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| European Championship History; Classic matches and goals | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 19 2008, 10:08 PM (1,799 Views) | |
| historyman | May 19 2008, 10:08 PM Post #1 |
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With the countdown to Euro 2008 continuing, another way to whet our appetites for the extravaganza is to review some of the highlights of the history of the tournament. Thanks to YouTube, we have a visual record of some of those moments. Let's start off with one of the greatest ever performances by a team in the final, West Germany's 3-0 victory over the USSR in Brussels back in 1972. Here's a link to the history section of the UEFA Euros website, which has the team line-ups and match report. Euro '72 Final As you can see, there are some legendary names in that German line-up. Their performance against the USSR that day was an exhibition of fluency and beauty. Muller was in outstanding form as usual! Have a look at the goals on the link below: Euro '72 Final - the goals Wasn't it amazing to see the crowds massed together on the touchline before they invaded the pitch? It was a near perfect performance which led the French newspaper L'Equipe to declare that the team had no equal in Europe. Yet this was not WG's definitive moment in the tournament. Their 3-1 Q/F defeat of England at Wembley on April 29th 1972 has gone down in history as one of THE all-time great displays of attacking and inventive football. So the victory in 1972 was a springboard for the Germans to win the 1974 WC on home soil. |
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| Yogi | May 20 2008, 07:33 AM Post #2 |
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Great idea to start a European championship history thread. Yes I've read many reports that some consider West Germany's 1972 team to be even better than their 1974 World Cup winners. The two teams were essentally the same but the big difference was in 1972 there was Gunter Netzer who was a non stop midfield dynamo. And of course any team with Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller on it is going to be good! Beckenbauer was one of those guys who worked hard but never made it appear that he was sweating out there. Just the epitomy of a cool player no matter what were the circumstances. What I also find curious about the Euro 72 tournament is that the finals were really only the semifinals and beyond, there were group games in qualifying with the 8 group winners advancing to home and away quarterfinals. That is where West Germany defeated England in London that historyman described and it also is where Italy, the reigning European champions (1968 winners) and current World Cup runner up (1970) went out to Belgium after a 0-0 draw in Italy and a 2-1 Belgium home win. |
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| Merengue | May 20 2008, 09:54 AM Post #3 |
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The big difference between West Germany's 1972 and 1974 teams were in 1972 they had Netzer while in 74 there was Wolfgang Overath in midfield. Both good midfielders but as Yogi wrote Netzer was a midfield dynamo, I recall him fondly from my youth when he played for Real Madrid. Great skills and great energy. He kind of reminded me of a Pavel Nedved type of player, only better, for those who weren't familiar with Netzer. Overath had a great left foot, as did Netzer, but he wasn't the dynamic force that Netzer was. But one area where the 1974 team did have an advantage over the 72 German squad was in 1974 they had Berti Vogts who replaced Hottges in defense. It was the terrier Vogts who marked Johan Cruyff out of the 1974 World Cup Final. |
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| Mr. Pither | May 20 2008, 01:12 PM Post #4 |
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Unfortunately when I tried to click on the Youtube link historyman gave I got a message that it has been blocked by UEFA because of copyright considerations. ![]() I did look around the Internet and found this from a W. Germany v Switzerland game in 1972 played post Euro 1972, I don't speak German but Gunter Netzer is the blond #10, look at some of his power, passing and dribbling moves in this game and that nice backheeled pass from Gerd Muller to Netzer for a goal, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FfXBKWgFQs&NR=1 These were the West German and Soviet Union teams who played that 1972 European Final: FINAL Bruxelles, June 18, Stade Heysel West Germany 3-0 Soviet Union [G.Müller 27, 58, Wimmer 52] [ref: Marschall (Austria), att: 50,000] West Germany: Maier, Höttges, Beckenbauer, Schwarzenbeck, Breitner, U.Hoeneß, Wimmer, Netzer, Heynckes, G.Müller, E.Kremers Soviet Union: Rudakov, Dzodzuashvili, Kaplichny, Istomin, Khurtsilava, Kolotov, Troshkin, Baidachni, Banishevsky (66 Kozinkevich), Konkov (46 Dolmatov), Onishenko That is some team Germany had then. By the way Merengue, Berti Vogts was a young reserve on the 1972 team. By 1974 though he had become the starter. |
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P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD | |
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| historyman | May 20 2008, 09:17 PM Post #5 |
