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. 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) | |
|---|---|
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| 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) |
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 edit
The qualifying round was played throughout 1974 and 1975 (group phase) and 1976 (quarter-finals). There were eight qualifying groups of four teams each. The matches were played in a home-and-away basis. Victories were worth two points, draws one point, and defeats no points. Only group winners qualified for the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals were played in two legs on a home-and-away basis. The winners of the quarter-finals would go through to the final tournament. This was the first time the Soviet Union did not qualify for the finals tournament.
- Quarterfinal Play Offs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslavia
|
3–1 |  Wales
|
2–0 | 1–1 |
| Czechoslovakia
|
4–2 |  Soviet Union
|
2–0 | 2–2 |
Spain 
|
1–3 | West Germany
|
1–1 | 0–2 |
| Netherlands
|
7–1 |  Belgium
|
5–0 | 2–1 |
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 | |
|
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Squads edit
Match 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 edit
Goalscorers edit
There 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