The Euro 1980 final between West Germany and Belgium gave fans a thrilling and dramatic performance. With decisive goals from Horst Hrubesch, West Germany won 2-1 and became the champions of Europe for the second time in history.
The Euro 1980 final took place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in front of 73,603 spectators. From the first minutes, West Germany played with determination and created many dangerous opportunities. They scored the opening goal in the 10th minute thanks to striker Horst Hrubesch. He launched a beautiful volley, sending the ball into the far corner of the Belgian goal after a pass from Bernd Schuster.
However, Belgium did not easily surrender. They played fiercely and created many difficulties for West Germany’s defense. Their efforts were rewarded in the 75th minute, when René Vandereycken equalized 1-1 on a penalty after François Van der Elst was fouled in the box.
With only 2 minutes left in the match, it seemed that both teams would have to go into overtime. But then, a moment of brilliance occurred. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge delivered a perfect corner and Horst Hrubesch rushed in to head the ball into the Belgian net, sealing a 2-1 victory for West Germany.
This victory helped West Germany become the champions of Europe for the second time in history, after the first time in 1972. It was also the last major title that the golden generation of West German football won before many players retired from international career.
Speaking after the match, striker Horst Hrubesch, the hero of West Germany with a double goal, shared: “It’s great to win the European championship for the second time. It’s a special moment for me and the whole team.”
Meanwhile, Belgian midfielder René Vandereycken expressed regret: “We are disappointed to lose the final, but we can be proud of our performance. We played a good match and were unlucky to lose in overtime.”
The Euro 1980 final closed a successful tournament for West Germany. This victory not only brought the second championship title, but also affirmed the strength of West German football.
UEFA Euro 1960 to 2021 with 16 editions and 10 championship countries
Germany 3 times Euro champions (1972 – 1980 – 1996)
Spain 3 times Euro champions (1964 – 2008 – 2012)
France 2 times Euro champions (1984 – 2000)
Italy 2 times Euro champions (1968 – 2020)
Soviet Union won the Euro 1960 championship
Czechoslovakia won the Euro 1976 championship
Netherlands won the Euro 1988 championship
Denmark won the Euro 1992 championship
Greece won the Euro 2004 championship
Portugal won the Euro 2016 championship
With the participation of the strongest European teams according to the FIFA rankings on 15/02/2024 such as France (2) – England (3) – Belgium (4) – Netherlands (6) – Portugal (7) – Spain (8) – Italy (9) – Croatia (10) and bright stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku to promising young talents, Euro 2024 promises to bring high-quality and dramatic matches.
EURO 2024 will take place in Germany from 14/6 to 14/7/2024 in 10 cities in Germany with 24 participating teams. The teams are divided into 6 groups to select the first and second teams in each group, and the 4 third-placed teams with the best performance get a ticket to the knock-out round. The opening match is held on 14/6 between host Germany and Scotland.
Detailed Euro 2024 groups:
Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
Group C: England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia
Group D: Poland, France, Netherlands, Austria
Group E: Slovakia, Romania, Belgium, Ukraine
Group F: Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, Georgia
Topics: West Germany, Belgium, Horst Hrubesch, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, René Vandereycken, Euro 1980, Stadio Olimpico, Franz Beckenbauer
