Domergue: We 'felt the crowd pushing us forward'
Monday, June 23, 2014
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"Complete relief, a striking memory," said Jean-François Domergue as he recalled France's dramatic UEFA European Championship semi-final win 30 years ago today.
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Jean-François Domergue, scorer of two goals in France's semi-final victory against Portugal 30 years ago, reflects on that memorable evening in Marseille.
Domergue had put the 1984 UEFA European Championship hosts in front, but Rui Jordão equalised and then gave the Portuguese the lead in extra time. Domergue struck back once more, before talismanic captain Michel Platini's 119th-minute winner sent the Stade Vélodrome into raptures and put Les Bleus into the showpiece.
"We felt the crowd pushing us forward; we felt that," recalls Domergue. "You couldn't determine where they really were, but we felt pockets of people around us who seemed to be behind us, supporting us. That's what's great.
"[For the winner] Luis [Fernández] gives it to Jean Tigana; Jean Tigana bursts through. He crosses to Michel who, with little time but great concentration, has the composure not to shoot immediately but to control it. I think with the goalkeeper and two or three defenders there, he managed to put it exactly where he needed to. That made it 3-2 and it was complete relief. It's a striking memory."
View the video above for the full Domergue interview.
