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Antonín Panenka wrote football history 45 years ago. At the 1976 European Championship in Belgrade, he and Czechoslovakia won the final against reigning European and world champions Germany – and helped his team with a legendary penalty.
Antonín Panenka from Bohemians Prague puts the ball on the penalty spot, takes a long run-up, stops briefly and gently lifts the ball into the middle of the goal. Sepp Maier, the German goalkeeper, is already in the right corner. Panenka was convinced: “No goalkeeper in the world simply stops, nothing could go wrong.” It was the decisive moment in the European Championship final between Czechoslovakia and the Federal Republic of Germany, which had to be decided on penalties when the score was 2-2 after extra time. Six players transform, then Bayern player Uli Hoeneß shoots, Antonín Panenka can make the European Championship triumph perfect. He meets.
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Panenka’s lifter in the “Night of Belgrade” on June 20, 1976 found prominent imitators. Zinedine Zidane, Francesco Totti and Andrea Pirlo scored a goal this way at important European and World Cup matches. And Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimović have already shown the football world a real “Panenka”.
“My name is certainly an advantage. Panenka is pronounced the same in all languages. This makes it easier for people to remember. I never thought that my penalty from the European Championship final would become so famous. That was definitely not the reason why I kicked him like that “says the now 72-year-old. At the 1980 European Championship, he won the bronze medal with Czechoslovakia, and the midfielder scored 17 goals in 59 international matches. In his home country Panenka played exclusively for Bohemians Prague, he celebrated successes from 1981 with Rapid Vienna. With the Austrian record champions, he won five national titles and reached the European Cup final against FC Everton in 1985.
Most of all, his penalty in the 1976 European Championship final will not be forgotten. Antonín Panenka made a name for himself in the annals of football with his lob.
