The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 91 Orange Whirlwind Sweeps the European Cup

"The football world in the summer of 1988 belonged to orange. The final champion of the European Football Cup held in Germany was won by the Netherlands, who defeated the equally magical Soviet team. The orange football storm from the Netherlands swept across Germany, and the gorgeous and pleasing tulips became the most dazzling scenery in Europe at that time."

--Inscription

In the summer of 1988, the eighth European Football Championship opened in the then Federal Republic of Germany.

After fierce competition in the previous qualifiers, the eight teams that finally participated in the European Cup finals were: West Germany, Italy, Denmark, Spain, England, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union.

The scale of the European Cup in the 80s was not large, but the intensity of the competition was higher than that of the later expanded ones. The previous champion France was eliminated in the qualifiers, which was the biggest upset of the European Cup. Strong teams such as Yugoslavia, Romania, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, etc. also stopped in the qualifiers and could only watch from the sidelines. Although many strong teams could not participate, this European Cup was still a competition among strong teams and also a gathering of superstars: the head coaches included legendary figures such as Beckenbauer, Michels, and Robananovsky, and the players included Gullit, Rijkaard, Van Basten, Klinsmann, Kohler, Völler, Matthäus, Laudrup, Zubizarreta, Camacho, Maldini, Vialli, Mancini, Dasayev... It was a star-studded event with all the stars gathered together.

The England team also made it to the finals. At that time, the team had stars such as Hilton, Adams, Pearce, Robson, Beardsley, and the forward line also included Barnes, who was known as the fastest player in the world, and Lineker, who won the Golden Boot in the last World Cup. It was one of the favorites to win the championship and was highly anticipated by English fans.

Reality played a cruel joke on English fans. England, which had high hopes, ended up in a mess. In Group B, England not only failed to beat the weakest team, Ireland, but was also ruthlessly humiliated by the Soviet Union and the Netherlands. In the three group matches, England's forwards did not score a single goal, with Robson and Adams scoring two consolation goals. On the defensive end, England conceded 7 goals, and was humiliated by the Netherlands and the Soviet Union with 3 goals each. In the end, England finished last in the group after three defeats.

After England lost all three games and was eliminated, the British football hooligans who accompanied the team immediately rushed to the streets to cause trouble. The German police arrested nearly 300 British fans without hesitation, and listed more than 20 of them as unwelcome persons, prohibiting them from entering the country to watch the game in the future.

The competition in the other group was also fierce. The West Germany was very strong. They had reached the finals twice in the 82 and 86 World Cups. Their strength was obvious to all. The team played very stably under the coaching of Beckenbauer. Stars such as Klinsmann, Kohler, Boszold and Voller were also in excellent form. In the group stage, the German team tied with Italy 1-1, defeated Denmark 2-0, and defeated Spain 2-0, and advanced to the semi-finals.

The German team is strong and has the advantage of home court, so they are full of confidence in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, their opponent this time is the Netherlands.

The Dutch team in 1988 was at its peak. Although the three players played for different teams, they all came from the Dutch youth training system and were deeply influenced by traditional Dutch football. The Dutch team had the strongest central axis to support the all-out attack and defense style, and other positions also had strong stars. It was only because they lost to the Soviet Union in the group stage that people were not optimistic about the Dutch team.

The Netherlands has always been a strong team in Europe. They have many famous players in every major tournament, but they have never been able to handle the internal unity of the locker room well, which is the fundamental reason that affects their inability to play better results. In this European Cup, they really waited for the savior, the famous coach Michels finally came out to coach the national team. His excellent command and extraordinary leadership ability prevented the division and infighting in the Netherlands team's locker room.

Michels has a high reputation and many ways to win the match against Germany. In order to win the match against Germany, he specifically shared with his players the painful experience of losing the championship to the Germans in the 1974 World Cup final. As a victim of World War II, Michels himself had an irreconcilable hatred for the brutality of the Germans during World War II. Before the competition, he deliberately brought up history to inspire everyone to unite against the enemy.

At that time, the soul of the Dutch team was Gullit, who won the European Footballer of the Year and World Footballer of the Year awards, was the team captain, the core of the midfield and the most popular player in European football. Gullit's father was from Suriname and his mother was from the Netherlands. He was born in the youth training of Ajax and later became a leader in Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven. He had a deep connection with the three traditional giants of the Eredivisie. This background allowed Gullit to balance the complex relationships, eliminate the contradictions and confrontations in the locker room, solve the problem of unity within the Dutch team, and greatly strengthen the cohesion of the Dutch team.

Gullit's teammate Van Basten is also famous. He helped AC Milan win the Serie A title after nine seasons, and his star once overshadowed Gullit. Not only Gullit and Van Basten, Dutch players also shined in their local clubs. PSV Eindhoven won the new Champions League, while Ajax continued to be a strong team, winning the European Cup Winners' Cup once and the runner-up once in the past two seasons. The two giants each contributed 5 stars to the national team, and together with Rijkaard, Gullit and Van Basten, they formed a formidable super team.

The passionate Dutch and the rigorous Germans played a wonderful game, a classic that can be called the "real final" of this European Cup.

The match was played in Hamburg on June 1988, 6. Both coaches, Beckenbauer and Michels, were famous. Beckenbauer used his signature skills, using the tactics of libero and strengthening midfield pressing to counter Michels' 21 formation of all-out attack and defense. The atmosphere was very tense at the beginning of the match, with the fans' voices getting louder and louder. Gullit's Dutch team played steadily and dealt with the opponent through active running. Both teams tried their best to limit the opponent's forwards, closely guarded the opponent's core players, and devoted themselves to the midfield competition, making the atmosphere at the match very hot.

