Euro '76 | A tournament locked in time
"This latest European Championship took a bit of believing. The four games in the final stages in Yugoslavia were played out in a manner refreshingly reminiscent of children playing in the park, with the added spice of talents and technique of the very highest order."
The 1976 European Championships is arguably football history's greatest, most entertaining yet unusual tournament. Indeed, for all of the goals, flair and superstar talent, there is something quite peculiar about the fifth edition of the continental competition. Hosted in Yugoslavia. four teams battled it out for the title, as they had always done, ever since the birth of the Euros in 1960. Taking a closer look at the four finalists is what makes this tournament so unique - as only the Netherlands still exist. Indeed, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and West Germany have all since separated, dissolved or assumed more territory - truly locking this competition in time.
Europe in the late 20th century was a continent split by Churchill's 'iron curtain', an area which saw opposing ideologies of the capitalist west and communist east meeting often. Football was no stranger to this conflict, seeing nations engaging on multiple occasions for glory which far outweighed personal or team ambitions. Euro 1976 was therefore set-up perfectly with two sides from the west (West Germany and Netherlands) and two sides from the east (Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia).
Qualification
Reigning European and World champions, West Germany, would qualify relatively comfortably, topping their group and seeing off the Spanish challenge over 2 legs in the quarter-finals. The Netherlands, however, would be drawn against Italy and a resurgent Polish side. The Dutch would need their talismanic forward Johan Cruyff to therefore lead the way, scoring four goals to help his nation top the group. Despite being drawn against neighbours Belgium in the quarter-finals, a 7-1 aggregate scoreline proved the side, managed by George Knobel, would be the team to beat in Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia, the hosts of the finals, had cruised through their qualification group and narrowly defeated Wales in the quarter-finals. On the other hand, Czechoslovakia had a far more difficult route to Euro '76. Edging out England in their group, they would be drawn against the USSR in the last 8. Winning 4-2 over two legs meant the eastern European nation would qualify for the European Championships for the first time since the inaugural competition in 1960.
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| Wales vs Yugoslavia, 1976 |
Semi-Finals
The semi-final draw saw two east vs west clashes. First Czechoslovakia would face the Netherlands before Yugoslavia faced West Germany at the Red Star Stadium in Belgrade. The English press were clear in who they believed to be favourites for the title. A day before the competition began, the Liverpool Echo ran with the headline, Dutch Set to Dazzle Europe, believing that the inclusion of Cruyff in the squad would be too much for the other nations. However, the same newspaper was quick to note that all four semi-finalists were of 'outstanding quality'.
It would therefore come as a shock to many when Czechoslovakia emerged victorious from their showdown with the Dutch. Locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the extra-time period would see the Czechs score two late goals through Zdenek Nehoda and Frantisek Vesely. The Daily Mirror would describe the match on the 'shock night', noting the feisty nature of the encounter which saw Welsh referee Clive Thomas send-off three players. Likewise, the Scotsman described the result as a 'surprise', noting Holland's unpreparedness for the attack of the Czechoslovaks. Defeat saw the resignation of Dutch coach Knobel as the nation hoped to restructure before the '78 World Cup qualification campaign.
Unbeknownst to most spectators and journalists alike, the Dutch FA had been in disarray before the semi-final. Individual player power, notably in the form of Johan Cruyff had disrupted preparations and manager Knobel was deeply unpopular. Likewise, the rest of the Dutch squad had allowed for egos to obscure their confidence before the Czechoslovaks arrived to meet them in Zagreb. Many players believed Czechoslovakia to be a slight bump in the road before a 'revenge clash' against West Germany in the final.
The other semi-final saw hosts Yugoslavia welcome West Germany to a fiercely partisan Belgrade. Over 50,000 spectators crammed into the Red Star Stadium, a ground in which Yugoslavia had not seen defeat since the end of the Second World War. Moreover, the eastern European nation had only conceded one goal in their last 12 competitive home matches stretching back to 1968. Despite the inclusion of captain Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany would line-up for the semi-final without 1974 World Cup Final goalscorers Paul Breitner and Gerd Muller. The odds appeared firmly in Yugoslavia's favour.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, two first-half goals from Yugoslavia saw them race to an early 2-0 lead. The game would turn on its head in the second 45 as iconic German coach Helmut Schon made two vital substitutions, bringing on Koln pair Heinz Flohe and Dieter Muller. Both players would score in the second half to see West Germany level the match and once more send the game to extra-time. Muller, known by the British press as 'Muller Mark Two', would settle the game in the additional 30 minutes, scoring twice before the full-time whistle was blown.
