Euros classics: When Bernd Schuster ignited West Germany to light up an anaemic tournament

In 1980, a poorly promoted European Championship was a shadow of the event it has become

The West German team line up at the 1980 UEFA European Championships in Rome, June 1980. From left to right back, Uli Stielike, Harald Schumacher, Hans-Peter Briegel, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Karlheinz Förster, Horst Hrubesch. Front row, Klaus Allofs, Bernd Schuster, Bernard Dietz, Manfred Kaltz, Hansi MÌller. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Never has a tournament begun with less pizzazz than Euro 80. Due to UEFA's failure to properly promote its flagship event, West Germany and the Netherlands's stultifying opening wins over Czechoslovakia and Greece were watched by pitifully tiny crowds in Rome and Naples. Already the competition was looking like a dead duck.

But while the Netherlands were now shadows of their old selves, West Germany had simply played too cautious a hand against Czechoslovakia, leaving out the 20-year-old Köln playmaker Bernd Schuster. Now he made a grand entrance to teach the drippy Dutch a lesson at San Paolo.