Despite leading a charmed life at times, France's ability
to play the most attractive, attacking football made them the deserved
winners of Euro 2000
Youri Djorkaeff and Patrick Vieira celebrate
France's success at Euro 2000.
The French rode their luck, especially in the Rotterdam
Final where it took a last-gasp injury time goal to keep them in the match
against Dino Zoff's Italy.
After a rather dull first period in which Italy seemed reluctant to venture
out of their own half, the game opened up after the break as the Azzurri
sensed their chance for glory.
Italy brought on Alessandro Del Piero early in the second half and they
soon took the lead. Totti skilfully fed Pessotto on the right and his
controlled cross evaded the attention of Desailly and fell for Marco Delvecchio,
who hit a volley into the net from close range.
Suddenly the Italians were on song and another chance was created when
Totti put Del Piero in the clear.
Racing clear of the defence, it looked like the Juve forward was going
to put Italy two goals to the good but unfortunately he put the ball wide
of the goal.
That miss gave France hope and they started to come back. Toldo was forced
to make a couple of good saves from Sylvain Wiltord and Thierry Henry
and Zidane started to dictate the pace of the game.
The Italians, however, remained dangerous on the counter and on 84 minutes
they should have made the game safe when Del Piero was sent through again.
This time he hit a tame shot which Barthez in the French goal saved easily.
With the confidence that being world champions often affords, France started
to up the pressure on the normally efficient and reliable Italian defence.
After successfully keeping them out for a dogged five minutes, the Italians
finally relented, thus beginning an extraordinary end to an extraordinary
competition.
Four minutes into injury time, Barthez pumped a long kick upfield and
found the head of David Trezeguet. The substitute headed the ball into
the area where Wiltord struck the ball back across goal.
The shot looked to be a tame one, especially as Toldo - so outstanding
throughout the competition - seemed to be in the perfect position to keep
out any effort from what was a tight angle.
But for once the Fiorentina man was slow to react and the ball slipped
under his body, bringing France back from the abyss. Now they were level.
Italy were killed off thirteen minutes into extra time, when Fabio Cannavaro's
weak header fell to Robert Pires who was free on the left. His cross caught
the Italians square, the ball was only half-cleared and David Trezeguet
hit a stupendous, thumping volley soaring high into the net.
France had finished as runners-up to the Dutch in their group and therefore
had the harder quarter-final, against Spain.
Zinedine Zidane's free-kick gave France the lead just after the half-hour,
but the lead lasted just eight minutes. Liliam Thuram fouled Munitis in
the area and Gaizka Mendietta stroked home the penalty.
A thrilling first half ended in France's favour when Youri Djorkaeff broke
clear and knocked a low shot beyond Canizares. Then, in the last minute
of time and France on the verge of victory, the Spanish were awarded a
penalty for a dubious foul by Barthez on Aberlardo.
Real Madrid golden boy Raul took the penalty but shot horribly over the
bar, sending France into the semi-finals to meet Portugal.
The Portuguese, inspired by Luis Figo, were quarter-final victors over
surprise qualifiers Turkey and were to that point the most impressive
unit in the Championship.
After 19 minutes Nuno Gomes, one of the real finds of Euro 2000, struck
a snapshot curling effort past Fabian Barthez and France were on the ropes.
However, after half-time they equalised through Arsenal's Thierry Henry,
before the game slowed down and drifted into extra time.
Not much happened in the extra half-hour until everything exploded into
life in the final five minutes.
Abel Xavier was judged to have handled the ball by the post and after
the furore which followed, Zidane converted the spot-kick.
Having got past Romania 2-0 in the quarter-finals with goals from Totti
and Inzaghi, Italy took on a buoyant Holland in the semis after the Dutch
had thrashed Yugoslavia 6-1 in a display worthy of their 1974 and 1988
predecessors.
A Holland-Italy semi whet many an appetite and even though the game finished
0-0, it was not short of incident.
Having witnessed the Dutch drubbing of the Yugoslavs, the match started
predictably as Italy sat back and defended against the awesome attacking
potential of Bergkamp, Kluivert, Overmars and Zenden.
Early on, Gianluca Zambrotta was sent off after two awful fouls on Zenden
before, on 39 minutes, Holland were awarded a penalty. However, Toldo
brilliantly saved Frank de Boer's effort to start what turned out to be
a night of horrors for the sea of Oranje fans.
In what was a completely one-sided second-half, the hosts were given another
penalty when Edgar Davids' charge into the area was stopped illegally
by Mark Iuliano. The Juve defender avoided a red card, Kluivert stepped
up to take the spot-kick but the ball struck the left-hand post of Toldo's
goal.
When the contest went to a shoot-out, you knew that the poor hosts never
stood a chance.
Frank de Boer and Jaap Stam missed the first two Dutch kicks while the
Italians scored their first three. Then Kluivert scored and gave some
hope to Holland, which was reinforced when Paolo Maldini missed for Italy.
Finally, though, Toldo saved from Bosvelt and Italy went through to the
Final.
England got off to a great start in their opening Group A match with Portugal.
After just three minutes, David Beckham was allowed far too much time
and space on the right and he swung in a cross that was headed home by
Paul Scholes.
Then a good piece of skill by Michael Owen gave another crossing opportunity
tor Beckham, which this time was converted by Real Madrid midfielder Steve
McManaman.
Two-nil up, eighteen minutes played. However England never looked comfortable
and they struggled to keep possesion of the ball for any meaningful length
of time.
A wonderful long-range effort from Luis Figo quickly got the Portuguese
back in it and then a well-judged glancing header from Joao Pinto levelled
things up before half-time.
On the hour Numo Gomes sped onto a through-ball from Rui Costa, got ahead
of Tony Adams and steered the ball past David Seaman. The match finished
3-2 and gave the Portuguese a well-deserved win.
In Charleroi, victory against Germany gave England hope of qualification
for the quarter-finals. The only goal of the game came eight minutes after
half-time when England were awarded a free-kick deep on the right.
Beckham's cross was allowed to bounce, and the ball found its way past
three defenders and Owen before dropping on the head of Alan Shearer,
who stooped to steer it past the despairing Oliver Kahn.
So attention turned to the final group game against Romania, where a draw
would see England through to a quarter-final against Italy. The match
got off to a bad start when, after 20 minutes, Christian Chivu's cross
was wickedly deflected, looping over stand-in 'keeper Nigel Martyn and
falling inside the far post. Romania were ahead.
England were slow to get into the game and were struggling to retain anything
like enough possession to create chances to equalise. But then midfield
collosus Paul Ince was fouled in the area and Shearer stepped up to gratefully
dispatch the penalty to level things up.
Five minutes later Owen was put clear by Scholes and he went round 'keeper
Bogdan Stelea, evading the 'keeper's dangerously high challenge, to score
his first goal of the tournament.
Despite being a goal up at half- time, England weren't playing with any
sort of authority and their weaknesses at the back were exposed when Daniel
Munteanu equalised following a poor punched clearance from Martyn.
England retreated into their shell and seemed intent to settle for a draw
and ride out time. Keegan's men managed to survive the pressure that the
Romanians applied until two minutes from time, when Phil Neville made
an ill-judged tackle in the box. The penalty was stroked home by Ganea
and England were out.
2000
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING
Belgium and Netherlands qualified as joint hosts. Group winners
qualified for finals, runners-up
qualified for playoffs and best runner-up (judged by record against
1st, 3rd and 4th) qualified automatically.
