In November last year the final four
countries to be represented at the EUROs were established, following successful play-offs. The victors were Croatia, Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland – who are making only their second appearance in the tournament – and Portugal.
AUSTRIA AND SWITZERLAND 2008 People were calling for the head of Spanish coach Luis Aragonés before the tournament began, but after his team were crowned champions of Europe – their first silverware since the second tournament in 1964, 44 years before – he was instantly venerated as the greatest footballing tactician in the country’s history. Aragonés, who stepped down after his side defeated Germany 1-0 at the Ernst-Happel Stadion, promoted ‘tiki-taka’, a phrase that came to mean short, incisive passing, patience and possession, above all else. The coach’s philosophy was adopted by the outstanding players at his disposal and while Xavi Hernandez’s pass set up Fernando Torres’s winning goal in Vienna, the pathway was illuminated with talents such as Cesc Fábregas, David Silva, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas, Andrés Iniesta and David Villa – the tournament’s top-scorer with four goals. Many predicted a golden age of Spanish dominance. When they were crowned champions
of the world under Vicente del Bosque’s guidance two years ago it surprised few, and they enter the tournament in Poland and Ukraine as short-odds favourites.
PORTUGAL 2004 In one of the biggest shocks in footballing history, an unfashionable and unfancied Greece side used ultra- defensive tactics to devastating effect. While the tournament had the purists lamenting the state of the ‘beautiful game’, the clever planning of German coach Otto Rehhagel showed the importance of a master-tactician. His team was likened to the famous
Trojan Horse in Greek mythology, and would surprise their opponents by scoring before their steely defence – which did not concede in the knockout stages – held firm. The final, at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, was a re-run of the tournament’s first game when Greece defeated the hosts, who were powered by Cristiano Ronaldo. Rehhagel’s team proved that it was no fluke the first time
round and Angelos Charisteas became a national hero after he scored from his country’s first corner, taken by Angelos Basinas, in the 57th minute. In retrospect, it was a fascinating
competition. There were surprises galore as Germany, Spain and Italy were knocked out during the group stage while title- holders France were eliminated in the quarter-finals by underdogs Greece, whose defensive midfielder and captain, Theodoros Zagorakis, was elected Player of the Tournament, for his stubborn performances. The 2004 victory remains Greece’s only football trophy.
BELGIUM AND HOLLAND 2000 France, who entered the first co-hosted European tournament as World Cup holders, were once again propelled by the magnificent Zinedine Zidane, but it was David Trezeguet who won an incredible final for Les Bleus, netting a Golden Goal against Italy, who had led 1-0 for 94 minutes before Sylvain Wiltord’s equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time at the Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam. Italy’s Marco Delvecchio had opened
the scoring in the 55th minute and it appeared that the Italians, who reached the final after defeating co-hosts Holland on penalties having played out a goalless draw, would hold on for the win.
“The 16 countries battling it out for the Henri Delaunay Cup this summer were determined after a gruelling 15-month qualifying period.”
But the game-changing ability of Zidane, who had scored his country’s Golden Goal in the 2-1 semi-final win over Portugal, came to the fore once again. In the 15th minute of extra-time he pulled the ball back from the left and Trezeguet’s first-time shot crashed into the roof of the net. France became the first country to be the world and European champions at the same time – a feat which has since been matched by Spain.
ENGLAND 1996 Germany won their third European Championship title after defeating surprise package Czech Republic 2-1 in the final at Wembley. Striker Oliver Bierhoff was the hero for the Germans as he levelled out Patrik Berger’s 59th minute penalty and went on to net the winning Golden Goal in the 95th minute. The knockout stages had been tense, with both hosts England and also France advancing on penalties after goalless draws against Spain and Holland respectively. Germany defeated Croatia 2-1, with Player of the Tournament Matthias Sammer scoring the crucial winner, while Karel Poborský’s goal was the only goal of Czech Republic’s last eight game against Portugal. Both semi-finals were determined on spot-kicks, with England’s Gareth Southgate failing to convert his effort against Germany, while Reynald Pedros miscued for France in the other game. For the hosts, who were led admirably by tournament top-scorer Alan Shearer (five), it was a heart-breaking way to topple out, having been defeated in the
Poland former players Andrzej Szarmach and Zbigniew Boniek (left) and Ukraine players Oleg Blokhin and
Andrei Shevchenko (right) with the UEFA EURO 2012 official mascots
www.itv.com/sport/football ITV GUIDE | EURO 2012
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