European Football Championship 1972 / Belgium

This article covers the Belgian national team at the 1972 European Football Championship .

European Championship qualification

After winning three home games and one win in Denmark, they suffered a defeat in Scotland. Then the last game against Portugal was about group victory, which Belgium secured with a draw. In the quarter-finals it was now against defending champion Italy to make it into the finals. The Belgians succeeded in this after a goalless draw in Milan and a victory in Brussels.

Preliminary round (group 5)

Closing table

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Belgium Belgium	6th	4th	1	1	011: 300	+8	09: 30
2.	Portugal Portugal	6th	3	1	2	010: 600	+4	07: 50
3.	Scotland Scotland	6th	3	0	3	004: 700	−3	06: 60
4th	Denmark Denmark	6th	1	0	5	002:110	−9	02:10

Game results

25.11.1970 Bruges ( Klokke Stadium )	Belgium	-	Denmark	2: 0 (2: 0)	Goals: 1-0 Devrindt (17th), 2-0 Devrindt (37th)
February 3rd, 1971 Liège ( Stade de Sclessin )	Belgium	-	Scotland	3: 0 (1: 0)	Goals: 1-0 McKinnon (39th, ET ), 2-0 Van Himst (57th), 3-0 Van Himst (85th, penalty)
February 17th, 1971 Brussels ( Stade Émile Versé )	Belgium	-	Portugal	3: 0 (1: 0)	Goals: 1-0 Lambert (14th), 2-0 Lambert (64th, penalty kick ), 3-0 De Nul (75th)
May 26, 1971 Copenhagen ( Idrætspark )	Denmark	-	Belgium	1: 2 (0: 0)	Goals: 0: 1 Devrindt (65th), 0: 1 Devrindt (75th), 1: 2 Bjerre (76th)
11/10/1971 Aberdeen ( Pittodrie Stadium )	Scotland	-	Belgium	1: 0 (1: 0)	Goal: 1-0 O'Hare (6th)
November 21, 1971 Lisbon ( Estádio da Luz )	Portugal	-	Belgium	1: 1 (0: 0)	Goals: 0: 1 Lambert (61st), 1: 1 Peres (90th, penalty kick)

Quarter finals

04/29/1972 Milan ( San Siro )	Italy	-	Belgium	0-0
May 13, 1972 Brussels (Stade Émile Versé)	Belgium	-	Italy	2: 1 (1: 0)	Goals: 1-0 Van Moer (23rd), 2-0 Van Himst (71st), 2-1 Riva (86th, penalty kick)

European Championship finals

Squad

Belgium did not distribute fixed numbers to their players, but numbered from one to sixteen in both games.

The following seventeen players were on the score sheet in the semi-finals and in the third place match.

N °	player	Club before the start of the European Championship	Date of birth	European Championship 1972 games / goals
goalkeeper
01	Christian Piot	Standard Liege	04/10/1947	2	-	-	-
12	Luc Sanders	Club Bruges	06.10.1945	-	-	-	-
Defense
2	Georges Heylens	RSC Anderlecht	08/08/1941	2	-	-	-
3	Léon Dolmans	Standard Liege	04/06/1945	2	-	1	-
4th	Jean Thissen	Standard Liege	04/21/1946	2	-	-	-
5	Erwin Vandendaele	Club Bruges	05.03.1945	2	-	1	-
13	Gilbert Van Binst	RSC Anderlecht	07/05/1951	-	-	-	-
midfield
6th	Jean Dockx	RSC Anderlecht	05/24/1941	2	-	-	-
7th	Léon Semmeling	Standard Liege	04/01/1940	2	-	-	-
8/14	Maurice Martens	Racing White Brussels	06/05/1947	1	-	-	-
11	Jan Verheyen	RSC Anderlecht	07/09/1944	2	-	-	-
14/8	Odilon Polleunis	VV St. Truiden	05/01/1943	2	1	-	-
attack
9	Raoul Lambert	Club Bruges	10/22/1944	2	1	-	-
10	Paul Van Himst (C)	RSC Anderlecht	10/02/1943	2	1	-	-
15th	Jacques Teugels	Racing White Brussels	08/03/1946	-	-	-	-
16	Johny Thio	Club Bruges	09/02/1944	-	-	-	-
16	François Janssens	Lierse SK	09/25/1945	-	-	-	-
Trainer
	Raymond Goethals		07.10.1921

↑ ^a ^b In the semifinals Martens played with the eight and Polleunis with the fourteen. In the small final against Hungary, Polleunis then wore the eight and Martens the fourteen.
↑ ^a ^b In the semifinals Thio sat on the bench with the number 16 and in the small final Janssens.

Belgian games

Host Belgium faced the West German team in the semi-finals, which thanks to two goals from Gerd Müller qualified for the final. By beating Hungary in the small final, Belgium finished the tournament in third place.

Semifinals

June 14, 1972 in Antwerp (Bosuil Stadium)
Belgium Belgium	-	Germany Federal Republic BR Germany	1: 2 (0: 1)

3rd place match

June 17, 1972 in Liège (Stade de Sclessin)
Belgium Belgium	-	Hungary 1957 Hungary	2: 1 (2: 0)

Match report

In the first twenty minutes, the technique dominated by Flórián Albert . The technical superiority of the Magyar game did not lead to a goal. As the game played, the local team got the game under control and took a 2-0 lead through goals from Lambert (24th) and van Himst (29th). Even after Lajos Kü's subsequent goal in the 53rd minute with a converted penalty kick, the Belgian success was no longer wavering.

BELGIUM: Piot - Heylens, van den Daele, Thissen, Dolmans - Dockx, Verheyen, Polleunis - Semmeling, Lambert, van Himst HUNGARY: Geczi - Balint, Fabian, Pancsis, Peter Juhasz - Istvan Juhasz, Kü, Albert - Kozma, Dunai, Zambo (46th Szücs)

[Nummer_8-1] In the semifinals Martens played with the eight and Polleunis with the fourteen. In the small final against Hungary, Polleunis then wore the eight and Martens the fourteen.

[Nummer_16-2] In the semifinals Thio sat on the bench with the number 16 and in the small final Janssens.