1. A TOSS FOR THE AGES
Archaic footballing rules meant that back in the day matches would occasionally be decided not on penalties but through the good-old randomised act of a coin toss. When Italy met the Soviet Union in the semi-finals of the 1968 European Championship, the match ended goalless after 90 minutes. Even extra time could not split the combatants, and so it was down to the flip of a coin to determine who would take their fortunate place in the final. As it turned out, the coin fell in favour of the Italians, who not only reached the final, but went on to win it via a replay (nobody had the gall to ask for another coin toss in the final) against Yugoslavia.
2. THE ORIGINAL PANENKA
The panenka penalty, which involves insouciantly chipping the ball over the goal line, makes for one of the most exquisite scenes in football. The likes of Andrea Pirlo and Sergio Ramos have produced some of the most outrageously gorgeous panenkas on the European stage, but nothing beats the gumption and the glory that came with the very first one. With the title on the line in the 1976 final between Czechoslovakia and Germany, Antonin Panenka stepped up for the decisive spot-kick and apparently had only two options. Hammer the ball down the middle or slot it inside either post with power and precision. But the ingenious Panenka invented a third alternative, delectably dinking the ball past his German adversary and etching his name in the European record books forever.
3. THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH MICHEL PLATINI
In what is often regarded as the best match in the history of the European Championship, hosts France squared off against Portugal in the semi-finals of the 1984 edition. A topsy-turvy encounter was locked at 2-2, with penalties looking inevitable when France’s messianic midfielder Michel Platini decided to have his say. With a minute left in the second period of extra time, Platini emerged from the shadows to stroke the ball into the back of the net, sending the live audience in Marseille into hysteria. As the players exploded into ecstasy, it seemed that the galleries of the stadium would collapse upon them, such was the passion unleashed by the home crowd in the stands. Platini, the man of the hour (and also the tournament), followed up his semi-final heroics with another masterclass in the final as France saw off Spain 2-0 to clinch the title.
4. MARCO VAN BASTEN’S IMPOSSIBLE GOAL
The effervescent Ruud Gullit had already put the Dutch in command of the 1988 European final against the USSR in Munich when Marco Van Basten, the most prodigious centre-forward of his era, netted one of the finest goals in football history. With 53 minutes played, Arnold Muhren floated a looping cross into the penalty area, which Van Basten, with an illusion of slowing down time, met on the volley and placed into the back of the net from the tightest of angles. The wonder strike not only sealed the trophy for the Netherlands, but also immortalised Van Basten’s aura in the game as the scorer of a truly magnificent goal. A goal that summed up the confidence, perhaps even arrogance, coursing through the veins of an entire generation of Dutch players, who played football with a panache that is virtually unrepeatable in the modern game.
5. SWEET REVENGE FOR GASCOIGNE
Euro 1996: Midfielder Paul Gascoigne was not only the most gifted English player in the squad, but also the most notorious.
When England hosted Euro 1996, midfielder Paul Gascoigne was not only the most gifted English player in the squad, but also the most notorious. Capable of making things happen, both good and bad, Gascoigne was a must-watch, a man you could not take your eyes off for a second. In a high-voltage encounter against Scotland, England were leading 1-0 (thanks to Alan Shearer) when Gascogine came up with something characteristically audacious. Flicking the ball over Scottish defender Colin Hendry’s head, Gascoigne rifled in an unstoppable strike that gave Andy Goram no chance in the Scottish goal. But that was hardly the end of it, with Gascogine wheeling away in joy and recreating the infamous Dentist’s Chair celebration, which involved teammates squirting water into Gascoigne’s mouth to replicate how the English tabloids had described Gascoigne’s eccentric consumption of alcohol in the build-up to the match.
Gascogine wheeling away in joy and recreating the infamous Dentist’s Chair celebration, which involved teammates squirting water into his mouth
6. “PEARCING” THROUGH THE PAIN
In the 1990 World Cup semi-final against Germany, Stuart Pearce had missed the penalty that sent England home in the most heartbreaking fashion possible. Given how much toll the miss took on Pearce, few would have anticipated him taking responsibility once more as England went to penalties against Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 1996. But Pearce was not one to back away from the fight, seizing the challenge and scoring with aplomb as England went on to win an emotionally overwhelming penalty shoot-out. Pearce’s celebration after he scored his spot kick was borderline cathartic, a mix of relief and happiness that left thousands of English fans (not to mention many neutrals) teary-eyed. However, in the very next round, there was to be more despair for Pearce and his colleagues as they crashed out to eventual champions Germany on (you guessed it!) penalties.
7. FRANCE’S GOLDEN GOAL
The final of Euro 2000 witnessed an instant classic between age-old rivals Italy and France. Having taken the lead through Marco Delvecchio early in the second half, the Italians seemed set to do what they do best: shut out the game and win 1-0. But world champions France refused to hand in the towel, as coach Roger Lemerre made two match-turning substitutions. The first of the substitutes, Sylvain Wiltord, bagged the latest of equalisers, sending the match into extra time where another supersub, the mercurial David Trezeguet, sealed a French victory with an emphatic left-footed drive into the back of the net. Trezeguet’s golden goal meant France held both the world and European titles for the first time ever, putting the exclamation point on a stupendous run of success that has only been matched by Spain’s all-conquering matadors since.
8. GIANTKILLERS GREECE SHOCK PORTUGAL
The writing seemed to be on the wall ahead of the 2004 Euro final. Hosts Portugal were expected to make light work of minnows Greece in Lisbon and end their drought in major tournaments. But the Greeks, led by the imperturbable Theodoros Zagorakis, had other plans. Having stifled Portugal in the opening half, the men in white took a shock lead on 57 minutes through winger Angelos Charisteas. Home fans looked on in disbelief as the Portuguese dream began to deflate with every passing minute. Portugal’s valiant comeback never materialised and Greece held on for arguably the greatest upset in a European final. Images of Portuguese players collapsing on the turf flooded the aftermath, including a shot of an inconsolable 19-year-old by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo.
9. NO FAIRYTALE FINISH FOR RONALDO
The Donbass Arena in Ukraine’s picturesque city of Donetsk looked on with bated breath as Spain and Portugal matched each other stride for stride in the semi-finals of Euro 2012. With no goals to separate the Iberian neighbours, the match went to penalties, where, much to the surprise of the onlookers, Ronaldo did not take the opening kick for his nation. The Portuguese captain had slotted himself in at number five on the list, convinced that he was destined to fire home the winning penalty and book a spot in the final. But, as fate would have it, Ronaldo did not even get to touch the ball in the shoot-out, with teammates Pepe and Nani missing their respective kicks and Spain converting four penalties in a row to pip Portugal to the final. The Spanish would have a much easier night out in the final itself, thumping a disjointed Italy team 4-0 to retain their championship in spectacular style.
10. WHEN ICELAND STUNNED THE WORLD
The round-of-16 clash between England and Iceland in Nice in Euro 2016 seemed to signal nothing more than a regulation win for the former en route to another quarter-final appearance. But few could have foreseen the tantalising twist in this tale. The English made the perfect start, with Wayne Rooney scoring from the spot inside five minutes. But just seconds later, the script began to unravel. Iceland pegged things back through Ragnar Sigurosson, before Kolbeinn Sigthorsson completed the turnaround in the 18th minute. With most of the game left, the onus was on England to engineer a turnaround of their own, but a dysfunctional midfield and misfiring attack fell short, as the Icelandic fans created one of the most surreal atmospheres ever felt on a football pitch. Iceland would eventually fall to France in the last eight, but their stunning result against England remains one of the most enduring underdog stories on the international stage.
Pictures: Agencies
