This was a famous and great German football team. I have never seen a better pure goal poacher than Gerd M?ler; while Franz Beckenbauer was the classical midfield general.
When looking for form pointers, note the winners had a young team, whereas the Hungarians, and Russians were probably past their best. Once again the hosts Belgium did well, and USSR the previous finalist held up the form line and proved very hard to beat.
Top scorer overall: G.M?ler (West Germany) 11 goals
Top scorer final tournament: G.M?ler (West Germany) 4 goals
European Football Championship – 1972 Final
G.M?ler 27, 58, Wimmer 52
Germany: Maier, H?tges, Beckenbauer, Schwarzenbeck, Breitner, U.Hoene? Wimmer, Netzer, Heynckes, G.M?ler, E.Kremers
Semi Finals
| Germany | 2-1 | Belgium |
| USSR | 1-0 | Hungary |
Quarter Finals
The football competition really took off with Germany gaining revenge on England, and Belgium beating the former European Champions Italy.
Replay
| Germany | 3-1 | England | 3-1 | 0-0 |
| Belgium | 2-1 | Italy | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Hungary | 3-3 | Romania | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| USSR | 3-0 | Yugoslavia | 3-0 | 0-0 |
Group Stages
Building on the previous tournament, teams in 1972 European Championship fought their way through Group matches. Yugoslavia kept out Holland, the Dutch ‘ Total’ football had not quite been perfected yet.
| Group 1 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| Romania | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 9 | |
| Czechoslovakia | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 9 | |
| Wales | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | |
| Finland | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 1 | |
| Group 2 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| Hungary | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 9 | |
| Bulgaria | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 7 | |
| France | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 7 | |
| Norway | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 1 | |
| Group 3 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| England | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 11 | |
| Switzerland | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 9 | |
| Greece | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 3 | |
| Malta | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 1 | |
| Group 4 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| USSR | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 10 | |
| Spain | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 8 | |
| Northern Ireland | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 6 | |
| Cyprus | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 26 | 0 | |
| Group 5 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| Belgium | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 9 | |
| Portugal | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 7 | |
| Scotland | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | |
| Denmark | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 2 | |
| Group 6 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| Italy | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 10 | |
| Austria | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 7 | |
| Sweden | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| Republic of Ireland | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 1 | |
| Group 7 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| Serbia and Montenegro | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 | |
| Holland | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 6 | 7 | |
| German (East) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 7 | |
| Luxembourg | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 23 | 1 | |
| Group 8 | ||||||||
| P | W | D | L | GS | GA | PTS | ||
| Germany | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 10 | |
| Poland | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 6 | |
| Turkey | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 5 | |
| Albania | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | |
