honours even between belgium and england published: saturday 4 october 2003, 11.04cet
england took the lead as they looked to pick up from where they left off in qualifying, but rené vandereycken ensured the spoils were shared.
england and belgium drew 1-1 in their opening group game of the 1980 uefa european football championship.
pitted in a section also including previous winners italy and spain, neither side did much to press their claims in turin. big things were expected of an england side spearheaded by 1978 and 1979 european footballer of the year, kevin keegan, but the hamburger sv forward was unable to turn the tide in his country's favour.
indeed, it was the more industrious, albeit no less influential, figure of ray wilkins who put england in front. when a cross from the left was headed clear by rené vandereycken, it was the manchester united fc midfielder who made sure the ball was his. he surged forward after controlling on his chest, chipped over the defence and finished with a delightful lob over goalkeeper jean-marie pfaff.
with keegan out of sorts, perhaps still feeling the effects of losing the european champion clubs' cup final just two weeks earlier, ron greenwood's side needed a moment of such brilliance. only three minutes later, though, their hard work was undone. jan ceulemans got his head to a corner from the right and vandereycken, reacting sharpest inside a crowded penalty area, smashed in the equaliser.
