20 iconic moments from the last 20 years of the European Championships

A treat for football fans.

20) Casillas saves Spain

Match and tournament: Spain v Italy, Euro 2008 (quarter-final)

Football doesn’t care for matters of ‘ifs’, ‘buts’ or ‘maybes’, however, the course of Spanish football could have been very different had Iker Casillas not saved penalties from Daniele De Rossi and Antonio Di Natale. Prior to that quarter-final win over the World champions, Spain had lost three quarter-final penalty shoot-outs. This win was a seismic one in terms of ushering in Spain’s golden era of success.

19) Ronaldo’s moment of glory is taken away

Match and tournament: Spain v Portugal, Euro 2012 (semi-final)

Spain were supreme in Euro 2012 but it’s often forgotten that Portugal were the better side for long parts of their semi-final meeting in Donetsk.

After a scoreless 120 minutes, it required penalties to separate the sides and Cristiano Ronaldo decided to take the fifth and potentially match-winning spot-kick for his country. Bruno Alves missed, Fabregas scored and Ronaldo had to wait until this seasons Champions league final to get his moment of penalty-taking glory in a shootout.

Here’s his reaction.

Clip via Danniel Porteiro

18) England implode as Rooney explodes

Match and tournament: Euro 2004 (group stages)

This still remains the only tournament where Wayne Rooney has really delivered on the international stage, scoring four goals throughout. England really needed their prodigiously gifted striker because they somehow managed to snatch defeat away from the jaws of victory in their opening match against France.

Lampard opened the scoring, Beckham missed a penalty but Zidane struck twice in injury-time to give Les Blues the win. What was Gerrard thinking with this back-pass?

2004 (June 13) France 2-England 1 (European… by sp1873

17) Zidane’s incredible control

Match and tournament: France v Portugal, Euro 2000 (semi-final)

Poetic, majestic, gifted.

Zidane.

Clip via jonas Pitov

16) Suker’s stunning chip on Schmeichel

Match and tournament: Euro 1996, Croatia v Denmark (group stages)

It’s not often that the best goalkeeper in the world is made to look like an absolute fool. Outside of the boot, gorgeous.

15) Balotelli’s celebration

Match and tournament: Italy v Germany, Euro 2012 (semi-final)

Mercurial, enigmatic, waster, maverick, genius, frustrating, unstoppable. This was Balotelli at his fleeting best.

Germany were absolutely shell shocked in that opening 30 minutes but this celebration inspired so many memes.

14) Peak Zlatan

Match and tournament: Italy v Sweden, Euro 2004 (group stages)

Henrik Larsson inspired Sweden to a scintillating 5-0 win over Bulgaria in their opening game while the Italians stuttered to a 0-0 draw with Denmark. Cassano opened the scoring for Trap’s side but with five minutes left, Zlatan did this.

13) Phil Neville’s tackle

Match and tournament : England v Romania Euro 2000, (group stages)

The very definition of rocks for brains. This goal sent England home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80hZNGOY_g8

Clip via Cristian Sava

12) Heartbreak for Croatia

Match and tournament: Turkey v Croatia, Euro 2008 (quarter-finals)

It’s the 119th minute of extra-time and Klasnic has just given the Croats the lead. They’re heading to the semi-finals, right? RIGHT? Nope. Croatian supporters will probably never forget the name of Semih Senturk.

A truly remarkable ending to a game of football.

Clip via MrWweali

11) Poborsky’s lob

Match and tournament: Portugal v Czech Republic, Euro 1996 (quarter-finals)

Improvisation at its very best.

10) Football’s coming home

Match and tournament: England v Holland, Euro 1996 (group stages)

An opening day draw with Roy Hodgson’s Switzerland raised some concerns about England but a win against Scotland set-up a winner takes all match against the Dutch. Right from the off, England were magnificent and absolutely tore Guus Hiddink’s side apart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JTOUq0REjI

Clip via abc phu

9) Ricardo is the hero

Tournament and match: England v Portugal (Euro 2004 semi-final)

Four goals, 11 scored penalties, one goal that was controversially ruled out and a goalkeeper that saved and scored the decisive penalty.

Clip via Tiago P Pinto

8) The world’s first ‘golden goal’

Match and tournament: Germany v Czech Republic, Euro ’96 (the final)

The Czechs were the breakout team of the tournament after picking up some impressive wins against Italy, Portugal and France. Patrick Berger’s 59th minute penalty gave them the lead at Wembley but Oliver Bierhoff’s stooping header forced extra-time.

Germany went on to lift the trophy though as Bierhoff’s shot squirmed through the gloves of Kouba.

7) Abel Xavier loses the plot

Match and tournament: France v Portugal (Euro 2000 semi-final)

Your side have just had a penalty awarded against them. It’s the biggest game of your professional career and your country is facing elimination. How would you react?

It took three minutes for Portugal’s players to be calmed down before Zidane converted his penalty. Nuno Gomes was sent off for protesting, Paulo Bento had to be restrained and even Eusebio had to interject to calm down his countrymen.

It was the peroxide blonde head of Abel Xavier though that was the most memorable figure in the melee. He was given a six month ban from football for his troubles.

6) Gazza’s magic

Match and tournament: England v Scotland, Euro 96 (group stages)

A boozy night out in the build-up to this meeting of ‘The Old Enemy’ made the narrative from the newspapers all about him, but he delivered. How he delivered! A goal of pure genius and an iconic celebration to boot.

Clip via gukbap

5) Spain reign again

Match and tournament: Spain v Italy, Euro 2012 (the final)

Even before kick-off, many people believed that this Spanish side were the greatest international team of all time. They confirmed this with an emphatic win over Italy. La Roja had secured their third major trophy in a row. A truly breathtaking football team.

4) A match for the ages

Match and tournament: Euro 2004 (group stages)

The Euros has seen some absolutely cracking matches over the last 20 years – some of the matches that didn’t even make this list include Spain 4-3 Yugoslavia , Holland 6-1 Yugoslavia and the Dutch’s remarkable group campaign during ’08 – but in my opinion, this match is one of the greatest games of football that has ever been played.

In fact, it’s so good that we wrote a piece on it.

Netherlands 2 Czech Republic 3 – EURO 2004… by foetbal247

3) Penalties at Euro ’96

Match and tournament: England v Spain and Germany (Euro ’96 quarter and semi-finals)

The raw emotion on Stuart Pearce’s face after scoring against the Spanish was exactly what you would expect from a man that was vilified for missing his penalty against Germany at Italia ’90. Gareth Southgate would soon understand Pearce’s pain after missing from 12-yards against the Germans.

Shame about those pizza ads though.

2) Trezeguet’s winner

Match and tournament: Italy v France (Euro 2000 final)

If you’re going to win a final, this is how you do it.

Clip via RUSSIAOO71

1) Greece

Match and tournament: Greece win Euro ’04.

They spoiled Portugal’s party in the opening game but Otto Rehhagel’s side weren’t done there. They took the scalps of Spain, France and an immensely talented Czech Republic en route to the final. Make no mistake about it, they were absolutely awful to watch but Portugal fluffed their lines in the final.

Greece didn’t give a damn what the world thought about them though because they had managed to pull off one of the greatest shocks in football history.

Brought to you by Three. #MakeHistory