Europa 80
Europa 80 was the first European Championships to resemble a proper summer tournament with eight teams now initially competing in a group stage, instead of just four in a Semi-final/3&4th play off/Final format. UEFA's decision to expand the finals to eight teams, which had been made back in July 1976, required a host country to be selected before the qualifiers began. No less than six countries offered to stage it - England, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and West Germany. England were one of the final two up for consideration, but at a meeting on 19th October 1977 the tournament organising committee agreed to recommend Italy and this was unanimously approved by UEFA's executive committee in Zurich on 12th November 1977. Regrettably, there would be no semi-finals stage, the two group winners directly progressing to the final which naturally resulted in teams approaching most of the games in an over cautious manner and some countries losing interest earlier than normal. Had UEFA sacrificed the 3rd/4th play off for a Semi-final stage, it would have only required squeezing in one extra fixture, but as it was, the attendance's and TV viewing figures were disappointing and the whole tournament proved to be a huge anti-climax, particularly for England who were competing in the finals of an international tournament for the first time in 10 years. In their opening match, following Belgium's equaliser, England fans began fighting with locals who had taken it upon themselves to gain access to the England end and chant for Belgium. which led to Italian riot police taking the decision to use tear gas which drifted onto the pitch, badly effecting goalkeeper Ray Clemence and holding up the match in which no further goals were scored. The 2nd fixture against the hosts was lost, a result that did at least avoid further hostility being directed at English fans by the locals, but also rendered England's 3rd game against Spain as effectively meaningless.

Commentators / Theme tunes
ITV sent three commentators to Italy, Brian Moore covered the England matches as well as the final* whilst Gerald Sinstadt and Martin Tyler voiced the rest (no Hugh Johns), Ron Atkinson and Terry Venables were the co-commentators. Presenting duties back home were handled by Dickie Davies, other studio personal included Brian Clough, Mick Channon, Ian St. John and Trevor Francis (who was unable to play due to an injury). Presumably ITV commissioned a theme tune to go with a title sequence, but nothing has been seen of it since**.
The BBC's coverage went out under the "International Match of the Day" banner and so they presumably used the familiar MOTD theme tune. The three BBC commentators in Italy were John Motson, Barry Davies and Des Lynam.

*Brian Moore always stayed behind in London in a presenting role during World Cups, so this was his first time commentating on a proper International tournament.
**Could the theme tune have possibly been Jeff Wayne's "Jubilation" as used by The Big Match from the following August? The picture sleeve for the single features an image of England players celebrating a goal, but also states that it is "The theme from The Big Match".

Qualification
The qualifying draw was made on 30th November 1977 in Rome, 32 nations entered with only Albania and Liechtenstein declining to take part. Seven groups would ultimately produce seven group winners to join the hosts. England and the Soviet Union were surprisingly among the seven seeded nations after both countries had failed to qualify for the previous two world cups, but they were chosen by UEFA because of "the importance their football gives to Europe." England were drawn in Group One along with Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Bulgaria and Denmark, none of whom had made it to Argentina '78. Temporary England manager Ron Greenwood said; "We want our backsides kicking if we don't get through this time." Group Two saw unseeded Scotland paired up with Belgium (the seeded team), Austria, Portugal and Norway, whilst Wales were in Group Seven with West Germany, Turkey and Malta. Back on 9th July 1976, following the crowd trouble at Wales' last Euro's match (the QF home leg v Yugoslavia in May), it had been announced that UEFA had banned the Welsh from taking part in Europa 80, but on 18th October 1976 the ban was reduced to forbidding them from playing home games at Ninian Park.

By the time the qualifiers were due to begin, Ron Greenwood had been given the England job full-time and he guided the team to the finals with ease, winning all but one of the eight group matches. Johnny Giles' Republic of Ireland were the sole nation able to take a point against England (with a draw in Dublin). England had some good friendly results during this period also, beating the current World Cup holders Argentina 3-1 at Wembley as well as winning 2-0 in Spain and recording a third successive victory against Scotland in the Home Internationals in 1980.
Despite finishing 2nd in England's group, Northern Ireland's manager Danny Blanchflower quit after their final fixture, which was a home win over the Republic of Ireland after the historic first ever meeting of the two Irish nations in Dublin had ended on a goalless draw.
Scotland's opening match in Austria proved to be Ally MacLeod's last as the manager and he was replaced by Jock Stein for what was to be his 2nd spell in charge, but the Scots finished next to bottom of their group, largely due to poor away form. Mike Smith's Wales never had much hope of topping a group including West Germany, but to finish 3rd behind Turkey was disappointing.
Elsewhere, Spain topped Group Three ahead of Yugoslavia despite losing to them at home. Poland took three out of four possible points off the Dutch in Group Four, but it was the Netherlands who ultimately came out on top. Czechoslovakia saw off the challenge of France and Sweden in Group Five and a closely fought Group Six ended with only 2 points separating top from bottom, Greece taking 1st place whilst the Soviet Union failed to take advantage of their seeding - Unable to beat either Hungary or Finland, they finished in last place.
 

British TV coverage of Europa 80

Qualifiers & Friendlies

Wed 20/Sep/1978    Denmark 3 (Simonsen(pen), Arnesen, Røntved) England 4 (Keegan 2, Latchford, Neal)
Qualifier in Copenhagen
BBC Highlights
Barry Davies
*BBC1 showed highlights on "Sportsnight" at 10:15-11:15pm. Kevin Keegan struck a post early in the game but England were soon ahead, Lund gave away a free-kick on the edge of the box on 17 and then lost Keegan who raced and leapt to meet Brooking's ball in from the right to head in for 1-0. On 23 Brooking took another free-kick, won by Dave Watson in the box who nodded it into the path of Keegan to score again with a diving header, 2-0. Almost immediately Denmark won a penalty at the other end. Having had an earlier penalty claim turned down, there was never any chance of Phil Neal getting away with a clumsy challenge and the resulting spot-kick was scored by Allan Simonsen despite Ray Clemence diving the right way. Minutes later, on 28, Denmark were level - a good run by Jorgen Kristensen who then slipped the ball through to Frank Arnesen who squeezed through between the defenders and prodded the ball past the advancing Clemence. It was still 2-2 at HT but England restored their lead early in the 2nd half when Brooking floated an inviting ball in from the left on 50, Keegan lunged at it which distracted the keeper and Bob Latchford came in at the far post to bundle it in, the Danes complaining he'd done so with the use of an arm, 3-2. A Ray Wilkins effort then hit the woodwork before England appeared to have made the win safe on 85 when Phil Neal robbed Birger Jensen who was in the process of collecting a ball from his keeper, Neal then raced toward goal and blasted in a shot from wide on the right, but Denmark scored again straight from the re-start - Per Røntved controlling a cross to the edge of the box and beating Clemence with a fine half-volley into the roof of the net. Manager Ron Greenwood said afterwards; "I've always been an advocate of attacking and entertaining football, but this was taking it to extremes. The object of football is to score goals, I don't think anyone could go away from here saying they hadn't enjoyed it. I'm sure it is what the public want to see."