The Germans took advantage of the home court and gradually launched more offensives, while the Dutch team responded with an all-out attack and defense tactic, and also had many attacking opportunities. Although the German team suppressed the Dutch team, the midfield successfully intercepted many times and launched attacks on the spot, but there were not many direct shooting opportunities. The Dutch striker Van Basten and midfielder Gullit were both tightly blocked by the opponent. Rijkaard had to focus more on defense, and the first half ended in a dull confrontation between the two sides with a score of 0:0.

In the second half, the German team continued to attack. They launched a sharp attack in the 53rd minute. The midfielder passed the ball directly into the penalty area. After the attacker got the ball, he fell directly in the Dutch penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty kick!

Matthäus withstood the pressure and successfully scored the penalty kick, and the German team took the lead 1-0!

Michels sent Kieft on the field, changed the formation to 424, and attacked the opponent frantically. After taking the lead, Germany obviously retreated, which just helped the Dutch to attack with all their might. The Orange Army turned the game into a half-court offense and defense. The Dutch team, with full attack firepower, continued to attack the hinterland of the German team. Under the fierce attack, the Dutch team also fought back. In the 73rd minute, they also forced the opponent to commit a foul in the penalty area and also got a penalty kick. The heavy gunner Coman lived up to expectations and steadily scored the ball to tie the score!

After the Netherlands equalized the score, they continued to attack, hoping to defeat their opponent in one fell swoop; the German team wanted to drag the game into overtime before making any plans.

Just as the game was coming to an end, the great Van Basten appeared. In the 87th minute, the Netherlands attacked, and Van Basten suddenly rushed out and received a cross from the right in the backcourt of the German team. Two German defenders came forward to attack him and tried to knock him down. The Germans thought it was just a free kick, but Van Basten controlled his body when he fell to the ground and shot directly with his right foot.

Van Basten's shot from a near-zero angle was unpredictable, and the ball spun into the dead corner. The Dutch turned the game around in the 89th minute and completed the fatal lore.

Michels commented: "This is Van Basten's greatest goal, the most important goal in my life!"

The Netherlands avenged their defeat to Germany in the 1974 World Cup final by beating their opponents for the first time in 32 years.

The other semi-final was between Italy and the Soviet Union. Italy was very strong with stars like Maldini, Frei, Vialli and Mancini, while the Soviet Union was also full of superstars and was regarded by the media as the biggest discovery of the 1986 World Cup and the favorite of this European Cup. The ability of the meritorious coach Robananovsky was recognized and his coaching achievements shocked Europe.

At the beginning of the game, the Soviet team, which was stronger, faster, and better at playing on the wing, took the advantage, while Italy, which was fully defensive, tried hard to keep the score at 0-0. However, the Soviet team's advantage expanded in the second half. They broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with Litvichikov, and Protasov scored 4 minutes later, completely defeating Italy 2-0.

On June 1988, 6, the Munich Olympic Stadium welcomed the Soviet Union and the Dutch teams, and spectators witnessed this classic contest.

The Soviet Union had defeated the Netherlands in the first match of the group stage, which gave them confidence. Both the Soviet Union and the Netherlands played fast-paced and offensive styles. They played with sparks flying at the beginning of the game and soon entered a high-speed attack and defense rhythm. Neither side defended passively, but attacked with all their strength and switched quickly. The game made the fans intoxicated, and the cheers and cheers resounding throughout the stadium also gave the players more motivation. The game was carried out in an offensive and smooth rhythm, and the players of both sides played at a very high level. The Netherlands team seized the opportunity at the beginning. Gullit, the most expensive player in the world at that time, received a pass from Van Basten and scored a header from 8 yards in front of the goal, 1-0!

The Soviets, who were behind in the score, attacked more fiercely, but the Dutch team did not give in and also attacked. In the 54th minute of the second half, the most incredible goal in football history was scored. The Dutch team attacked with the ball, and the orange storm quickly swept into the heart of the Soviet team. Van Basten received a pass from Mullen near the baseline and volleyed directly with his right foot. It was a wonderful shot. The ball flew over the head of Soviet goalkeeper Dasayev with almost no angle and flew into the goal.

Michels first punched hard, and the Dutch fans were even more crazy, cheering and shouting, cheering for this goal.

The Soviets were two goals behind and fought back desperately. They created many chances and shot many times, hitting the goal frame twice, but they just couldn't get the ball into the Dutch goal. The Soviets' offensive was wave after wave, and the Dutch team even had to commit a foul in the penalty area to stop the Soviet players from shooting. But the Soviets' bad luck was incredible. They didn't even score a penalty kick, which was calmly saved by Dutch goalkeeper Van Breuklen.

The game finally ended, the Netherlands defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 and won the European Cup!

The orange whirlwind conquered Europe, and the tulips sparkled in Germany! The Dutch team lifted the coveted Delaunay Cup, and Michels, wearing the Dutch flag, walked around the field to receive cheers and celebrations.

The whole audience burst into applause, and the fans were paying tribute to the founder and practitioner of the total attack and defense style, to the great pioneer and explorer in the football world, and to the old man who gave everything for Dutch football!

European champions, all-action attack and defense, legendary coaches, three musketeers, goals from zero angles... This European Cup has left people with classic matches and gorgeous goal clips, which have become lasting memories in the football world.

Ferguson, who had been watching and observing the games, was also deeply shocked by Dutch and Soviet football. The offensive style of play, powerful pressure, flexible position changes, overall offense and defense, and fast pace... These scenes ignited Ferguson's passion, and the superb skills of the two teams also opened Ferguson's eyes.