34]
Thereferee for the final was AustrianFerdinand Marschall.[35] Byshovets was out injured for the Soviet Union with a problematic knee while West Germany's defenderBerti Vogts was overlooked in favour of Höttges.[36]
The final was played atHeysel Stadium on 18 June 1972 in front of 43,437 spectators.[35] West Germany had several early chances to score: first Netzer passed to Müller but Rudakov came out to clear, thenJupp Heynckes saw his shot blocked by the Soviet Union defence before the ball fell to Müller whose shot was saved by Rudakov. Netzer then passed to Heynckes whose cross-shot was also kept out by Rudakov.[36]Paul Breitner played aone-two with Hoeneß before striking across the goal and then Hoeneß himself struck the crossbar with a header from anErwin Kremers cross. The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute:Franz Beckenbauer ran past two Soviet Union defenders with the ball before passing to Netzer whose dipping shot rebounded off the cross-bar.Yuriy Istomin's attempted headed clearance fell to Heynckes who half-volleyed the ball back into the box. It was pushed out by Rudakov but Müller scored from the rebound to make it 1–0.[37]
Maier then tipped a 30-yard (27 m) strike fromRevaz Dzodzuashvili over the West Germany crossbar in a rare opportunity for the Soviet Union, but Rudakov then saved a header from Heynckes before keeping out a Netzer free kick. In the 44th minute,Volodymyr Kaplychnyi fouled Netzer, who reacted to the challenge, and both were shown ayellow card.[37] At half-time, the Soviet Union made one change to their side, withOleg Dolmatov coming on as asubstitute for Konkov.[35] In the 52nd minute,Murtaz Khurtsilava lost possession of the ball to Wimmer who, after numerous West Germany passes, struck a left-footed shot past Rudakov to make it 2–0. Six minutes later, Schwarzenbeck ran into the Soviet Union penalty area with the ball before being tackled by Khurtsilava, but the ball fell to Müller who scored.[37] Khurtsilava's shot from 30 yards (27 m) hit the West Germany crossbar, and after a briefpitch invasion, Marschall blew the final whistle. West Germany were 3–0 winners and secured the first European Championship title in their history.[35]
        West Germany |   Soviet Union |
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All but one ofUEFA's team of the tournament had featured in the final, including seven West Germany and three Soviet Union players.[3] The top three in the1972 Ballon d'Or were also West Germany players: Beckenbauer won the title while Müller and Netzer shared the runner-up position.[38] Belgium playerPaul Van Himst who had faced West Germany in the semi-final suggested that they were "the best ever German team".[39] Müller later noted that "we didn't fear the Russians in the final ... Everything worked well. The team worked, the coach worked, it was great. The team was on a roll and we won. That final was the best of the lot."[40] With his four goals in the previous month's friendly, Müller had scored six times in two matches against the Soviet Union.[41]
West Germany finished the next international tournament, the1974 FIFA World Cup as champions, beating theNetherlands 2–1 in the1974 FIFA World Cup Final.[42] The Soviet Union failed to qualify for the finals of the 1974 World Cup when they refused to play the second leg of theUEFA–CONMEBOL play-off match againstChile in Santiago, following the1973 coup d'état.[43][44]
| Tournaments | |
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| Qualifying | |
| Finals | |
| Squads | |
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| Statistics | |
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| Other records | |
| Miscellaneous | |
