Three European Championship victories, three generations: Ahead of EURO 2016 in France, DFB.de is sitting down with key players from the 1972, 1980 and 1996 triumphs. In the first part of this series we spoke to Jupp Heynckes on EURO 1972 and then 1980 final hero Horst Hrubesch. Now it’s Andreas Köpke’s turn to reflect on Germany‘s last European Championship title over 20 years ago.
Andreas Köpke delievered some brilliant performances during his career. EURO 1996 was "his" tournament – without his saves, Germany would never have won the title. Köpke is currently Germany’s goalkeeping coach and is on the eve of the next tournament with the team – the European Championship in France. In an interview with Steffen Lüdeke, he reflects on the summer of 1996 at the EUROs in England.
DFB.de: EURO 96 in England was your first tournament as Germany’s no.1. To what extent did that affect your preparations?
Köpke: When you play, it’s a bit different. You’re more focused and know what to expect. I had the backing of the manager, which helped me in many situations. I tried to prepare myself as best as possible and dealt with the opponents and individual players. I worked incredibly hard with our goalkeeping coach Sepp Maier at the tournament and I was at the top of my game.
DFB.de: Germany were in a group with the Czech Republic, Russia and Italy. For many, this was "the group of death". Did you share this view?
Köpke: The names speak for themselves. We had to be ready right from the off; one bad game and it would have been over. However, this also had its advantages because it made you more alert and sharpened your senses. Back then we won our opening two games but still weren’t through to the next stage – that says a lot about the group.
DFB.de: Germany got off to a good start – two games, two clean sheets. It doesn’t get much better for a goalkeeper.
Köpke: We survived the entire group stage without conceding which was very, very good. However, in the game against Italy we were quite lucky as they dominated and put pressure on our goal for the full 90 minutes. I believe that it was one of my best international performances.
DFB.de: You definitely excelled in saving Gianfranco Zola’s penalty. How well do you still remember that moment?
Köpke: I was certain that he was going to put it in the corner. It was clear to see in his run-up and he’d also glanced briefly in that direction. It was well-placed but not powerful enough.
DFB.de: Matthias Sammer once said that your penalty save was a key moment as the team went on to lift the title. Do you agree?
Köpke: It definitely gave us a boost in the game and the result meant that Italy were knocked out of the tournament.
DFB.de: After beating Croatia, you faced England in the semi-final and it went all the way to a dramatic penalty shootout. Where does that game rank in your career?
Köpke: It was an unbelievable experience. You got goosebumps just listening to the German and English fans. We kept our nerves in the penalty shootout and every spot-kick was textbook – that was impressive. It was brilliant at the end as well when there was so much recognition and respect for the performances of both sides.
DFB.de: Was it tricky to recover for the final after the incredible effort against England?
Köpke: We had beaten the Czech Republic 2-0 in the group stage so everyone said that the final was just a formality. However, that was a dangerous way of thinking because it was anything but easy.
DFB.de: The Czech Republic took the lead through a controversial penalty. Did you know that Sammer’s challenge had taken place outside the box?
Köpke: Yes. In hindsight though, it was probably better that the referee thought it had happened inside the area. If a penalty hadn’t been awarded, Matthias probably would have been sent off. We were trailing 1-0 but we still had 11 players. We managed to turn the game around thanks to Oliver Bierhoff’s header and then his left-footed effort.
DFB.de: He may have grabbed the golden goal but that was only possible because you denied Vladimír Šmicer at the other end. The game could have turned out differently. Did Oliver Bierhoff thank you for that stop?
Köpke: I don’t think that any of the 1996 squad need to particularly thank anyone. We all gave it our best and more. I can still picture Thomas Helmer with the massive ice packs on his knee. This was symbolic of the whole team. I played my part and so did everyone else. We celebrated together after the tournament and it was a fantastic experience.
DFB.de: When Jürgen Klinsmann lifted the trophy in the air, you had bent down to talk to someone. Who was that and what was so important that you missed the special moment?
Köpke: My parents also asked me that. It was Franz Beckenbauer. He was sat in the row in front, we talked briefly and he congratulated me. When I stood up again, the trophy had already been lifted into the air.
DFB.de: And Jürgen Klinsmann couldn’t have waited for you to finish your conversation?
Köpke: He was fully focused on the prize. It was an unparalleled success for all of us. Although we weren’t the best playing side, we had our strengths and virtues and deserved to win.
