At the UEFA Euro 1976 a penalty shoot-out was required to decide the final for the first time, Antonín Panenka applied a 'coup de grace' never to be forgotten.
The match was played at Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade, on 20 June 1976, it was contested by Czechoslovakia and West Germany in German, the match is known as the night from Belgrade.
After extra time, the result was 2–2, and so the first penalty shootout in a European Championships final ensued.
Euro 1976 final in Belgrade. Source: Dailymail
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The first seven kicks were converted, until West Germany's fourth penalty taker, Uli Hoeneß, ballooned his shot over the bar.
With the score 4–3, Antonín Panenka stepped up under immense pressure to take the fifth Czechoslovakian penalty, to win the match. German goalkeeper Sepp Maier dived to his left, while Panenka chipped the ball straight in the middle of the net.
The sheer cheek of the goal led a watching French journalist to dub Panenka "a poet", and to this day his winning kick is one of the most famous ever, making Panenka's name synonymous with that particular style of penalty kick.
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Source: Sports.naija.ng
ROSY CREST
Thursday, 14 December 2017