Wed 20/Sep/1978    Austria 3 (Pezzey, Schachner, Kreuz) Scotland 2 (McQueen, Gray)
Qualifier in Vienna
BBC SCOTLAND LIVE
Archie MacPherson
*LIVE in Scotland only on BBC1's "European Sportscene" from 6:45-9:00pm. Scotland found themselves 3-0 down after 64 minutes, Austria had hit the bar on 13 before taking the lead on 27 through a magnificent left foot half-volley from the edge of the box by Pezzey after a free-kick had been half-cleared by the head of Martin Buchan. Scotland almost equalised when Asa Hartford saw his effort cleared off the line, but early in the 2nd half it was 2-0 when Schachner scored with a fierce drive from wide on the right. Kreuez then saw his 64th minute shot go in off the post for 3-0. Scotland reduced the arrears back to two goals almost immediately, Gordon McQueen heading in a free-kick swung in from the left by Willie Donachie, and they were right back in it on 77 when Andy Gray headed in at point-blank range from a corner, but despite a valiant finish the Scots could not find an equaliser and this match proved to be Ally MacLeod's last game as manager.

Wed 20/Sep/1978    Republic of Ireland 0 Northern Ireland 0
Qualifier in Dublin
ULSTER LIVE
*This historic first ever meeting between the Republic and Northern Ireland was shown live on Ulster Television at 2:40-4:55pm and the same channel showed highlights at 6:20-7:30pm. It was also live on BBC1 in Northern Ireland only at 2:40-5:00pm, they too showed highlights at 8:00-9:00pm (as well as "Sportsnight" from England at 10:15pm). RTE in the Republic showed live coverage at 2:50-4:55pm, though a riggers strike had threatened to black the match out (highlights on RTE went out at 10:30-11:15pm). The most eagerly awaited contest in Ireland for years sadly turned out to be a total non-event, the Republic player-manager Johnny Giles - who ended up being booed by some of the home fans - admitted "We were scratchy all through and never got our game together."  Northern Ireland boss Danny Blanchflower said afterwards that it was "the perfect political result."

Wed 25/Oct/1978    Republic of Ireland 1 (Daly) England 1 (Latchford)
Qualifier at Dalymount Park, Dublin
ITV Highlights
Brian Moore
*"Mid-week Sports Special" showed highlights at 10:45pm-12:25am, the programme also included Gymnastics and highlights of Wales v Malta, possibly Scotland v Norway too. RTE in Ireland showed the match LIVE from 2:45-4:55pm (highlights at 10:31-11:10pm). Bob Latchford gave England the lead on 8 by heading in a deep corner from Trevor Brooking. Another corner 3 minutes later saw Steve Coppell smash a shot against the crossbar and on 19 England might have had a penalty when Kevin Keegan was hauled back by the scruff of the neck by Mark Lawrenson. Ireland equalised on 27, Liam Brady sent in a diagonal free-kick and Gerry Daly was on the end of it to make it 1-1. Both sides had good chances to add a 2nd goal, Don Givens missed an open goal for the Irish and Trevor Brooking failed after being put clean through and saw another effort cleared off the line, as did Coppell. Ireland also had a goal ruled out when Gerry Ryan put the ball into the net after Ray Clemence had been felled by Frank Stapleton. Ron Greenwood said afterwards; "We were happy to get a point away from home, that's what really matters, but all credit to the Irish. They came back when we were a bit unsettled having lost Dave Watson. After half-time we settled down... we proved we are not negative or boring."

Wed 25/Oct/1978    Wales 7 (O'Sullivan, Edwards 4, Thomas, Flynn) Malta 0
Qualifier at Wrexham
ITV Highlights
Bob Symonds
*Included on "Midweek Sports Special". Wales wore their change all yellow strip at home for this fixture. Sub Peter O'Sullivan, replacing the injured Cartwright, headed Wales ahead from a corner with his first touch on 19, Chester striker Ian Edwards then scored twice on 20 and 45 (also both from corners) to give the Welsh a 3-0 HT lead. Edwards scored twice more early in the 2nd half on 48 (a glancing header at the end of a cross) and 51 (from close range) to make it 5-0, Mickey Thomas got the sixth goal on 71 and finally Brian Flynn finished a Thomas cross to make it 7-0 on 82. It was Wales' biggest win for 90 years. Mike Smith said afterwards; "We did enough to gave got double figures. This has put us in great spirits for our next European match against Turkey."

Wed 25/Oct/1978    Scotland 3 (Dalglish 2, Gemmill(pen)) Norway 2 (Aas, Økland)
Qualifier at Hampden
SCOTTISH & GRAMPIAN Highlights
Arthur Montford
*STV & Grampian probably had their own presentation rather than relaying "Mid-week Sport Special" from London. This was Jock Stein's first match back in charge, but Scotland made the worst possible start when in the 3rd minute Einar Jan Aas headed in a deep corner to give Norway (in all white) the lead, Kenny Dalglish equalised on 30 heading in Asa Hartford's ball in from the left, but in the 2nd half Arne Larsen Økland restored the visitors lead on 64 with a diving header that squeezed a cross by Mathieson from the right in-between the keeper and the near post. Andy Gray then hit a post and Johnansen struck the Scottish crossbar at the other end before Dalglish was at the end of a nod-down to edge of the 6 yard area on 81 to score again for 2-2. Scotland won a late penalty on 87 when Arthur Graham was sent flying in the area by a late lunge, Archie Gemmill placed the resulting spot kick into the bottom left corner of the goal. James Stewart made his 2nd and final appearance in goal.

