1972 European Nations Cup - Belgium

West Germany in full flight

les joueurs de l'équipe de la République Fédérale d'Allemagne brandissent le trophée de la Coupe d'Europe de Football qu'ils viennent de remporter, le 19 juin 1972 à Bruxelles, en battant l'équipe d'URSS.

Two years before lifting the World Cup on home soil, West Germany had also won the Belgian-hosted European nations Cup to become the first ever nation to hold both titles concurrently.

Helmut Schoen's side were not only well-organised, but brilliantly gifted too and their stars Franz Beckenbauer, Gunter Netzer and Gerd Muller absolutely wowed Europe with their style of play, running out deserved and popular winners.

That particular team encompassed two vital elements - discipline and technique - which combined to good effect in a quarter-final which saw England humiliated 3-1 at Wembley.

The three remaining qualifiers were the USSR, Hungary, and Belgium, coached by Raymond Goethals, who eliminated title-holders Italy in the quarter-finals.

Germany stuck to their effective gameplan and booked themselves a place in the final by beating Belgium 2-1 in Antwerp, thanks mainly to a brace of goals from Bayern Munich striker Gerd Muller.

The German machine was brought to life by Monchengladbach's Gunter Netzer, who possessed brilliant technical ability. The tall blond with the size 12 feet proved all the more inspirational in a team which had been practically commandeered by the entire Bayern Munich squad.

A faultless formation

In the other semi-final the force of the Soviets was felt by Hungary (1-0), amid whom the revered Florian Albert was preparing to retire from a long and successful career. The USSR thus showed its prowess by qualifying for its third European nations Cup final in four appearances.

l'avant-centre de RFA Gerd Müller (G) vient d'ouvrir la marque contre le gardien soviétique (D, à terre), lors du match de Coupe d'Europe de Football qu'ils remportent, le 19 juin 1972 à Bruxelles, en battant l'équipe d'URSS 3 buts à 0.

The final was staged in the Heysel stadium, awash with red, black and yellow flags. A new brace of goals was provided by Muller, while a goal from Wimmer only added suspense to an encounter that was effectively a one-way affair.

While hosts Belgium, under the leadership of Paul Van Himst, took third place by beating Hungary 2-1, it was the Germans who affirmed their domination of Europe on the park, with disciplined and faultless performances all around.

Sepp Maier was solid between the sticks, Muller capitalised on every goal opportunity, Paul Breitner was unerring in defence, Netzer proved the true master conductor of the team while Beckenbauer provided faultless and calm displays.

Did you know ? - 1972

Portuguese forward Eusebio (L) and German forward Gerd Mueller pose for photographers during an awards ceremony 20 October 1973 in Paris after receiving respectively the golden and silver shoes for being the best goal scorers in Europe. AFP PHOTO

SUPERSTITION

Gerd Muller wore the number 13 shirt but this only brought bad luck on his opponents. He scored four goals, two against Belgium in the semi-final and two against the USSR in the final.

MANOEUVRES

The Germans chose to fly to their match against Belgium in the semi-final. However they were delayed before take-off as NATO were conducting air exercises near the airport in Frankfurt. For over an hour and a half the German team were stuck waiting on the runway.

(FILES) - Portrait taken 22 May 1970, of Raymond Goethals from Belgium, coach of the national soccer team for the 1970 World Soccer Cup.

BAD FORECAST

Belgium's coach Raymond Goethals thought he had more than a few tricks up his sleeve in order to stem Germany's tide, and above all, Gerd Muller, in the semi final. Goethals declared : "Unless there is total failure, I bet you that Muller will not score against us." 90 minutes later, the bomber had scored two goals.

CROWD

The European nations Cup has not always attracted the crowds. During the 1964 edition in Spain, the matches between national sides were well short of numbers attracted by Barcelona and Real Madrid. During the 1972 tournament, the Belgians were watched with what must now stand as a record low for a semi-final (against Hungary) of a major competition : a few thousand spectators in Anderlecht stadium.

INVASION

A few minutes before the full-time whistle during the final featuring West Germany-USSR, hundreds of supporters ran onto the pitch and began lining up on the touchline. Some even ran on to the field, prompting German goalkeeper, Sepp Maier, to reprimand one and to grab a flag held by another. At the final whistle the West German players had to run to the tunnel to escape their own fans.