Classic Euro Moments: Netherland Beats the USSR, 1988

Journey back with me to 1988. Ronald Reagan was in the White House, and the country we now know as “Russia” was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR.)

And footballing shorts were very, very…short.

The Euro tournament itself was a little different from today’s as well. Only eight teams played in the Euro finals, and they were divided into two groups. The top two from each advanced and went straight into the semifinals.

In the group stage of Euro 1988, (West) Germany, Italy and the USSR all made it through with five points — two wins and a draw. (This was before FIFA had adopted the “three points per win” rule, and all wins were worth just two.) Netherlands was the odd man out, getting through with only four points after getting beaten by the Soviets.

In the semis, the USSR dominated Italy and won, 2-0. In the other game, West Germany took the lead over Netherlands in the second half with a goal by Lothar Matthäus, only to see that lead evaporate with goals by Ronald Koeman (74′) and the golden-footed Marco van Basten (88′).

This led to the finals showdown between Netherlands and the USSR. The Soviets had already beaten Netherlands in the group stage, 1-0, and were hoping to repeat the achievement. But Netherlands had other plans. Here’s how it played out:

Final score 2-0, with goals by Van Basten (coach of Netherlands for the upcoming Euros) and captain Ruud Gullit, who is currently coaching David Beckham and the LA Galaxy.

For more on this tournament, here is an interview with Gullit. The most interesting factoid from the interview for me was the fact that the team went to a Whitney Houston concert in Munich the day before the final. But beyond that, it’s always fascinating to see the tournament from the perspective of an insider: