Five great EURO finals including Netherlands, France and Spain wins
Saturday, July 13, 2024
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Famous goals, underdog upsets and star performances; were these the best UEFA EURO finals?
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Olympiastadion Berlin will host the 17th UEFA EURO final on Sunday 14 July 2024 at the end of what will no doubt be a thrilling month of action.
There have already been some unforgettable finals since the tournament was established in 1960. UEFA.com takes a look back at five of the best.
1988: USSR 0-2 Netherlands
Gullit 32, Van Basten 54
Olympiastadion, Munich
The Netherlands won their first and only major title after seeing off USSR, but the match in Munich will be forever remembered for a moment of magic by three-time Ballon d'Or winner Marco van Basten.
"The ball came from Arnold Muhren and I was thinking, OK, I can stop it and do things with all these defensive players or I could do it the more easy way, take a risk and shoot," Van Basten explained about his phenomenal volley from the acutest of angles which gave the Oranje a 2-0 lead. It was arguably the greatest goal in EURO final history, and followed Ruud Gullit's powerful first-half header to give the Dutch their greatest day.
1992: Denmark 2-0 Germany
Jensen 18, Vilfort 78
Ullevi, Gothenburg
Not many gave Denmark much of a chance when they lined up at EURO '92 as late replacements for Yugoslavia. Yet the Scandinavians upset the odds to first scrape through their group, then defeat holders the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-finals, and then beat Germany in the final with two goals against the run of play from John Jensen and Kim Vilfort.
The players themselves could scarcely believe it, and goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel recalled: "It really sank in when we were in Copenhagen in the town hall for the celebrations with the rest of Denmark. At this point you're thinking: 'We actually did this – it's not a dream.'"
2000: France 2-1 Italy (golden goal in extra time)
Wiltord 90, Trezeguet 103; Delvecchio 55
Stadion Feijenoord 'De Kuip', Rotterdam
"The absolute madness of it, the idea to go all-out attack... it was a superb goal." That's how David Trezeguet described his moment of inspiration as the striker's rifled golden goal won France EURO 2000 and saw them become the first World Cup holders to triumph in the tournament.
Fellow heavyweights Italy had taken a second-half lead through Marco Delvecchio's instinctive close-range strike, but Sylvain Wiltord's last-gasp effort for Les Bleus forced extra time. It was left for Trezeguet to become the hero, as the EURO final was settled by a golden goal for the second tournament in a row after Germany had beaten Czech Republic 2-1 in the same manner in 1996.
2004: Portugal 0-1 Greece
Charisteas 57
Estádio do SL Benfica, Lisbon
One of the greatest shocks in the modern era saw underdogs Greece beat Portugal in their own back yard. Otto Rehhagel's hard-working, well-organised outfit won against a side containing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Figo and Deco courtesy of a towering Angelos Charisteas header from a corner.
Captain Theodoros Zagorakis perhaps best summed up the mood in the Greece camp as he recalled: "When the referee ended the match, it was as if the lights went out – another blank spot in my memory – the constant smile of an idiot on my face for I don't know how many minutes. Unbelievable moments."
2012: Spain 4-0 Italy
David Silva 14, Jordi Alba 41, Torres 84, Mata 88
NSC Olimpiyskiy, Kyiv
After winning EURO 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, Spain sealed an unprecedented hat-trick and confirmed their place among the best international teams of all time with a thumping victory over Italy in Ukraine.
Vicente del Bosque's side put on a thrilling, free-flowing display, with the pick of the goals seeing the imperious Xavi Hernández threading a pinpoint through ball to Fernando Torres, who unselfishly squared for Juan Mata to finish into an empty net late on.
"This is a great era for Spanish football and a great time for all Spanish people," a proud Del Bosque said afterwards.