European Football Championship 1976

The fifth European Football Championship was held from June 16 to June 20, 1976, in Yugoslavia. It was the first time that the final tournament of the best European national teams was held in this part of Europe, and it was a great honor to host the top teams while also trying to win the European championship title in front of home fans.

Qualifications

The format of the Championship and the qualifiers remained the same. The top four teams qualified for the final tournament, and 32 participated in the qualifiers. They were divided into eight groups of four teams each. The group winners were Czechoslovakia, Wales, Spain, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, Belgium, West Germany, and Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav team performed excellently in the first phase of the qualifiers, recording five wins and only one loss in a group that included teams from Northern Ireland, Sweden, and Norway.

In the next round of qualifiers, which granted the winners a spot in the final tournament, Yugoslavia was matched against the Wales. In the first match, the Yugoslavs won 2:0, and the return match ended 1:1. Thus, Yugoslavia again secured its place among the top four teams on the Old Continent. Regarding other matches, Czechoslovakia played against the Soviet Union. It won the first game 2:0. The second encounter ended in a draw, but 2:2, so Czechoslovakia also secured its spot among the best teams. Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia were joined by West Germany, which was better than Spain in a two-legged match, and the Dutch team, which decisively beat Belgium in two matches.

Host Country

The Yugoslav national football team had the honor of hosting a grand football festival on its soil. The Yugoslav players of that time more than deserved this with their performances, and everyone was eagerly waiting to see if the home favorites could pull off a surprise and capture the big trophy. The matches were played in Belgrade and Zagreb, at two stadiums. In Belgrade, teams played at “Marakana,” and in Zagreb at “Maksimir.”

Photo: unsplash.com.

Participating Teams

In Yugoslavia, the host Yugoslavia, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, and the Netherlands competed for the title of European champion. The title defenders were the representatives from West Germany, and they were certainly the top favorites of the Championship. They had also won the World Cup two years earlier in their own country, defeating the famous Dutch team in the final. They arrived in Yugoslavia as the team simultaneously the world and European champions.

Knockout Phase

In the semifinal matches, the teams of Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, and West Germany faced each other. In the first duel, played on June 16 in Zagreb, Czechoslovakia played against the Netherlands. The Czechoslovaks took the lead in the 19th minute, with Ondruš as the scorer. An interesting aspect of this match was the equalizer, brought by the same player, but this time, it was an own goal that allowed the Dutch to force extra time. Until the very end, it was unclear which team would advance to the final. However, six minutes before the end of the second extra time, Czechoslovak player Nehoda scored against the Dutch, and Veselý confirmed the victory in the 118th minute.

However, all this was just a prelude to the match everyone in Yugoslavia was waiting for. It was the duel between Yugoslavia and West Germany, played the next day, June 17, in Belgrade. Yugoslavia lined up with Petrović, Buljan, Mužinić, Katalinski, Šurjak, Popivoda, Oblak, Aćimović, Jerković, Džajić, and Žungul. The Germans were again led by captain Franz Beckenbauer, and their team included Fogts, Wimmer, Hoeness, and Dieter Müller, among others. Yugoslavia had a fantastic start in this match. Popivoda scored in the 19th minute, beating Maier and giving Yugoslavia a 1:0 lead. By the 30th minute, it was 2:0 – the fantastic Dragan Džajić was the scorer, and Yugoslavia was rushing towards the final. The half ended with Yugoslavia holding a two-goal advantage, and it seemed West Germany had little chance. However, they reduced the deficit to 2:1 in the 64th minute through Flohe, and Müller equalized in the 82nd minute. After a 2:2 tie in regular time, they went into extra time. Yugoslavia held on almost until the end, but then Dieter Müller took center stage again, scoring in the 115th minute and sealing West Germany’s victory with another goal in the 119th minute. It was the end of Yugoslavia’s hopes of reaching another final.

Final and Third Place Match

In the third-place match, the Netherlands was better than Yugoslavia after extra time. The Dutch led 2:0 in the first half, but Yugoslavia returned with goals from Katalinski and Džajić and forced extra time. However, in extra time, Gels scored the third goal for the Netherlands in the 107th minute, securing third place for his team.

In the final, Czechoslovakia and West Germany met. The Germans would not have a hard task, especially after eliminating Yugoslavia. However, the Czechoslovaks did not share that opinion, and in the 25th minute, they led 2:0 with goals from Švehlík and Dobias. The brilliant Dieter Müller reduced the score in the 29th minute, and the Germans completely returned to the game in the 89th minute with a goal by Hölzenbein. Czechoslovakia, however, did not give up and managed to force penalties. All five Czechoslovak shooters were accurate in the shootout, while Hoeness missed for the Germans. This meant that Czechoslovakia won the European championship title for the first time.

Maracana, the stadium where the grand final was played in 1976. Photo: pixabay.com.

Statistics

As for top scorers, this Championship was undoubtedly marked by Dieter Müller from West Germany. He was the top scorer with four goals, and thus, he also made it into the team of the tournament. Alongside him were his teammates Beckenbauer and Bonhof, Czechoslovak representatives Viktor, Ondruš, Pivarnik, Panenka, Polák, and Nehoda, as well as the Dutch players Krol and Dragan Džajić from Yugoslavia.

Interesting Facts

The European Championship will surely be remembered for Czechoslovak player Antonín Panenka, who brought victory to his team with the last penalty shot in the final. But it was not an ordinary shot – Panenka lightly chipped the ball off the ground and gently placed it in the middle of the goal! Since then, this style of taking a penalty has been named after him.