UEFA Euro '88 was a tournament that will live long in the Irish memory, and seems to have been attended by every single man above the age of 50 in Ireland today.

OTB Sports looks back at this famous tournament, as part of our ‘Story of the UEFA European Championships’ series in association with Heineken - official beer partner of UEFA Euro 2020.

John Anderson remembers how the English players - drawn against Ireland in a group with Soviet Union and Holland - were taking their head-to-head a touch for granted.

"I knew Waddler [Chris Waddle] and Peter [Beardsley] personally because I played in the same Newcastle side as them. Speaking to them before the game, there was a real air of confidence about them, they felt that it was a formality.

"It was 'we know we're better than you', I don't think it went down too well. We looked at it and thought 'We'll find out, we'll see how good you actually are."

Anderson remembers the famed Ray Houghton looper.

"Ray Houghton's goal - it kick-started everything. I just remember the reaction on the bench: everybody just jumped and I remember Jack cracking his head and everybody laughing at that.

"There seemed to be a stunned silence for a second, and then the roof just came off the place - it just erupted!"

'Best goal Ireland has scored'

Anderson believes that what happened next was a high watermark for Irish goals.

"Ronnie's finish against the Soviets was probably the greatest goal Ireland have ever scored. The technique on it was brilliant. People will have different views on it, but in my view it's number one.

"I didn't know Ronnie could get that high! I thought his hamstring would snap! It was incredible. It was just instinctive."

Next up were the Dutch, only to fall at the last.

"It started to dawn on people that we could do something very, very special. That realisation of what could be started to sink in.

"To get as close as we did, with the goal coming so late on, the manner and the flukiness of the goal [...] disappointing is probably the wrong word because people didn't expect us to get as close as we did. It was frustrating."

Still, the homecoming was alright...

"It's something that will live with me until my dying days. The same with Stuttgart. It is something I will always look back on with a smile on my face and I think the Irish supporters that were there did the country proud, and they definitely did the team proud."

The story of the UEFA European Championships on OTB Sports with Heineken – official beer partner of UEFA Euro 2020. Finally together to be rivals again. Drink responsibly, visit drinkaware.ie

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