The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA and the first and only tournament that was held in a socialist state. The final tournament took place between 16 and 20 June 1976.
| Europsko prvenstvo u nogometu Jugoslavija 1976. (in Croatian) Европско првенство во фудбал Jугославиjа 1976 (in Macedonian) Европско првенство у фудбалу Jугославиjа 1976 (in Serbian) Evropsko prvenstvo v nogometu Jugoslavija 1976 (in Slovene) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Yugoslavia |
| Dates | 16–20 June |
| Teams | 4 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Czechoslovakia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  West Germany |
| Third place |  Netherlands |
| Fourth place |  Yugoslavia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Goals scored | 19 (4.75 per match) |
| Attendance | 106,087 (26,522 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Dieter Müller (4 goals) |
← 1972 1980 → | |
Only four countries played in the final tournament, with the tournament consisting of the semi-finals, a third place play-off, and the final. This was the last tournament to have this format, as the tournament was expanded to include eight teams four years later. It was the only time that all four matches in the final tournament were decided after extra time, either on penalties or by goals scored. This was also the last tournament in which the hosts had to qualify for the final stage.
Czechoslovakia won the tournament after defeating holders West Germany in the final on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time. Antonín Panenka gained fame for his delicately chipped penalty, which has since been named after him, to win the penalty shootout and Czechoslovakia's only European Championship title.[1]
Qualification
editThe qualifying round was played in 1974, 1975 (group phase), and 1976 (quarter-finals). There were eight qualifying groups of four teams each, with matches played on a home-and-away basis. The group winners qualified for the quarter-finals, played in two legs, home and away. The winners of the quarter-finals would go through to the final tournament.
This was the first time the Soviet Union failed to qualify for the finals.
Qualified teams
edit| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament[A] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Czechoslovakia |
Quarter-final winner | 22 May 1976 | 1 (1960) |
| Netherlands |
Quarter-final winner | 22 May 1976 | 0 (debut) |
| West Germany |
Quarter-final winner | 22 May 1976 | 1 (1972) |
| Yugoslavia (host) |
Quarter-final winner | 22 May 1976 | 2 (1960, 1968) |
- ^ Bold indicates champion for that year.
Venues
edit| Belgrade | Zagreb | |
|---|---|---|
| Red Star Stadium | Stadion Maksimir | |
| Capacity: 90,000 | Capacity: 55,000 | |
|
|
Squads
editMatch officials
edit| Country | Referee |
|---|---|
 Belgium
|
Alfred Delcourt |
 Italy
|
Sergio Gonella |
 Switzerland
|
Walter Hungerbühler |
 Wales
|
Clive Thomas |
Final tournament
edit
At the final tournament, extra time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.
All times are local, CET (UTC+1).
Bracket
edit| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 16 June – Zagreb | ||||||
| Czechoslovakia (a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||
| 20 June – Belgrade | ||||||
| Netherlands | 1 | |||||
| Czechoslovakia (p) | 2 (5) | |||||
| 17 June – Belgrade | ||||||
| West Germany | 2 (3) | |||||
| Yugoslavia | 2 | |||||
| West Germany (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||
| Third place play-off | ||||||
| 19 June – Zagreb | ||||||
| Netherlands (a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||
| Yugoslavia | 2 | |||||
Semi-finals
edit
Third place play-off
edit| Netherlands | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final
edit| Czechoslovakia | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Report Positions[2] |
|
|
| Penalties | ||
| 5–3 | ||
Statistics
editGoalscorers
editThere were 19 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 4.75 goals per match.
4 goals
2 goals
1 goal
1 own goal
- Anton Ondruš (against Netherlands)
Awards
edit- UEFA Team of the Tournament[3]
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivo Viktor
|
Anton Ondruš Ján Pivarník Ruud Krol Franz Beckenbauer
|
Antonín Panenka Jaroslav Pollák Rainer Bonhof Dragan Džajić
|
Zdeněk Nehoda Dieter Müller
|
References
edit- ^ Smallwood, Jimmy (12 May 2012). "Euro 1976: The year the Welsh Dragon roared again". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ^ Kier 2018, pp. 396–399.
- ^ "1976 team of the tournament". UEFA.com. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
Bibliography
edit- Kier, Richard (2018). The European Championship – A Complete History (Part 1: 1960–1976). Rowanvale Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-9115-6967-1.
External links
edit
- UEFA Euro 1976 at UEFA.com