Wed 25/Oct/1978    Northern Ireland 2 (Spence, Anderson) Denmark 1 (Jensen)
Qualifier in Belfast
?ITV Highlights?
*According to the Irish Times, RTE were scheduled to include highlights of this match alongside the Republic of Ireland v England, so presumably UTV covered it for inclusion on "Midweek Sports Special". The home side had two goals disallowed in the first half and Morgan also had a header cleared off the line. On 51 Henning Jensen of Real Madrid volleyed in a cross from the right to give Denmark (wearing change white shirts) the lead. Sub Derek Spence of 3rd division Blackpool equalised on 63 having time to control a free-kick dropped into the box before firing in - but he then had to hobble off after only being on the field for 12 minutes, he was replaced by another 3rd division player - Trevor Anderson of Peterborough - and it was he who headed in a late winner on 85. Manager Danny Blanchflower said afterwards; "We're now in with a shout to qualify, we've raised the hopes of everyone and we could be in it at the death. At one time I was prepared to settle for the draw but I'm delighted that the team fought back and gave us the win we deserved."

Wed 29/Nov/1978    England 1 (Coppell) Czechoslovakia 0
Friendly match at Wembley
Brian Moore
*ITV had a "Mid-week Sports Special" at 10:30-11:40pm, but a strike by technicians at Thames apparently prevented this game from being shown. Defender Viv Anderson made his debut, becoming the first black player to win an England cap. On a freezing cold night and a dusting of snow partially covering the frozen pitch, Steve Coppell scored the only goal of the game on 69 minutes after the Czech keeper had allowed a cross from Tony Currie to slip from his grasp. Peter Shilton had to be in top form to keep the current European champions out at the other end, especially in the first half. Ron Greenwood summed up; "They played all the football, we got the result."

Wed 29/Nov/1978    Wales 1 (Deacy) Turkey 0
Qualifier at Wrexham
ITV Highlights
Hugh Johns
*Unable to show the England game, ITV networked the Wales match instead but missed the only goal, headed in by Nick Deacy on 70 minutes, as they were showing a replay of the Turkish keeper making a save as Wales scored. BBC Wales had a film camera at the match and the  following night the "Wales Today" presenter John Darren couldn't keep a straight face as he introduced the local news "...and in sport, we have exclusive coverage of Wales's winning goal against Turkey." Mike Smith said after the match; "It took us a long time to break Turkey's solid defensive wall, but the lads did it and in the end got their just reward. We are now in a good position at the top of the table and putting pressure on our chief rivals West Germany."

Wed 29/Nov/1978    Portugal 1 (Fonseca) Scotland 0
Qualifier in Lisbon
BBC SCOTLAND LIVE
Archie MacPherson
*BBC1 in Scotland showed this LIVE from 9:25-11:15pm with analysis from Denis Law, the actual match was shown in black & white as Portugal didn't begin producing programmes in colour until September 1979. Alberto Fonseca scored the only goal on 28 with a great shot. Portugal also hit the woodwork before half-time. Scotland went close when Gordon McQueen had a header cleared off the line on 70 and put in a strong finish, but they could not find the equalising goal. Martin Buchan played his last game for Scotland on 34 caps, sub Willie Donachie also made his last appearance on 35 caps.

Wed 29/Nov/1978    Bulgaria 0 Northern Ireland 2 (Armstrong, Caskey)
Qualifier in Sofia
*Just a report was shown of this match on NI regional news. In the pouring rain Gerry Armstrong put the Irish ahead on 17 taking advantage of a mix up between keeper and defender. The Irish thought they had scored a 2nd on 58 when a Martin O'Neill lob appeared to drop over the line off the underside of the bar, but it was not given. Billy Caskey sealed the win at the end of a corner on 83. Northern Ireland manager Danny Blanchflower declared; "This was the finest performance since I took over as manager. We could have won by four goals. I came here with an open mind about tactics and realised we didn't have to defend."

Wed 07/Feb/1979    England 4 (Keegan, Latchford 2, Watson) Northern Ireland 0
Qualifier at Wembley
ITV LIVE
Brian Moore
*LIVE coverage under the "Mid-week Sports Special" banner at 7:30-9:30pm. England went ahead on 24 when Kevin Keegan headed in Steve Coppell's cross from the right. Keegan turned provider for the 2nd, crossing for Bob Latchford to head in on 46. Another header made it 3-0 on 49 with Dave Watson at the end of a corner by Trevor Brooking and a similar situatin led to the 4th goal on 63, Bob Latchford this time getting his 2nd for 4-0. Kevin Keegan said afterwards; "It inspires me coming back to play for England, I love it. I can't describe how much." Danny Blanchflower said; ""If we'd had Keegan on our side we might have nipped it. He had a good spell - that's what won England the game. He is fast and that's a great asset. He also puts pressure on the middle defenders." Irish striker Sammy McIlroy felt his side should have had at least one of two penalty appeals given at 1-0 down; "The second occasion was definitely a penalty. Clemence made no attempt to play the ball, he just brought me down when I was in a position to score. A goal then could have changed the whole complexion of the game."

Wed 02/May/1979    Wales 0 West Germany 2 (Zimmermann, Fischer)
Qualifier at Wrexham
BBC Highlights
John Motson
*BBC1 "Sportsnight" 10:06-11:33pm. Herbert Zimmermann put the West Germans ahead on 29 heading in a looping cross from the right by Kaltz, Klaus Fischer got their 2nd goal on 52 with another header at the end of a cross by Kaltz, this time from the left. Wales boss Mike Smith said; "It was a bad night for us, we did well until they scored but the Germans rode our early attacks well and got stronger and stronger. They were the better side and deserved to win."

