EURO on this day: 20 June
Thursday, June 20, 2024
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On this day: Sérgio Conceição scored a hat-trick for Portugal against Germany, while Antonín Panenka wrote his name into folklore in 1976.
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Portugal 3-0 Germany
(Sérgio Conceição 35 54 71)
2000 group stage, Rotterdam
A Sérgio Conceição hat-trick earned a largely second-string Portugal side an eye-catching third victory in as many Group A outings to halt Germany's UEFA European Championship defence.
The Lazio man stifled growing German optimism with the opener on 35 minutes, and by the time he completed his haul midway through the second half, even fans of the holders were applauding Portugal's flamboyance. On a day that saw Lothar Matthäus, Thomas Hässler and Ulf Kirsten win landmark caps, Germany's UEFA EURO 2000 campaign came to a disappointing end.
"It was our third game and we were managing the playing time of the guys who had featured the most before then," recalls Portugal forward Nuno Gomes. "Still, we were able to produce a big win against a good Germany side. It gave us the boost in energy which can prove crucial at the EURO."
Czechoslovakia 2-2 West Germany (aet, Czechoslovakia won 5-3 on pens)
(Švehlík 8, Dobiaš 25; D. Müller 28, Hölzenbein 89)
1976 final, Belgrade
Czechoslovakia's moment of glory was assured when Antonín Panenka applied a shoot-out coup de grace that would secure his name in the football lexicon forever, nonchalantly chipping the decisive spot kick down the middle for Václav Ježek's side.
Helmut Schön's West Germany had taken the contest to penalties after clearing their heads from two early setbacks. Ján Švehlík turned in a Zdeněk Nehoda cross and Karol Dobiaš thumped in the second from the edge of the area to put the Czechs in control, but Dieter Müller quickly pulled one back before Bernd Hölzenbein outjumped the goalkeeper to head a dramatic equaliser.
Uli Hoeness blazed over in the shoot-out, allowing Panenka to deliver his unforgettable moment. "If it were patentable, I'd have it patented," he joked.
Other EURO fixtures on 20 June
1964 third-place play-off: Hungary 3-1 Denmark (aet)
1984 group stage: West Germany 0-1 Spain
1984 group stage: Portugal 1-0 Romania
2000 group stage: England 2-3 Romania
2004 group stage: Spain 0-1 Portugal
2004 group stage: Russia 2-1 Greece
2008 quarter-finals: Croatia 1-1 Turkey (aet, Turkey won 3-1 on pens)
2016 group stage: Slovakia 0-0 England
2016 group stage: Russia 0-3 Wales
2020 group stage: Italy 1-0 Wales
2020 group stage: Switzerland 3-1 Turkey