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Typical! :angry: You would think that they would have a more flexible approach in the interests of education. I'm sure that it will return soon, once Euro 2008 is over. |
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| historyman | May 20 2008, 09:56 PM Post #6 |
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I was just a baby when Netzer strolled around the Bernabeau but I have read a little bit about him and he was a dynamic character and player. According to legend, his performance against England at Wembley in 1972 was greatly enhanced because the floodlights reflected off his blond locks, lending him an almost supernatural aura to folks watching the game on tv. English audiences had never seen a character like him before! |
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| Martin | May 20 2008, 10:25 PM Post #7 |
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I would have loved to have seen those goals too, I did appreciate the link Mr. Pither provided (:lol: love that screen name, that was my favorite Monty Python sketch!) and that combination play on the goal between Netzer and Muller was fantastic. Netzer was an excellent player, comparing him to Nedved isn't a bad one, but Netzer was bigger and stronger, think of a Zidane sized player. Overath, a veteran of the 1966 and 1970 World Cups came back into the team to replace Netzer for the 1974 World Cup. Overath may not have had the dynamism of Netzer but he was an excellent midfielder too, a great passer with an elegant left foot. Nice idea historyman for a topic and this fine German team in 1972 with legendary players like Beckenbauer, Muller, Netzer and Maier is a great place to start. |
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| historyman | May 22 2008, 10:16 PM Post #8 |
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Moving on to Euro '76 now, and the format of the tournament was the same as four years previously. The final was a classic. Czechoslovakia and West Germany drew 2-2 after extra-time, before the Czechs won 5-3 on penalties. According to the UEFA website, the Czech players were unaware that there was going to be a penalty shoot-out. The winning penalty was one of the greatest ever. Scored by Antonin Panenka, it was a delicate chip down the centre of the goal, Maier having already dived to his left. Zidane copied the trick thirty years later in the 2006 WC final of course! This famous penalty has a lasting legacy, as any similar kicks are known as "Panenka's". Thanks to our friends at UEFA's legal department, the YouTube footage of the final has been removed. Nevertheless, here's the link to the line-ups and match report. '76 Final |
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| Mr. Pither | May 22 2008, 11:42 PM Post #9 |
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Watching some of these links about West Germany in the 1970's, not only does Netzer attract your attention, and the comparison of him to a stronger Pavel Nedved is appropriate I think, but I had forgotten how fast Gerd Muller was. I just used to think of him as a penalty area poacher but watch some of those YouTube links I provided (and others linked from that) and you'll see Muller motoring in to attack. That German team with their technique and speed was a real joy to watch. The Czechs had so often been runner up in World Cups and even in Euro 96 that it was good to see them finally win something in 1976 and as historyman provides, that final is best remembered for Panenka's chipped penalty! Didn't that same Czech team also play in the 1976 Olympics? Remember back then in the days of 'shamateurism' the Eastern Bloc nations could send their full national teams to compete against other countries amateurs in the Olympics. |
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P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD | |
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| hobbes | May 23 2008, 01:08 PM Post #10 |
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God love TSN. They're showing some (all?) of the Euro finals in the lead-up to the tournament up here. Except right now they're just throwing them on in weird time slots (usually as filler after an NHL playoff game goes to overtime). I was at a bar, on a date and suddenly there's the 88 final on television. I was completely stunned. Hopefully they're actually in their broadcast sked in the coming weeks. They also showed all of the World Cup finals in the lead-up to Italia90. That was amazing. I wish I was older and smarter and had taped them. cheers, hobbes |
| Saskatchewan for the CPL: multis e gentibus vires | |
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| historyman | May 23 2008, 11:36 PM Post #11 |
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It wasn't just his speed but his uncanny sense of positioning, knowing where the ball was going to be, that made him such a deadly striker. Great link which showed how Netzer and Muller combined. As you say, the shamateurism of the Eastern Bloc countries made the Olympic football tournament farcical, in my opinion. They were professional in all but name. |
