When Wales beat Northern Ireland 1-0 at Euro 2016, some outlets referred to them having reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship for the first time.
However, the qualification for Euro 76 featured eight groups, with the winners of them being drawn in four two-legged ties to determine who made it to the four-team finals. Surely they were quarter-finals?
Whether they were or not, Wales were there, having bested Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg. They were drawn with Yugoslavia, whose kit was blue shirts, white shorts and red socks, meaning a change for Wales when they went to Belgrade for the first leg.
Admiral had provided the revolutionary ‘tramlines’ kit that year and there was a complementary yellow change strip, with the socks from that matching the red shirts and shorts quite well.
Wales lost 2-0 and, oddly, wore the same ensemble in the home game, a 1-1 draw, despite the fact that Yugoslavia were wearing all-white.
The look would again be seen away to Scotland in their World Cup qualifier in Hampden Park in November of 1976. The Scots donned white socks in Wrexham when the countries met in the Home Championship in May 1977, but for Wales’ ‘home’ World Cup qualifier (held at Anfield following crowd trouble at the Yugoslavia second leg), they were again in red-red-yellow.
That game was overshadowed by a dodgy Scotland penalty – some Wales fans have yet to forgive Joe Jordan – which led to a 2-0 ‘away’ win. Had Wales won, then they could have afforded to lose to Czechoslovakia in their final group game and still qualify, but instead it was Scotland who went to Argentina.
Joe Jordan – CHEAT.