Match Summary

Belgium Team

England's opening match in the European championship finals was scarred by a sickening outbreak of hooliganism by a section of their so-called supporters. The violence erupted after the Belgians had struck back with an immediate equaliser to a classic goal in the twenty-second minute by Ray Wilkins, who collected a clearance, lobbed the ball over the defence and then ran forward to collect his own pass and to direct a hook shot into the roof of the net. Ceulemans scored following a corner just a minute later, and this triggered wide-spread fighting on the terraces. The police fired tear gas to try to restore order, and several of the England players were affected and the game had to be temporarily suspended. What had been a keenly competitive match lost its impetus, and England had to be satisfied with a draw. Tony Woodcock looked unlucky to have a goal ruled offside just before the Wilkins strike, but it was sadly a game that would be remembered for the ugly scenes on the terraces rather than the football on the pitch.

Source Notes

TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record (Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
Norman Giller, Football Author
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CG