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| Martin | May 24 2008, 09:55 AM Post #12 |
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How true of Gerd Muller. His timing and positioning made him perhaps the greatest penalty area poacher of all time. But Mr. Pither's point about his speed is true too. You don't think of him being that quick and maybe due to his build and size he looked like he was moving faster than he was (with those short legs he almost looked like a cartoon character with his legs moving so fast they look like wheels!) but Gerd Muller was more than just a penalty area poacher and that great backheel on the link Mr. Pither provided showed he had some skill too. If we're comparing Netzer to a bigger version of Pavel Nedved, then Muller was somewhat like Romario (only faster than the Brazilian.) Hobbes talked about his local station showing replays of previous European Finals. Prior to the 1994 World Cup a station where I live broadcast old World Cup Finals and I had the opportunity to tape the 1966-1986 Finals and had the chance to see some matches prior to 1974 which I had never seen before. My favorite game from those Finals is the 1974 one between West Germany and Holland. Just wonderful speed, technique and passing from both teams and I honestly think that West German team was underrated and is one of the greatest World Cup champions of all time. I know the Dutch won much praise in 1974 for their play but Germany were very worthy champions then. I just wish I could also see some more of that 1972 European Championship team Germany had as watching Netzer play is always a privilege. |
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| Martin | May 24 2008, 10:10 AM Post #13 |
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You have to give the Czechs a lot of credit in 1976, in the semifinals they beat the then World Cup runner up Holland 3-1 after extra time and then won the final over the current European and World Cup champions West Germany on penalties. This link shows the lineups of the teams the Czechs beat on the way to their title: http://www.rsssf.com/tables/76e.html The Dutch still had Cruyff, Rensenbrink, Neeskens and Krol while West Germany had Beckenbauer, Vogts, Maier and Hoeness (but no Gerd Muller nor either Netzer or Overath.) Because the Eastern Bloc nations didn't permit their players to play in Western Europe then, many fans only saw that Czech team in these European championships but their accomplishment in winning the 1976 title (and note they eliminated England in the qualifying stages for that tournament too) was noteworthy. But curiously like so many future upstarts who would win the European title- Denmark 1992 and Greece 2004, the Czechs also failed to qualify for the following World Cup even though they were the European title holders! |
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| raconteur | May 24 2008, 11:28 AM Post #14 |
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Isn't that a curious phenomenon? I suppose you could say it shows the beauty of a tournament where an unlikely team like the Czechs in 1976, the Danes in 1992 and the Greeks in 2004 surprise the odds and win a major championship. But it also is a sign that the best overall team doesn't always win the title. Look at nations like West Germany, European champions in 1972, World Cup champions in 1974, World Cup quarterfinalists 1978, Euro runner up in 1976; Holland World Cup runner up in 1974 and 1978 and Euro semifinalists in 1976 and Poland Olympic champions in 1972, Olympic runner up in 1976, World Cup semifinalists in 1974 and quarterfinalists in 1978, these were the dominant national teams in Europe in the mid 1970's yet it was the Czechs who didn't compete in either the 1974 or 1978 World Cups who won the European title in 1976. That has to qualify as a major upset. |
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| historyman | May 25 2008, 06:03 AM Post #15 |
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The final stages of the 1980 European Championships were held in Italy. They were the first to feature the modern day format of group stages and final all in the same country. In truth, the quality of football on display was quite poor. The tournament is more often remembered for England's football hooligans going on the rampage than for the action on the field. In fact, some might recall England's match against Belgium being temporarily halted after tear gas drifted from the terraces across the pitch, affecting the players. There were some memorable moments though. Ray Wilkins scored a wonderful goal in that same match against Belgium, Bernd Schuster was the star of the tournament with his astonishing midfield displays, and Belgium surprised everyone by reaching the final where they lost 2-1 to West Germany. Looking down the team list of the two finalists, it reads like a ''Who's who of 80's greats". It was a great shame that Schuster retired from the national team so early, but look at some of the other legends on display. Karl Heinz Rumminigge was my idol when I was a kid, and I also have fond memories of watching Belgium's Jan Ceulemans in action. Anybody else have memories of this tournament or its players? |
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