THE OFFICIAL FILM OF THE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The summer of 1980 and all eyes turned to Italy for it was there that the culminating games of the European Football Championships took place. Over the previous three seasons preliminary group games had been played to provide seven finalists - surprise qualifiers proved to be Greece who topped Hungary and Russia in Group 6, other group winners followed form. So it was that England (Group 1), Belgium (Group 2), Spain (Group 3), Holland (Group 4), Czechoslovakia (Group 5) and West Germany (Group 7) lined up with host country Italy for eleven days of intense competition. Divided into two groups each team played the others once on a league basis. England were in what was considered the toughest draw with Italy, Spain and outsiders Belgium, whilst favorites and winners of the last two finals West Germany were opposed by Holland, Czechoslovakia and Greece. Day One Wednesday 11th June and the opening game held in the Olympic Stadium Rome between West Germany and the Czechs proved to be a cautious and dour affair, the teams separated only by a Rummenigge (West Germany) goal. In Naples Stadio Santo Paulo the same day Holland played Greece and also returned a 1-0 score after a bizarre penalty incident involving the Greek goalkeeper and a Dutch winger. Day Two Thursday 12th June and the action moved to the Stadio Communale Turin and England's opening game against Belgium. A Wilkins goal gave England a first half lead but then the incident for which the game will, unfortunately, always be remembered - the crowd riot. Belgium squared the game through Ceulemans. That evening at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium Milan, Italy and Spain played out a goal-less draw although Zamora hit the underside of the Italian crossbar. Day Three Saturday 14th June and Naples witnesses a 'thriller' between West Germany and Holland. Alloffs put Germany into a two goal lead before Rep pulled one back. Alloffs completed his hat-trick after an error by Schrijvers the Dutch goalkeeper. Holland came back again with a goal by Van de Kerkhof but it was not enough. Day Five Sunday 15th and the game all Italy had awaited, that against England. Played in a tense atmosphere in Milan the outcome was resolved by a second half goal from Tardelli after a piercing run by Graziani. Belgium after a surprise two-one win over Spain in Milan went on to play Italy for a place in the final. A bruising game in Rome ended in a 0-0 draw enough to give Belgium the point they needed to qualify. So it was that on Sunday 22nd June West Germany lined up for their third successive European Championship Cup Final against Belgium in Rome's Olympic Stadium. A goal by Hrubesch in each half was only answered by a disputed penalty scored by Van de Eycken. So the Henri Delaunay Cup returned to West Germany.