"Place" the Pancakes!

The poet Antonin Panenka! June 20, 1976. In the final, the winner of the 1972 European Championship and the 1974 World Cup, West Germany and Czechoslovakia (at that time). After regular time and extra time, 2-2, we find ourselves in penalties. In fact, it will be the first time, in the finals of an international competition, that, after extra time, the winner will emerge from the execution of penalties. The Czechs have taken all four penalties. Uli Hënes of the Germans misses the fourth penalty for his team. The fifth penalty will have to be taken for Czechoslovakia and it will be declared the winner or another chance will be given to the Germans. Against the best goalkeeper in the world, Czech striker Antonin Panenka. Europe holds its breath! Logically, the pressure is great for the "outsider" team of Czechoslovakia. The referee blows the whistle. Panenka gathers momentum to shoot the ball. Without touching the ball with his foot, Majer jumps to his left wing and, at the same time, he, Europe, the World, see the ball travel slowly in a parabola the distance of 11 meters to end up in the center of the goal, in the net. Czechoslovakia is the Champion of Europe! A French journalist, amazed by the execution of Panenka, in delirium calls him… "Poet"! That's how Panenka was called for the first time after the penalty. If we follow the logic of the French, in the stadium "Crvena Zvezda" in Belgrade, a famous poem had just been created! In fact, that penalty has remained in history not as a poem. In Brazil it is called "Cavadinha – Little Digging". In Argentina and many other South American countries, it is called "Picado – Pocket Penalty". In this part of the world where we live, Europe, it is called "Spoon"! Life after the Panenka penalty , of course, went down in history (although it is believed that the "father" of the "Spoon" penalty was the Welshman Billy Meredith). Sepp Majer was said to be the protagonist in two of the most famous penalties known in the history of football. That of Neeskens two years ago becoming the first German to touch the ball (taking it out of the net) in the final against Holland, three minutes after her and Panenka's kick-off! West Germany at that time was denied the opportunity to become the first team to win three consecutive tournaments, European – World – European, which Spain achieved 36 years later, 2008 – 2010 – 2012. On the other hand, the Germans pulled so well learned from failure that, from that evening of June 20, 1976 until today, they have never failed again during the execution of penalties! After twenty years, Germany, now a single country, faced again, in the same final, this time with the Czech Republic, a few years after the latter's separation from Slovakia. The match again went to extra time. As the final was drawing to a close and Panenka had begun to enter the thoughts of all of Europe following the final, Oliver Bierhof scored the second goal, depriving the Czech Republic this time, perhaps a chance for the miracle to repeat itself!