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Three European Championship victories, three generations: Ahead of EURO 2016 in France, DFB.de is sitting down with key players from the 1972, 1980 and 1996 triumphs. In the first part of this series we spoke to Jupp Heynckes on EURO 1972 and then 1980 final hero Horst Hrubesch. Now it’s Andreas Köpke’s turn to reflect on Germany‘s last European Championship title over 20 years ago.
Andreas Köpke delievered some brilliant performances during his career. EURO 1996 was "his" tournament – without his saves, Germany would never have won the title. Köpke is currently Germany’s goalkeeping coach and is on the eve of the next tournament with the team – the European Championship in France. In an interview with Steffen Lüdeke, he reflects on the summer of 1996 at the EUROs in England.
DFB.de: EURO 96 in England was your first tournament as Germany’s no.1. To what extent did that affect your preparations?
Köpke: When you play, it’s a bit different. You’re more focused and know what to expect. I had the backing of the manager, which helped me in many situations. I tried to prepare myself as best as possible and dealt with the opponents and individual players. I worked incredibly hard with our goalkeeping coach Sepp Maier at the tournament and I was at the top of my game.
DFB.de: Germany were in a group with the Czech Republic, Russia and Italy. For many, this was "the group of death". Did you share this view?
Köpke: The names speak for themselves. We had to be ready right from the off; one bad game and it would have been over. However, this also had its advantages because it made you more alert and sharpened your senses. Back then we won our opening two games but still weren’t through to the next stage – that says a lot about the group.
DFB.de: Germany got off to a good start – two games, two clean sheets. It doesn’t get much better for a goalkeeper.
Köpke: We survived the entire group stage without conceding which was very, very good. However, in the game against Italy we were quite lucky as they dominated and put pressure on our goal for the full 90 minutes. I believe that it was one of my best international performances.
DFB.de: You definitely excelled in saving Gianfranco Zola’s penalty. How well do you still remember that moment?
Köpke: I was certain that he was going to put it in the corner. It was clear to see in his run-up and he’d also glanced briefly in that direction. It was well-placed but not powerful enough.
DFB.de: Matthias Sammer once said that your penalty save was a key moment as the team went on to lift the title. Do you agree?
Köpke: It definitely gave us a boost in the game and the result meant that Italy were knocked out of the tournament.
DFB.de: After beating Croatia, you faced England in the semi-final and it went all the way to a dramatic penalty shootout. Where does that game rank in your career?
Köpke: It was an unbelievable experience. You got goosebumps just listening to the German and English fans. We kept our nerves in the penalty shootout and every spot-kick was textbook – that was impressive. It was brilliant at the end as well when there was so much recognition and respect for the performances of both sides.
DFB.de: Was it tricky to recover for the final after the incredible effort against England?
Köpke: We had beaten the Czech Republic 2-0 in the group stage so everyone said that the final was just a formality. However, that was a dangerous way of thinking because it was anything but easy.
DFB.de: The Czech Republic took the lead through a controversial penalty. Did you know that Sammer’s challenge had taken place outside the box?
Köpke: Yes. In hindsight though, it was probably better that the referee thought it had happened inside the area. If a penalty hadn’t been awarded, Matthias probably would have been sent off. We were trailing 1-0 but we still had 11 players. We managed to turn the game around thanks to Oliver Bierhoff’s header and then his left-footed effort.
DFB.de: He may have grabbed the golden goal but that was only possible because you denied Vladimír Šmicer at the other end. The game could have turned out differently. Did Oliver Bierhoff thank you for that stop?
Köpke: I don’t think that any of the 1996 squad need to particularly thank anyone. We all gave it our best and more. I can still picture Thomas Helmer with the massive ice packs on his knee. This was symbolic of the whole team. I played my part and so did everyone else. We celebrated together after the tournament and it was a fantastic experience.
DFB.de: When Jürgen Klinsmann lifted the trophy in the air, you had bent down to talk to someone. Who was that and what was so important that you missed the special moment?
Köpke: My parents also asked me that. It was Franz Beckenbauer. He was sat in the row in front, we talked briefly and he congratulated me. When I stood up again, the trophy had already been lifted into the air.
DFB.de: And Jürgen Klinsmann couldn’t have waited for you to finish your conversation?
Köpke: He was fully focused on the prize. It was an unparalleled success for all of us. Although we weren’t the best playing side, we had our strengths and virtues and deserved to win.
