Czechoslovakia had missed out on qualification for the major summer tournaments of 1972 and 1974, so determination to make the finals tournament of the 1976 European Championships in Yugoslavia was high.

Václav Ježek‘s team duly qualified from a tough group that featured England and Portugal, then came through a 4-2 play-off win against the Soviet Union. With star players like Viktor, Ondrus, Nehoda, and Panenka playing some of their best football, Czechoslovakia surprised the continent by first defeating the Netherlands in the semi-finals and then West Germany in the Final on penalty kicks - the winning one scored in extravagant style by Antonin Panenka.