Wed 02/May/1979    Northern Ireland 2 (C.Nicholl, Armstrong) Bulgaria 0
Qualifier in Belfast
BBC Highlights
*Included on "Sportsnight" along with the Wales match and Republic of Ireland v Denmark. Chris Nicholl put the home side ahead on 44 following a half cleared corner, Gerry Armstrong made it 2-0 on 81. England manager Ron Greenwood was at the game to watch the group rivals and said of Bulgaria; "I don't think they can play as badly as that ever again."

Tue 22/May/1979    Netherlands 0 Argentina 0 [Argentina won on pens]
Friendly in Switzerland
ITV Highlights
Martin Tyler
*This friendly, a re-match of the recent World Cup final, was played to mark FIFA's 75th anniversary. Highlights are thought ot have been included on either ITV's 10:30-11:40pm Home International highlights programme (introduced by Brian Moore with Scotland 1 Northern Ireland 0 as the main feature) or the Thursday 24th May programme of UEFA Cup highlights (10:30-11:30pm).

Sat 02/Jun/1979    Scotland 1 (Graham) Argentina 3 (Luque 2, Maradonna)
Friendly at Hampden
*Strike action at BBC Scotland (which had already blacked out the Scottish Cup final) meant that this friendly in which 18 year old Maradona made his first appearance in the UK was not shown on television. There is however 16mm news footage of the match. St Mirren's Iain Munro made his debut. Leopoldo Luque gave the visitors the lead on 33, Luque scored again 61 and Maradonna made it 3-0 on 70. Arthur Graham scored a late consolation on 85.

Sat 02/Jun/1979    Malta 0 Wales 2 (Nicholas, Flynn)
Qualifier in Valetta
*No British TV coverage scheduled. Peter Nicholas gave Wales the lead on 15, Brian Flynn made it 2-0 on 51.

Wed 06/Jun/1979    Bulgaria 0 England 3 (Keegan, Watson, Barnes)
Qualifier in Sofia
BBC LIVE
John Motson
*LIVE on BBC1 from 3:55-6pm as part of a mid-week "Grandstand" which also included racing. Highlights were on "Sportsnight" at 9:25-10:55pm along with Athletics. Bulgaria hit a post early in the game and England hit the bar at the other end before Kevin Keegan put England ahead on 33. Almost immediately after the goal Peter Barnes smacked a shot against the woodwork. Dave Watson made it 2-0 on 53 by heading in a corner, 60 seconds later Barnes (who was on the end of some rough treatment by his marker throughout the game) got the third, heading in a cross by Coppell. England should have had a peanlty at the very end, but the referee blew for time *after* Trevor Francis had been brought down by the keeper in the box as he was about to score. The Bulgaria manager was glowing in his praise of the visitors; "England played modern football... total football. They had good movement and good combination. Faults that used to be there are gone. This win must guarantee England winning the group, they are a very good team. They were different tactically, technically and individually and better than previous England sides." Ron Greenwood said; "We are trying to produce what I think is essential in world football - complete technique in every department with the physical effort to go with it. As a unit we were superb."

Wed 06/Jun/1979    Denmark 4 (Elkjær 3, Simonsen) Northern Ireland 0
Qualifier in Copenhagen
BBC NI LIVE
*BBC NI were only billed in the newspapers to relay live coverage of the England match but apparently they did show Denmark v Northern Ireland. Preben Elkjær scored twice on 30 and 34 to give the Danes a 2-0 HT lead, Allan Simonsen made it 3-0 on 64 and Elkjær completed his hat-trick on 83 with the fourth. Despite the result, Danny Blanchflower still clung on to hopes of qualifying for the finals; "I'm not prepared to concede defeat in the group yet."

Thu 07/Jun/1979    Norway 0 Scotland 4 (Jordan, Dalglish, Robertson, McQueen)
Qualifier in Oslo
SCOTTISH & GRAMPIAN LIVE
*Scottish and Grampian had coverage from 6:55-8:45pm. Played in a heatwave, Joe Jordan opened the scoring on 32, Kenny Dalglish made it 2-0 on 39 and Scotland were 3-0 up at HT after John Robertson had added the third on 43. Gordon McQueen headed in a corner to make it 4-0 on 54.

Sun 10/Jun/1979    Sweden 0 England 0
Friendly in Stockholm
BBC LIVE
John Motson
*As part of a programme billed as "International Sports Special" headlined by Athletics from 4:30-6:54pm. Tony Currie made his 17th and final appearance for England in this match arranged to celebrate Swedish football's jubilee. Emlyn Hughes came closest to scoring, thumping a 20 yarder against the crossbar.

Wed 13/Jun/1979    Austria 4 (Pezzey 2, Welzl 2) England 3 (Keegan, Coppell, Wilkins)
Friendly in Vienna
ITV LIVE
Brian Moore & Jack Charlton
*LIVE coverage as "Mid-week Sports Special" from 7:20-9:30pm. Bruno Pezzey headed Austria ahead on 19, Kurt Welzl made it 2-0 on 26, England hit straight back - Kevin Keegan heading in a cross by Coppell on 27, but Austria were 3-1 up at HT after Kurt Welzl scored again on 41. In the 2nd half,  Steve Coppell pulled another goal back for England on 47 after the keeper had fumbled a shot by Keegan, Ray Wilkins then equalised on 64 for 3-3 by hammering in a cross by Coppell from the edge of the box, but Bruno Pezzey headed a winner for Austria on 70. This match saw the final international appearance of Bob Latchford on 12 caps.

Tue 11/Sep/1979    Wales 2 (Walsh, Curtis) Republic of Ireland 1 (Jones(og))
Friendly at Swansea
BBC WALES Highlights
*BBC1 Wales showed highlights at 10:50-11:40pm. No coverage was scheduled for RTE in Ireland. Joey Jones  turned Liam Brady's corner into his own net to give the Irish the lead on 22, but Wales equalised three minutes later through new cap Ian Walsh. Alan Curtis netted the winner.

Wed 12/Sep/1979    England 1 (Keegan) Denmark 0
Qualifier at Wembley
*Not shown on TV at all,  ITV (who were due to cover it) was off air at the time due to a lengthy strike. In a game of few chances, Kevin Keegan scored the only goal on 17 minutes having earlier had a goal ruled out for offside by the referee (despite no flag from the linesman). Denmark's best chance came as early as the 3rd minute on the break, but Elkjaer screwed his finishing effort wide.