The result would see a final (and 3rd place play-off) once more pitting east against west. The West Germans, safe in their status as a footballing superpower would narrowly be classed as favourites for the championships. Schon was aiming to coach his side to successive titles, something which had never been achieved before, with a World Cup victory in between. Victory would surely have led to his side being revered as one of the greatest of all-time. Prior to the final, Schon had announced his intention to retire from international football management after the 1978 World Cup, drawing widespread acclaim for his achievements. The Mirror would even describe him as the 'Greatest international manager in modern soccer history'. However, the same paper would note that the Czechoslovaks would still fancy their chances in the final.
Third Place Play-Off
A day before the final in Belgrade, the Netherlands had secured third-place following a 3-2 victory over Yugoslavia after extra-time. Ruud Geels would emerge as the hero, halting a Yugoslav comeback which had seen them come from 2 goals down to see the match finish 2-2 at full-time. Although, a thrilling encounter, it would be a story off-the-pitch which gained the most attention as captain Johan Cruyff was absent from the starting XI. Although suspended for the clash due to earlier bookings, the Dutch number 14 would leave the camp to return to Barcelona, failing to support his teammates in orange. Cruyff's defence of manager Knobel and his insistence for the Netherlands FA to fly his family to Argentina for the subsequent World Cup has irked many at the top of Dutch football.
From total football to total chaos...
The People, 20th June 1976
The Final
The final, held once more in Belgrade, saw a pulsating first-half with Czechoslovakia taking a 2-1 lead into half-time. After the match resumed, the second 45 saw a West German onslaught, and after sustained pressure, an equaliser one minute from time through left-wing Bernd Holzenbein. For the third match in-a-row, spectators were treated to a side coming back from two goals down to draw level. No further goals were scored before the full-time whistle and once again the 1976 European Championships would see extra-time. Peculiarly, each match at Euro '76 would go the distance in a tournament of many coincidences.
Extra-time itself was cagey. Although both sides had chances to win the tie, tiredness and fatigue had severely reduced the effectiveness of the two nations, resulting in a penalty shootout. The spot-kicks would be the first ever in the European Championships, with the law only being introduced by IFAB at the start of the decade. Both Czechoslovakia and West Germany would score the first seven penalties before an exhausted Uli Hoeness blazed over the bar. The miss provided Czech midfielder Antonin Panenka with the opportunity to win the Euros for his country. Stepping up to the spot, Panenka would delicately chip the ball down the middle of the goal and into the net. German 'keeper Sepp Maier, anticipating a more forceful strike would dive to his left and see the ball drift slowly in. Panenka would follow the ball into the goals before turning to celebrate with his euphoric teammates.
“I was really convinced I couldn’t fail with this sort of penalty. I was convinced it would be okay to convert the penalty in the final against Germany.
Antonin Panenka talking to TalkSport (2021)
Both Czechoslovakia and West Germany were revered by the press for their efforts in the final. The Aberdeen Press and Journal commented that the match was indeed a 'great advertisement for fast, entertaining football'. Furthermore, other articles would describe the players as 'dead tired' by the final whistle, with neither nation able to do any more to win the game. Unsurprisingly, Panenka's penalty drew the most attention with the Daily Mirror noting how he 'cheekily curled the ball to Sepp Maier's left' and The Scotsman describing the spot-kick as a 'dummy of supreme impudence'. Across the continent, Panenka's penalty became known as 'the falling leaf' for its gentle drift into the net.
Euro '76 was a resounding success. Two days after the final, The Scotsman would write an extended piece highlighting that the tournament was 'something of a revelation'. Both eastern European nations, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia would be heralded for adopting a more liberating and expressive style of play, far removed from the stereotypical defensive and 'boring' tactical discipline. The newspaper would ask the question if football was to enter a 'new age' in which the 'essence of the game will be rediscovered'. In his excellent book, Euro Summits (2021), Jonathan O'Brien likewise praised the tournament,
So much incident was crammed into Euro 1976 that, per capita, it has no rivals as the most exciting international tournament ever.
Whether the notion that football was to enter a 'new age of rediscovery' came true is open to debate, but what is certain is that the following decade would see global circumstances change dramatically and begin the end for Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and West Germany. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 brought both East and West Germany together once more; the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia heralded in a peaceful split into modern day Czechia and Slovakia and the fiercely fought and bitter Yugoslav Wars dominated much of the news in 1990s as the nation eventually split into seven separate nations.
Incredibly, never again would football see all four countries competing in a European Championship. However, Italia '90 did see all four qualify - all reaching the knockout rounds. Nevertheless, Euro '76 remains one of football history's greatest, most unique tournaments, full of political tensions, player vs squad battles, extra-time drama and above all else - spectacular matches. The following Euros in 1980 would see the competition expanded to 8 teams - clearly 1976 had revolutionised and revitalised the international game.
Notes:
Newspapers accessed via the British Newspaper Archive:
Daily Mirror
The Scotsman
Liverpool Echo
Aberdeen Press and Journal
Books:
Jonathan O'Brien, Euro Summits (Brighton: Pitch, 2021)
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