The UEFA Euro 1980 Final was the final match of UEFA Euro 1980, the sixth UEFA European Football Championship, UEFA’s top football competition for national teams. The match was played at Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, on 22 June 1980. The match was contested by Belgium and West Germany. On route to the final, Belgium finished top of UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying Group 2 before qualifying for the final as winners of UEFA Euro 1980 Group 2 which included Italy, England and Spain. West Germany, who had ended the previous European Championship as runners-up, won UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying Group 7 and went on to secure qualification for the final after finishing top of UEFA Euro 1980 Group 1 which included Greece, Czechoslovakia and the Netherlands.
The final took place in front of 47,860 spectators with Nicolae Rainea from Romania acting as the referee. West Germany took the lead in the tenth minute through Horst Hrubesch. Bernd Schuster chipped the ball over Eric Gerets to Hrubesch who controlled it with his chest before striking it on the half-volley into the far corner of the Belgium goal. Ten minutes into the second half, West Germany were forced to make a substitution when Hans-Peter Briegel injured his left ankle in a tackle with René Vandereycken and was replaced by Bernhard Cullmann. In the 75th minute, Schuster lost possession 10 yards (9 m) inside his own half and Manfred Kaltz inadvertently played the ball to François Van der Elst who headed it goalbound and was fouled by Uli Stielike. The referee awarded a penalty which Vandereycken scored, with the West Germany goalkeeper Toni Schumacher diving the wrong way. With 90 seconds of the match remaining, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s corner found Hrubesch who had made a late run into the Belgium penalty area and he headed the ball into the Belgium goal from close range to secure a 2–1 victory for West Germany, and their second European Championship in three attempts.
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