Wed 12/Sep/1979    Scotland 1 (Olaechea(og)) Peru 1 (Leguia)
Friendly at Hampden
*No TV coverage. Presumably STV & Grampian would have showed it had it not been for the strike. Rangers Davie Cooper and Celtic's Roy Aitken (as a sub) made their Scottish debuts in a match notable for the Scotland shirts which displayed the names of each player above the number on the back. Jorge Olaechea put through his own goal at the end of a cross-shot from John Wark on 4 to give Scotland the lead. On 34, Wark saw his penalty kick saved after a foul on Dalglish in the box, Peru were lucky to be only 1-0 down at HT but Scotland fizzled out after the break and German Leguia equalised on 85.

Wed 17/Oct/1979    Northern Ireland 1 (Moreland(pen)) England 5 (Francis 2, Woodcock 2, Nicholl(og))
Qualifier in Belfast
BBC Highlights
*Motor racing topped the bill on "Sportsnight" on BBC1 (10:15-11:08pm) but highlights of this match were also included in a late arrangement (ITV were probably supposed to cover it, but were still on strike). Played in pouring rain on day of Belfast bomb warnings made by both Loyalists and the IRA (some turned out to be false, some real, causing traffic chaos), Trevor Francis put England ahead on 18 and Tony Woodcock made it 2-0 on 34. In the 2nd half, Northern Ireland won a penalty on 50 when Mills grounded McIlroy and Vic Moreland converted to pull it back to 2-1, Trevor Francis restored the two goal advantage on 62, Tony Woodcock made it 4-1 with a diving header on 71 and an own goal by Jimmy Nicholl, turning in a cross by Neal, made it 5-1 on 74. The win meant that England were now almost certain to qualify. Danny Blanchflower said afterwards; "It seems we were afraid of the giants next door. We were frightened of Francis and Woodcock and we paid for it.", Ron Greenwood noted "Today we proved we are not a one-man team and Kevin [Keegan] is more pleased than anyone."

Wed 17/Oct/1979    Scotland 1 (Gemmill) Austria 1 (Krankl)
Qualifier at Hampden
BBC SCOTLAND Highlights
*Included on "International Sportscene" at 10:10pm-midnight. Hans Krankl put Austria ahead against the run of play on 40 after a mistake by keeper Alan Rough, Archie Gemmill equalised on 75 with a left foot scorcher but Scotland needed a win.

Wed 17/Oct/1979    West Germany 5 (Fischer 2, Kaltz, Rummenigge, Förster) Wales 1 (Curtis)
Qualifier in Cologne
BBC WALES Part LIVE
Idwal Robling
*BBC WALES showed the first half live from 8.05-9.10 pm (8:15pm kick off), then took the News from 9.10-9.35 pm before re-joining the match at 9.35 pm, so they missed a fair chunk of the 2nd half. The Germans led 4-0 at HT with goals by Klaus Fischer (rounding the keeper) on 22, Manfred Kaltz (with a low shot after setting himself up with a run from the right) on 33, Fischer with his 2nd (again rounding the keeper in a one on one) on 39 and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (juggling the ball in the box before slotting home) on 42. Karl-Heinz Förster made it 5-0 on 83 at the end of an incisive move that carved open the defence, Alan Curtis netted a late consolation for Wales on 84 with a close range finish on the turn.

Wed 21/Nov/1979    Belgium 2 (Van Der Elst, Voordeckers) Scotland 0
Qualifier in Brussels
BBC SCOTLAND LIVE
*Shown in Scotland only on BBC1 "International Sportscene" from 6:55pm. Celtic's Davie Proven came on a sub to make his Scotland debut. Frankie van der Elst put Belgium ahead on 5, Eddy Voordeckers made it 2-0 on 47. The defeat meant Scotland were now unable to qualify.

Wed 21/Nov/1979    Turkey 1 (Önal) Wales 0
Qualifier in Izmir
*No British TV coverage scheduled other than a news report on "Sportsnight". Byron Stevenson was sent off on 70 after an incident that left Turkey's striker Mustafa Buyuk with a suspected broken cheek-bone, requiring a trip to the local hospital, though Stevenson denied making any contact. The only goal was then scored  on 80 minutes through Önal. Wales had hit the bar early in the game after 5 minutes, they needed the protection of riot police as they left the field at the end of the match.

Wed 21/Nov/1979    Northern Ireland 1 (Armstrong) Republic of Ireland 0
Qualifier in Belfast
BBC N.IRELAND
George Hamilton
*BBC1 in Northern Ireland showed highlights at 9:35-11:00pm (BBC1 in England may also have shown highlights at the same time as England's match was postponed). RTE1 in the Republic showed the match LIVE at 2:25-4:15pm (plus highlights at 10:35-11:35pm). Gerry Armstrong scored the only goal of the game on 54 minutes at the end of 10 minutes of non-stop Northern Ireland pressure, though their keeper Pat Jennings was man of the match having made two brilliant saves before half-time. The Republic's Gerry Daly needed three stitches to a head wound after being struck by a stone thrown from the crowd. Danny Blanchflower resigned as Northern Ireland manager immediately afterwards; "When I spoke to the committee during the week I got the impression they would like me to go and this time I have decided I will go. I believe Northern Ireland have a possible chance in the 1982 World cup and a younger man should be given the chance." The win for Northen Ireland ensured England their place in Italy.

Thu 22/Nov/1979    England 2 (Watson, Hoddle) Bulgaria 0
Qualifier at Wembley
BBC Highlights
Barry Davies
*A late change to the schedule saw highlights screened on "Sportsnight Special" on BBC1 at 10:24-11:10pm. This match was played on a Thursday night after fog had postponed the original kick-off on Wednesday just 25 minutes before kick-off time. Two players made their England debuts, Glenn Hoddle of Tottenham Hotspur and Kevin Reeves of Norwich City. Dave Watson put England ahead on 9 - heading in a curling cross from Hoddle on the right who had received the ball from a corner, Hoddle made it 2-0 on 68 placing a fine first-time side-footed volley into the roof of the net from the edge of the 'D'.

