After the European football public had caught their breath following the first semi final, most assumed that the finale itself had the potential to be the best of all. Denmark were strong favourites to beat Spain - who were extremely fortunate to still be active in the competition - and set up a beautiful footballing conclusion to an enjoyable tournament.

However, many Spanish players believed that luck was with them. Something that can take teams a long way in these things...

Rob is with Martyn this week to explain Denmark's sudden rise to prominence, why so many neutrals took them to heart and how Spain broke those hearts in the end.

'Danish Dynamite', which Rob co-wrote with Mike Gibbons and Lars Eriksen is still available in the usual places.

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Aidan Williams and Jonathan O'Brien return to luxuriate in perhaps the greatest European Championship match of all time. With time ticking by, it felt like it was all going wrong again for France, destined forever to come up short at the big events. Within five minutes, the entire narrative was changed.

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"The German monster has survived too long" opined Le Soir on 21 June 1984. And that was one of the more sober conclusions.

After the way France's World Cup had ended, schadenfreude was not in short supply when the reigning European Champions went home before the real action started. It was also one of the two games that was shown live in the UK.

Jonathan O'Brien joins Martyn to make sense of Group 2 with a surprise Iberian challenge and a disappointingly restrictive Romania.

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If the host nation were nervy in that opening night in Paris, they quickly shrugged it off throughout the rest of Group 1. Platini's seven goals in three games, the young promise of Scifo and Stojković, the shackles around the Romanians and the disgrace that derailed Belgium give Martyn and Aidan Williams lots to talk about in a group that produced 23 goals.

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Martyn, Rob and Aidan are back to finish off this memorable qualifying story. Italy were seemingly on a post-World Cup gap year, Northern Ireland managed to beat West Germany home and away and still finish second - a tale of glorious failure that would become more familiar for some home nations - and the Netherlands were booking their hotel after setting Spain the task of winning their final game by 11 clear goals...

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It is tournament time again in the Nessun Dorma marathon and this time we revisit one that was, in the words of one writer, 'the greatest tournament you never saw'.

That writer was Aidan Williams and he joins Rob and Martyn in the first of two parts that tell the remarkable story of qualification for Euro '84, a tale that is almost as dramatic as the Finals themselves.

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Never before or since, has one league been as strong throughout European football. Author and friend of the show, Dominic Hougham joins Martyn to talk about his upcoming new book charting the years between 1988/89 and 1998/99 when Serie A bestrode the continent like a colossus. Owners were as famous as the galaxy of star managers and players as mega clubs and those more provincial managed to get their hands on European prizes and this book takes us through how it happened and, mainly through Channel 4, how we were seduced by its glamour.

This excellent book is available to pre-order here before its general release on 2 June. https://amzn.eu/d/9hixGsO

Our 8-part series on Euro '84 will start next week.

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With season 1983/84 all done and dusted, it is time to take a sporting break as the excellent writer David Goldblatt joins Martyn to discuss that summer's Olympic Games. The epitome of an increasingly commercialised sporting world, these Games made money like never before. David takes us through just how they did, why it will never happen again, the difficulty that the USA had in taking Carl Lewis to their heart and no tears for Zola Budd.

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Mac and Gary are suited and booted and ready to return to Wembley as they revisit the day that their respective sides went head-to-head in the FA Cup Final. Questionable pre-match entertainment, the coming of age of young and exciting side and a controversial decider. What a way to round off the season!

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Gary carries his title into an action-packed Olympic year with plenty for him, Mike and Mac to choose from. Two Olympic games, one international tournament, some legends enhancing their reputations while others were just emerging alongside some controversy on the track and a rocket man over the stands.

But who will be able to convince Martyn that they have best captured the sporting year of 1984?

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