The final. It had all needed for a final – one team was obvious and expected favourite, which did not disappoint so far. The other was surprising team, which came as an outsider, but impressed by getting stronger and stronger. Weather added to the tensions: it was very hot in Rome – the temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius. News from team-camps increased the heat. Tensions in the German team surfaced. Magath was not happy at all – he said that he is better than those chosen to play and he will no longer be available for the national team because of that. Sounded like open rebellion just before the most important game. And also the ugly specter of the aftermath of 1974 raised its head: back then
Netzer and Breitner refused to play for the national team. Magath’s club team-mate Hrubesch added fire too: ‘Good we have to play against Belgium with their tall and physical defense. Derwall will not be a fool to leave me on the bench.’ Did not sound very flattering opinion of the coach. Del’Haye, not a starter anyway, sounded strangely happy to stay out of the final: ‘Today’s football is getting more and more brutal. It becomes just a matter of stronger bones.’ It sounded as if he is happy to save his for his new club, Bayern. It also sounded as a veiled criticism of Derwall chosing Allofs and not Del’Haye. The players were not alone and not entirely out of the mark: ever since Gerd Muller stopped played for West Germany center-forwards were under close scrutiny and found deficient. Hansi Muller was often criticized for his play too. But it was one thing outsiders to be critical and quite another insiders to voice their unhappiness: it meant trouble. Just hours before the final it looked like a big trouble.
Trouble in the Belgian camp was different. Once again the ‘unprofessional’ conduct of the Belgians was made public – the West German magazine ‘Bild’ run a new batch of scandalous photos of the Belgians lazily smoking and drinking along with their coach. Their reaction to the photos was even more scandalous: Walter Meeuws just laughed and dismissed the whole thing. “’Bild’ came here to take a look at us, saw our camp is no military barracks and felt offended. In one word – Germans.” Guy Thys preferred to address different critical points: ‘Against England we used zonal defense and the off-side trap. Against Italy we used Italian tactics. There is no problem at all – if we have to attack, we will attack.’ It was not a mere hint – it was already observed that Belgium used specific tactic for every opponent. West Germany was open team, so apparently Belgium was going to fight them in midfield in the same manner. The only question was was Belgium capable of attacking football – many were skeptical and thought Thys was talking nonsense.
The match started fulfilling bits of what was said before it: Magath was not a starter again. Hrubesch was. The West Germans were tense and careful. Belgium – a bit sluggish, perhaps because of the beer in their stomachs. West Germany pressed and pushed ahead – and what Thys feared most happened: an early goal. Schuster started dangerous attack and Hrubesch finished it. 1-0. Belgium responded in perhaps unexpected way – it neither moved blindly in attacks, nor stayed back defensively waiting for counter-attacking opportunity. Instead, van Moer took full reigns of the team and slowly, almost unnoticed, started to increase the tempo, taking possession of the central zone and build attacks. At first it did not work – Stielike, Kaltz, and Briegel became the players most involved, that is, the defensive players of Germany, not the creative Schuster and Muller. But those involved were versatile and capable of conducting attacks. The Belgian effort to press Germany back almost backfired – twice Rummenigge and once Schuster missed chances to score in the first half. On the other hand, Belgium had no scoring opportunity in the first half.
Jan Ceulemans seems formidable, but very alert Dietz is ready to tackle, determined to take possession of the ball. Hrubesh comes from behind, ready to help or to get a pass from Dietz and rush toward the Belgian net again. The picture of the first half – Germany was slightly stronger and more dangerous. If not for excellent save by Pfaff, the result would have been 2-0 – Allofs had a good chance and his shot was deadly on target.
In the second half Belgium increased the tempo, took the initiative at last, and dominated for good 20 minutes. The Germans were also unlucky – Briegel injured himself and was replaced by Cullmann. This change looked like fulfillment of the dark thoughts of every enemy of Derwall: back to the ugly pragmatic game. Back to the struglle, to the tackling, to the relentless pressing of the opponent, back to killing creativity and keeping minimal advantage by crushing under Prussian boot. It looked like Derwall had no answer to Belgian domination and desperately tries to keep the result with defensive play. And it did not work! Belgium pushed forward and got a penalty. There was no doubt hat Stielike fouled Rene Vandereycken. And it was crystal clear that it was a professional foul – the ugly pragmatic German invention, which spread as a plague in the 1980s: when in trouble, just bring down the opponent. The very reason rules were changed in the 1990s – today Stielike will be send off automatically. Back in 1980 there was no even yellow card. The only punishment was a penalty – which was not a penalty at all: a slow replay after the match showed that Stielike fouled Vandereycken outside the penalty area, but it was very close and the referee was hardly to be blamed for his mistake. Vandereycken stepped in and scored. 1-1 in the 72nd minute. It looked like West Germany was going to lose. Belgium missed chances in 74th and 80th minutes.
Although it looks like Germany was in desperate defense on paper, it was not so: both teams attacked, only Belgium slightly dominated the game in the second half. But the effort was too much for physically weaker Belgians and they started to look tired. As ever, the Germans were fresher and stronger in the last minutes than their opponents. That was perhaps the decisive factor. A minute before the end of the match Rummenigge placed the ball in front of the Belgian net from a corner-kick. Millekamps and Meeuws were slow to react. Hrubesch was not. He was no Gerd Muller – he was big, strong, English type center-forward, deadly in the air. His header was unstoppable.
Hrubesch just fired the ball towards the net. 2-1. German journalists roared in the Press-center ‘Das Ungeheuer schlug zu!’ There was no time for Belgian response. The match was more than entertaining and there was no grief that the Germans won it by their not always loved specialty – goal at the very end of the game.
Dietz and Hrubesch happy with European Cup. Deserving champions, no doubt. Just picture too – two of the ‘unflashy’ players. To a point, a warning for the future… Not stars, but ‘workers’ win trophies. But who can blame them? Dietz captained the new European champions and monster-looking Hrubesch made them champions.
Coaches were good-natured, polite, and generous after the game. Thys said he cannot blame his team for losing at the very end and is happy with the achievement. Derwall acknowledged that the opponent was dangerous and he feared for the outcome. He was glad the final was entertaining. This was more than after-match politeness. Thys considered – and said so earlier – his team still in building phase. To be ripe in the next two years or so. Derwall was aware of criticism, tensions, and problems. He found the right blend slowly and it was not even complete – there was quite a lot to be done in the future.
Apart from feeling sorry for the underdog, Belgium was rightly second. They were a bit weaker than the champions. But it was well-deserved silver – the ‘Red Devils’ came as outsiders. They had excellent tournament and became the most talked about team. They very little to be champions, but it was objective limitation of which coach and players were well aware of . They lost the final, but without blemish and were the most successful Belgian national squad in history. More than silver medals would have been a matter of sheer luck, not ability.
Triumphal European champions. West Germany was the team most deserving to win. Character was never lacking, but this team showed similarity with the great team of the early 1970s – they were able to play, not just to run. As a whole, West Germany was bit stronger than Belgium – their victory left no bitter taste in the mouth.