Wed 19/Dec/1979    Scotland 1 (Robertson) Belgium 3 (Vandenbergh, Van Der Elst 2)
Qualifier at Hampden
SCOTTISH, GRAMPIAN & BORDER Highlights
?Arthur Montford?
*Late night highlights on "Scotsport Special" at 11:30pm-midnight. This fixture had originally been scheduled to be played on 7th February 1979. Dundee United's Eamonn Bannon made his Scotland debut. Erwin Vandenburgh made it 1-0 to Belgium on 18, Frankie van der Elst then scored twice on 23 and 28 to give Belgium a 3-0 lead at HT. Scotland pulled one goal back in the 2nd half courtesy of a John Robertson free-kick on 55. Derek Johnstone played his 14th and final international.

Wed 06/Feb/1980    England 2 (Keegan 2) Republic of Ireland 0
Qualifier at Wembley
BBC1 Highlights
John Motson
*BBC1 showed highlights on "Sportsnight" 10:15-11:15pm (also including Cricket). RTE1 in the Republic showed the match LIVE from 7:30-9:30pm. West Brom's Bryan Robson made his debut and England won with two goals scored by Kevin Keegan on 34 (after McDermott's deep high cross was and headed back across goal by Johnson) and 74 minutes (Keegan running at the backpedalling defence before finishing with a measured chipped shot). Inbetween the goals, the Irish hit the woodwork when Stapleton headed Brady's free-kick against the near post and David Johnson had to be stretchered off on the hour with a head wound after a collision with Irish keeper Gerry Peyton who was also injured and had to be subbed.

Wed 26/Mar/1980    Scotland 4 (Dalglish, Gray, Archibald, Gemmill(pen)) Portugal 1 (Gomes)
Qualifier at Hampden
*Possibly covered by SCOTTISH for their own highlights or inclusion on the networked show (see below). Aberdeen pair Alex McLeish and Steve Archibald (as a sub) made their Scotland debuts. Neither side could qualify but there was the opportunity to strike a psychological blow as the two nations would soon meet up again in the World Cup qualifiers. Kenny Dalglish opened the scoring by finishing a cross by Andy Gray on 7, Gray made it 2-0 on 25 after being set up by McLeish. In the 2nd half, Steve Archibald added a 3rd for Scotland on 68, Fernando Gomes pulled one back for Portugal on 75 but Scotland had the last word when Archie Gemmill converted a penalty on 83.

Wed 26/Mar/1980    Spain 0 England 2 (Woodcock, Francis)
Friendly at Camp Nou, Barcelona
ITV Highlights
Brian Moore
*"Mid-week Sports Special" 10:40-11:40pm, Ronald Allison presented. Ron Greenwood (England manager), Kevin Keegan and Trevor Francis were all interviewed. Tony Woodcock put England ahead on 16 after Spain lost possesion in England's half and a clever quick pass by Coppell invited Woodcock to sprint clear and slip the ball past the oncoming Arconada who got a slight touch but the ball bobbled slowly in, Trevor Francis netted the 2nd goal on 65 - again on the break - Coppell hitting a long ball into the box this time for Francis to take a touch and then slide in a finish for 2-0. The back page of the following day's "Mirror" ran the headline "WORLD CLASS!" and suggested that "England's football team just might be on the verge of something great again."

For 26/Mar/1980  Israel 0 Northern Ireland 0 see the 1982 World Cup page

Tue 13/May/1980    England 3 (Johnson 2, Keegan) Argentina 1 (Paserella(pen))
Friendly at Wembley
BBC Highlights
Barry Davies
*BBC1 "International Match of the Day" introduced by Jimmy Hill at 10:10-11:10pm. England wore a new strip in this game, the controversial shirt design included broad blue and red horizontal panels across the shoulders. Garry Birtles came on as sub to make his England debut whilst Argentina's line-up included a 19 year old Diego Maradona. Both sides had good chances in the first half, Argentina going closest when José Valencia struck the post after Kenny Sansom had blocked his initial effort, Maradonna also made a thrilling run on 20 but was just wide with his finish. The opening goal came on 41, David Johnson's diving header at the end of a Steve Coppelll cross from the right byline. Johnson added a 2nd on 50, the keeper getting a touch to Ray Kennedy's cross from the left and as it looped back down Johnson lunged ahead of a defender to force it home.  Argentina won a penalty on 53 when Maradonna's run into the box was brought to an end by an obvious foul by Sansom, Daniel Passarella blasted in the spot kick. Kevin Keegan scored a third for England with a clinical strike on 68 after a nice build up down the left to secure victory over the reigning world champions, they left the field to chants of "England are back".

Wed 28/May/1980    Poland 1 (Boniek) Scotland 0
Friendly in Poznam
*No British TV coverage scheduled. Played on the same night as the European Cup final. Two players came off the bench to make their debuts; Rangers' Ally Dawson and Ipswich Town's Alan Brazil. Zbigniew Boniek scored the only goal on 68.

Sat 31/May/1980    Australia 1 (Cole(pen)) England 2 (Hoddle, Mariner)
Friendly in Sydney
*No British TV coverage scheduled, but the match was televised in Australia (9:35-11:15pm on ABN2). Five players were handed their England debuts, Russell Osman (Ipswich Town), Terry Butcher (Ipswich Town), Alan Sunderland (Arsenal, and his only cap), David Armstrong (Southampton) and Peter Ward (Brighton, also his only cap). Australian football was celebrating its' centenary, the first recorded match having been played in Sydney in August 1880. Glenn Hoddle put England ahead on 10 after capitalising on a defender's mistake and striking from distance, Paul Mariner made it 2-0 on 25 when Ipswich Town team-mate Terry Butcher sent him clear. Gary Cole netted for Australia from the penalty spot one minute from the end after a foul on Sharne by 3rd choice England keeper Joe Corrigan. For Frank Lampard (2 caps), Brian Talbot (6 caps) and Brian Greenhoff (18 caps) this match would be the end of their international careers.

