European Football Championship 1980 / Belgium

This article covers the Belgian national team at the 1980 European Football Championship .

qualification

Final table group 2

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Belgium	8th	4th	4th	0	012: 500	+7	12: 40
2.	Austria	8th	4th	3	1	014: 700	+7	11: 50
3.	Portugal	8th	4th	1	3	010:110	−1	09: 70
4th	Scotland	8th	3	1	4th	015:130	+2	07: 90
5.	Norway	8th	0	1	7th	005:200	−15	01:15

Game results

09/20/1978	Belgium	-	Norway	1: 1 (0: 1)
10/11/1978	Portugal	-	Belgium	1: 1 (1: 1)
03/28/1979	Belgium	-	Austria	1: 1 (1: 0)
05/02/1979	Austria	-	Belgium	0-0

09/12/1979	Norway	-	Belgium	1: 2 (1: 1)
10/17/1979	Belgium	-	Portugal	2: 0 (0: 0)
11/21/1979	Belgium	-	Scotland	2: 0 (1: 0)
December 19, 1979	Scotland	-	Belgium	1: 3 (0: 3)

Belgian contingent

No.	Surname	Club before the start of the European Championship	birthday	Games	Gates
goalkeeper
01	Theo Custers	Royal Antwerp	08/10/1950	0	0	0	0
12	Jean-Marie Pfaff	KSK Beveren	December 04, 1953	4th	0	0	0
20th	Michel Preud'homme	Standard Liege	01/24/1959	0	0	0	0
Defender
02	Eric Gerets	Standard Liege	05/18/1954	4th	1	0	0
03	Luc Millecamps	KSV Waregem	09/10/1951	4th	0	0	0
04th	Walter Meeuws	Club Bruges	07/11/1951	4th	0	1	0
05	Michel Renquin	Standard Liege	03/11/1955	4th	0	0	0
14th	Gérard Plessers	Standard Liege	03/30/1959	0	0	0	0
21st	Jos Heyligen	KSK Heusden	06/30/1947	0	0	0	0
midfield player
06th	Julien Cools	Beerschot VAV	02/13/1947	4th	1	0	0
07th	René Vandereycken	Club Bruges	07/22/1953	4th	1	2	0
08th	Wilfried Van Moer	KSK Heusden	03/01/1945	4th	0	0	0
13	Maurice Martens	RWD Molenbeek	06/05/1947	0	0	0	0
15th	René Verheyen	SC Lokeren	03/21/1952	2	0	0	0
16	Marc Millecamps	KSV Waregem	10/09/1950	0	0	0	0
17th	Raymond Mommens	SC Lokeren	December 27, 1958	4th	0	0	0
18th	Guy Dardenne	SC Lokeren	October 19, 1954	0	0	0	0
19th	Willy Wellens	Standard Liege	03/29/1954	0	0	0	0
striker
09	François Van Der Elst	RSC Anderlecht	December 01, 1954	4th	0	2	0
10	Erwin Vandenbergh	Lierse SK	01/26/1959	3	0	0	0
11	Jan Ceulemans	Club Bruges	02/28/1957	4th	1	0	0
22nd	Ronny Martens	RSC Anderlecht	12/22/1958	0	0	0	0
Trainer
	Guy Thys		December 06, 1922

Finals

Group 2

Pl.	country	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Belgium	3	1	2	0	003: 200	+1	04: 20
2.	Italy	3	1	2	0	001-000	+1	04: 20
3.	England	3	1	1	1	003: 300	± 0	03: 30
4th	Spain	3	0	1	2	002: 400	−2	01: 50
For ranking 1 and 2, the number of goals scored in all group matches is decisive.

June 12, 1980 in Turin (Stadio Comunale)
Belgium	-	England	1: 1 (1: 1)
June 15, 1980 in Milan (Giuseppe Meazza Stadium)
Spain	-	Belgium	1: 2 (1: 1)
June 18, 1980 in Rome (Stadio Olimpico)
Italy	-	Belgium	0-0

In the group stage, the Belgians started with a 1-1 draw against England. In the second group match against the good Spaniards, the Belgians won 2-1 with goals from Gerets and Cools. In the third group match in Rome, a 0-0 win against hosts Italy was enough to advance to the final as group winners.

final

June 22nd, 1980 in Rome ( Stadio Olimpico )
BR Germany	-	Belgium	2: 1 (1: 0)

In the final, the Germans took the lead after ten minutes with a goal from the headball monster Horst Hrubesch . After a penalty hit by Vandereycken in the 75th minute, Hrubesch again scored the 2: 1 two minutes before the end in the 88th minute. The Belgians could not score a goal by the end of the game and Germany became European champions for the second time. The Belgians were left with the runner-up European title.