By the final round of group games, Euro 88 was effectively a six-team tournament. Denmark and England were already eliminated and barely had any pride left to play for.
Group A was concluded with simultaneous games on Friday night, just a week – and a lifetime – after the tournament had begun. The hosts West Germany played Spain in Munich, with the likelihood that the semi-finals wouldn’t be big enough for the both of them. West Germany needed a draw, Spain a win.
Italy, who many felt had been the best team in the tournament to date, needed only a draw against Denmark to guarantee qualification.
Group B was settled the following afternoon, with the BBC deciding to show Republic of Ireland’s decisive match against the Netherlands instead of England v USSR. Assuming a collectively depressed England side didn’t win that game (spoiler alert…), Ireland knew they would reach the semis with a draw. The Netherlands had no such luxury; if they didn’t win, they were almost certainly going home.
Martyn, Gary and Rob chat about all four games… and Bryan Robson taking our his frustrations on Peter Shilton’s chin. Oh, and Rob’s dog Margot makes an unscripted appearance.
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