Sat 31/May/1980    Hungary 3 (Torocsik 2, Kereki) Scotland 1 (Archiblad)
Freindly in Budapest
BBC SCOTLAND Highlights
*BBC1 Scotland showed highlights the following day (Sunday afternoon) on "International Sportscene" from 4:00-4:45pm. Torocsik put Hungary ahead on 5 and the same player made it 2-0 on 65, Scotland hit back immediately through Steve Archiblad on 66, but another minute later Kereki made it 3-1.
 

Europa 80 Finals
Held in Italy (Rome, Milan, Naples and Turin)
The eight finalists were split into two groups of four, the two group winners contested the final, the runners-up played off for 3rd place (no semi-finals).
TVTimes Wall Chart

Tue 10/06/1980      "The European Football Championship"
*ITV's preview programme was broadcast from 9:30-10pm, presented by Brian Moore with guest Brian Clough and an interview with England manager Ron Greenwood who's team had flown to Italy from Luton airport in the afternoon. BBC1 also had a preview of the tournament at 10:20-10:50pm.
 

Game 1

Wed 11/06/1980    West Germany 1 (Rummenigge) Czechoslovakia 0
Group A (4:45pm bst)
ITV LIVE
Brian Moore & Terry Venables
*ITV had LIVE coverage of the opening game at 4:25-6:45pm, Barry Davies also commentated on the game for highlights on BBC1 later. This opening fixture of the tournament was a repeat of the the final four years earlier, yet only 15,000 turned out to see it. The match was disappointing but a goal did come on 57 minutes when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was on the end of a looping high cross from Hansi Muller to head it back across the face of goal and in. Jupp Derwall, the West German manager, said afterwards "We had problems with the temperature and humidity. During an opening match like this teams are trying hard not to lose and perhaps that's the reason the game did not live up to expectations."

Wed 11/06/1980    Netherlands 1 (Kist(pen)) Greece 0
Group A (7:30pm bst)
ITV Highlights
Gerald Sinstadt*
*This match was not shown live on either channel, though it was ITV's featured match on their late night highlights programme at 11:10-11:55pm presented by Dickie Davies with Ian St John and Mick Channon (Czechoslovakia v West Germany was shown as the 2nd match). Des Lynam voiced the match for BBC1 who only showed highlights of both of today's games at 10:30-11:40pm. Note:- One source says Tyler commentated for ITV, but Sinstadt penned a report on this match for the Times. The Netherlands had to substitute their keeper after only 15 minutes when Peter Schrijvers injured himself, but Kees Kist scored the only goal from the penalty spot on 65 minutes to give the Dutch the points after the Greek keeper Konstantinou had kicked out at Dick Naninga as the Dutch player beared down on a defender turning to take the ball away from danger at the byline, Konstantinou threw himself  down to the ground as if it was he who had been kicked in an apparent attempt to confuse the referee, but the penalty was awarded. Greece almost equalised minutes from the end, Kapsis met a corner with his head but the Netherlands substitute keeper Pim Doesburg fingertipped it onto the crossbar.

Thu 12/06/1980    Belgium 1 (Ceulemans) England 1 (Wilkins)
Group B (4:45pm bst)
ITV Highlights
Brian Moore
*BBC1 had LIVE coverage with John Motson & Bobby Charlton commentating at 4:35-6:50pm, ITV showed highlights at some point during the live broadcast of the night match. Ray Wilkins scored a great goal to put England ahead on 25 after Belgium had failed to properly deal with a cross by Brooking, Wilkins lobbed the ball over the defence and then ran on to half-volley a chip into the top corner. Jan Ceulemans soon equalised on 29, stabbing home after a goalmouth scramble. It was then that trouble erupted behind the goal into which Belgium had scored, police used tear gas bombs and charged into the England support swinging their batons. Ray Clemence and Kenny Sansom suffered from the effects of the tear gas and play was held up for 5 minutes. In the 2nd half, Tony Woodcock found the back on the net on 75, Sansom - who had supplied the cross - was tentatively ruled offside by the linesman who raised his flag before putting it down again, but the Belgium players made sure the referee upheld his colleague's initial instinct. England manager Ron Greenwood said afterwards; "It was an even first half and they shut up shop in the second half, we found it difficult to break them down." On the trouble-makers Greenwood said; "I wish they could all be put in a boat and dropped in the ocean." On Friday morning The Mirror's sensationalist back page headline warned of an "ENGLAND BAN THREAT", but they then went on to quote FA secretary Ted Croker as merely stating; "UEFA have the power to suspend us, but I don't believe they will take such a severe course, they will probably fine us heavily." A fine of £8,000 was announced later that day,but many of those who were there insisted that local thugs were as much to blame for the trouble as visiting England fans and that the police reaction had been totally disproportionate. The match turned out to be the 8th and final England appearance for David Johnson.

Thu 12/06/1980    Italy 0 Spain 0
Group B (7:30pm bst)
ITV LIVE
Martin Tyler & Ron Atkinson
*ITV had LIVE coverage at 7:00-9:30pm. The Italians forced some good saves out of Arconada in the 1st half and Graziani might have won a penalty had he not resorted to theatrics to underline the challenge in the box, he was booked for his protests. Spain were unlucky not to go ahead as early as the 12th minute when they had a goal ruled out by a marginal offside decision. The unfancied Spanish team also went close in the 2nd half when a Juanito free-kick crashed down off the underside of the crossbar into the grateful arms of Dino Zoff. A shot from Tardelli clipped the bar at the other end and the game ended scoreless, with the hosts leaving the field to jeers and whistles. It was a good result for England that saw them share top spot in Group B with Belgium on goals scored at completion of the first set of fixtures. BBC1 had Barry Davies call the Italy v Spain game for highlights of today's matches at 10:15-11:05pm.

Sat 14/06/1980    "World of Sport"
*ITV's Saturday afternoon Sport show included a review of the European Championships at 12:35pm. BBC1 had a "Football Focus" as part of "Grandstand" from 12:35-12:50pm.

