In 1976, Czechoslovakia clinched their first European Championship title by defeating West Germany in the final after a dramatic penalty shootout. Antonín Panenka created one of football’s most iconic moments during the spot kicks.
The final in Belgrade began explosively for Czechoslovakia. Early goals from Jan Švehlík and Karol Dobiaš in the 8th and 25th minutes gave them a strong lead. West Germany responded in the 28th minute with a goal by Dieter Müller, and just before the end of regular time, Bernd Hölzenbein equalized for the Germans, forcing the game into extra time and eventually to penalties.
Originally, penalty kicks weren’t part of the plan. If the match ended in a draw, a replay was scheduled for two days later. However, a few hours before the match, the plan was unexpectedly altered.
“The request came from the German Football Association. They mentioned that their players had already booked vacations and asked if we could go straight to penalties instead of having a replay,” Panenka recalls.
Czechoslovakia agreed, reasoning that their chances of winning were better in a penalty shootout than in a rematch.
Panenka had spent two years perfecting his unique penalty technique. After training sessions with his Prague club Bohemians, he and goalkeeper Zdeněk Hruška would stay behind to practice penalties. Panenka had to score all five of his shots, while Hruška only needed to save one. The loser would have to buy beer or chocolate after training.
“I was always the one paying,” Panenka admits.
“That’s why I started thinking of new ways to beat him. I realized that as I approached the ball, the goalkeeper would wait until the last second before guessing and diving either left or right. I thought, ‘What if I just send the ball almost directly down the middle?'”
Panenka began experimenting with this technique, testing it first in training, then in friendly matches, and finally, a month before Euro 1976, in a competitive game against local rival Dukla Prague.
“In Czechoslovakia, people knew about it. But in Western countries, in the top footballing nations, no one paid attention to Czechoslovak football,” Panenka recalls.
When the final came, Czechoslovakia took the first penalty. Uli Hoeneß was the fourth player for West Germany to take his shot, and up until then, all the penalties had been successfully converted. Hoeneß became the first player to miss. If Panenka scored, the championship would go to Czechoslovakia.
Facing goalkeeper Sepp Maier, Panenka took a long and fast run-up. At this crucial moment, he decided to rely on his trusted trick. With a delicate touch, he sent the ball softly towards the center of the goal. Panenka started celebrating even before the ball had crossed the line.
This moment became one of the most legendary in European Championship history, inspiring many players to try and emulate Panenka’s unique penalty technique.
