In a thrilling and tense final, West Germany demonstrated superior strength to defeat the Soviet Union 3-0, convincingly claiming the Euro 1972 championship. Outstanding performances by stars such as Gerd Müller and Franz Beckenbauer contributed to a historic victory for “Die Mannschaft”.
On June 18, 1972, Brussels’ Heysel Stadium in Belgium witnessed the Euro 1972 final between two of Europe’s football giants at the time: West Germany and the Soviet Union. The match was tense from the early minutes with fierce disputes. West Germany created many dangerous opportunities, but Soviet goalkeeper Yevhen Rudkov made some miraculous saves.
However, West Germany’s continuous pressure was finally rewarded in the 27th minute. From Franz Beckenbauer’s pass, Günter Netzer launched a dangerous low shot, causing the ball to hit the crossbar. In an effort to block, Yuriy Istomin headed the ball to Jupp Heynckes, creating an opportunity for Gerd Müller to shoot and score the first goal, making it 1-0.
The turning point of the match came at the 52nd minute when Murtaz Khurtsilava made a mistake in controlling the ball, creating an opportunity for Herbert Wimmer to score and increase the score to 2-0 for West Germany. Just six minutes later, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck broke into the Soviet Union penalty area before being chased by Khurtsilava. However, the ball reached Müller, who didn’t miss the opportunity to secure a 3-0 victory.
After the match, West Germany’s captain Franz Beckenbauer stated: “It is a great day for West German football. We put our all into this tournament and were finally rewarded. West Germany played better and deserved to win.”
On the other hand, Soviet Union captain Anatoli Byshovets admitted: “It is a disappointing day for the Soviet Union. We had opportunities but didn’t capitalize on them. West Germany played better and deserved to win.”
The 3-0 victory over the Soviet Union not only brought West Germany their first Euro championship but also marked the beginning of their era of dominance in continental tournaments. Impressive performances from stars like Gerd Müller (two goals), Franz Beckenbauer (assist), and Günter Netzer (assist) contributed to a memorable final in Euro history.
With their creative attacking style, smooth coordination, and sturdy defense, West Germany deserved to be hailed as the Euro 1972 champions. This victory also boosted “Die Mannschaft’s” morale for even greater successes in the future.
UEFA Euro 1960 to 2021 with 16 tournaments and 10 champion nations
Germany is a three-time Euro champion (1972 – 1980 – 1996)
Spain is a three-time Euro champion (1964 – 2008 – 2012)
France is a two-time Euro champion (1984 – 2000)
Italy is a two-time Euro champion (1968 – 2020)
The Soviet Union won the Euro 1960
Czechoslovakia won the Euro 1976
Netherlands won the Euro 1988
Denmark won the Euro 1992
Greece won the Euro 2004
Portugal won the Euro 2016
With the participation of Europe’s strongest teams according to the FIFA ranking as of February 15, 2024, such as France (2), England (3), Belgium (4), Netherlands (6), Portugal (7), Spain (8), Italy (9), Croatia (10), and promising young talents like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Euro 2024 promises to deliver top-notch and thrilling matches.
EURO 2024 will take place in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024 in 10 German cities with 24 participating teams. The teams are divided into 6 groups to select the top two teams from each group, and the best four third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage. The opening match is scheduled for June 14 between hosts Germany and Scotland.
The 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
Tags: West Germany, Soviet Union, Euro 1972, Gerd Müller, Franz Beckenbauer, Günter Netzer, Yevhen Rudkov, Jupp Heynckes