Game 2

Sat 14/06/1980    West Germany 3 (Allofs 3) Netherlands 2 (Rep(pen), van de Kerkhof)
Group A (4:45pm bst)
ITV Highlights
Gerald Sinstadt
*BBC1 showed this LIVE as part of "Grandstand" with Barry Davies commentating, coverage of the actual football from 4:35-6:30pm. Klaus Allofs scored a hat-trick to fire the Germans into a 3-0 lead, the first coming on 20, then two more in the 2nd half on 60 and 65, The Dutch won a penalty on 79 which was converted by Johnny Rep 79 and there was a late scare for West Germany when Willy van de Kerkhof pulled it back to 3-2 on 85. ITV highlights were shown during their live coverage of the night match.

Sat 14/06/1980    Czechoslovakia 3 (Panenka, Vizek, Nehoda) Greece 1 (Anastopoulos)
Group A (7:30pm bst)
ITV LIVE
Martin Tyler & Ron Atkinson
*ITV LIVE at 7:15-9:30pm. Antonín Panenka put the Czechs ahead on 6, Nikos Anastopoulos equalised on 14, but Ladislav Vízek soon restored the Czech lead on 26. In the 2nd half Zdenek Nehoda scored another goal for Czechoslovakia to make it 3-1 on 63. There was no BBC coverage of this one today, although Des Lynam commentated for goal clips broadcast on the Sunday.

Sun 15/06/1980    "The European Football Championship"
*A preview of the Italy v England match presented by Dickie Davies at 2:30-3:00pm

Sun 15/06/1980    Belgium 2 (Gerets, Cools) Spain 1 (Quini)
Group B (4:45pm bst)
ITV Highlights
Martin Tyler
*Curiously not shown live by either channel, BBC1 included the match in a late night highlights show with Barry Davies commentating at 11:05-12:05pm, whilst ITV showed a highlights package of the day's events at 11:35pm-12:05am. Eric Gerets put Belgium ahead on 17, Quini equalised on 36, but Julien Cools netted a winner for Belgium on 65.

Sun 15/06/1980    Italy 1 (Tardelli) England 0
Group B (7:30pm bst)
ITV LIVE
Brian Moore & Ron Atkinson
*Exclusively LIVE on ITV at 7:15-9:30pm. There was also a late night ITV highlights programme from 11:35pm-12:05am, BBC1 had John Motson at the game for highlights included on their late show at 11:05pm-12:05am. Ray Kennedy hit the post in the 2nd half before Tardelli scored on 78 via a low cross into the six-yard area from the left. Ray Kennedy made his 17th and final appearance in England colurs.

Game 3

Tue 17/06/1980    Czechoslovakia 1 (Nehoda) Netherlands 1 (Kist)
Group A (4:45pm bst)
ITV Highlights
Martin Tyler
*BBC2 showed this match LIVE at 4:35-6:40pm with Barry Davies commentating. Zdenek Nehoda put the Czechs ahead on 16, Kees Kist equalised for the Dutch on 59. ITV showed highlights of this one during the live broadcast of the night match.

Tue 17/06/1980    Greece 0 West Germany 0
Group A (7:30pm bst)
ITV LIVE
Gerald Sinstadt
*LIVE on ITV from 7:00-9:30pm. BBC1 showed a highlights programme at 10:25-11:15pm with Des Lynam commentating on this game.

Group A Final Table
1. West Germany   +2  5
2. Czechoslovakia +1  3
3. Netherlands     0  3
4. Greece         -3  1

Wed 18/06/1980    England 2 (Brooking, Woodcock) Spain 1 (Dani(pen))
Group B (4:45pm bst)
ITV LIVE
Brian Moore
*ITV had LIVE coverage at 4:25-6:45pm and Glenn Hoddle interviewed. Barry Davies commentated for BBC1 who showed highlights during their live broadcast of the night match. Trevor Brooking put England ahead on 19, Dani equalised from the penalty spot on 48. Spain won another penalty on 52, Dani scored but the referee ordered a re-take for encroachment and Ray Clemence saved it. England then won the match with a goal by Tony Woodcock on 61. Sub Trevor Cherry came on to make his 27th and final England appearance.

Wed 18/06/1980    Italy 0 Belgium 0
Group B (7:30pm bst)
ITV Highlights
Martin Tyler
*LIVE on BBC1 at 6:55-9:35pm with John Motson commentating. ITV had a highlights programme at 11:05-11:50pm.

Group B Final Table
1. Belgium        +1  4
2. Italy          +1  4
3. England         0  3
4. Spain          -2  1

Sat 21/06/1980    "World of Sport"
*A Europa 80 report was included during the early part of the programme.

3rd & 4th Place Play Off

Sat 21/06/1980    Czechoslovakia 1 (Jurkemik) Italy 1 (Graziani) *Czechs won on 9-8 on pens (no extra-time)
Naples, 7:30pm bst
BBC Highlights
Barry Davies
*BBC1 showed highlights of this at the very late time of 12:15am prompting letters of complaint to the Radio Times (they had originally intended to show it live), After a goalless 1st half Ladislav Jurkemik put Czechoslovakia ahead on 54, Francesco Graziani equalised for Italy on 73 and the match then went straight to a penalty shoot out. Both sides netted all 5 spot kicks, and both then netted the next 3 in sudden death but Fulvio Collovati finally failed for Italy. ITV showed brief clips the following day ahead of the final.

The Final

Sun 22/06/1980    "The European Football Championship"
*A 30 minute slot at 5:00-5:30pm to preview the final, hosted by Dickie Davies with Ian St John and Mick Channon.

Sun 22/06/1980    West Germany 2 (Hrubesch 2) Belgium 1 (Vandereycken(pen))
Rome, 7:30pm bst
ITV LIVE
Brian Moore & Ron Atkinson
*Both channels showed the final LIVE. ITV from 7:15-9:45pm with England manager Ron Greenwood billed to appear, BBC1 at 7:15-9:35pm with John Motson commentating. TVTimes incorrectly billed Jack Charlton as the co-commentator. Horst Hrubesch put the West Germans ahead on 10, René Vandereycken equalised from the penalty spot on 75, but Hrubesch scored his 2nd and a late winner on 88. ITV would have showed a highlights programme at 11pm if England had made it to the final. Had the final ended in a draw, a replay would have taken place on Tuesday 24th June.