Top 10 Moments in UEFA EURO History That Changed Football

Top 10 Moments in UEFA EURO History That Changed Football

UEFA’s history is long and rich: there were plenty of impactful moments that changed the game forever. After all, European games are a crucial part of soccer, with many of the strongest players coming from these countries.f

Our article aims to cover some of the most impressive moments in its history. It will take us all back as far as to 1960 to look at the games and championships with the importance that cannot be overestimated.

1. The Inaugural UEFA European Championship (1960)

Called the European Nations’ Cup and hosted in France, the first-ever UEFA championship was quite a show, and there is plenty to look at apart from the fact that it was the inaugural event. 17 nations participated, and four of them reached the finals. Those were France, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia. The latter two played in the final match, with the Soviet Union winning. The game was quite interesting: a legendary goalkeeper, Lev Yashin, led the Soviet team, and the score was 1:1 during the regular time. Nevertheless, the Soviets scored one goal during the extra 7 minutes and won the championship.

For many decades, the UEFA Euro has stood as the top tournament in European football. The upcoming edition is set for 2028, and in the meantime, you can continue to place bets on football online. For example, here: https://ind.1xbet.com/line/football

2. Antonín Panenka’s Iconic Penalty (1976)

The final of the 1976 European Championships saw West Germany playing against Czechoslovakia. The latter were clear underdogs since everyone favoured Germans, defending champions. Nevertheless, by the end of the regular time, the score was 2:2. Extra time did not help, and the game featured a penalty shoot-out.

Czechoslovakia won the shootout, with Panenka’s goal being the crucial one. It used a technique that was quite unexpected for the German goalkeeper: instead of kicking the ball to the left or right, Panenka just gave it a light touch, and the ball went to the centre, with the goalkeeper being deceived and trying to dive to the side. This technique is named after the player, and people now call it the “panenka”.

More interesting is that the technique was not exactly new. Panenka actually used it regularly in local matches, but since Czechoslovak football was not exactly popular out of the country, West Germans certainly were not familiar with the move. And this is exactly what helped the Czechoslovak team get their first-ever European championship title.

Panenka in 1976. Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/crgglxwge10o

3. Denmark’s Fairytale Victory (1992)

Everything around Denmark’s success at the 1992 Euro was stranger than fiction. For example, they did not even qualify to participate in the championship at first. Things changed after Yugoslavia dissolved, and the country’s team was banned from participation. Instead, Denmark received a right to play.

Denmark faced England, Sweden, and France. The first game was drawn, and the match against Sweden ended with the Swedes winning. The Danish had a definitive victory over the French team, with a score of 2:1. With the help of penalties, Denmark won the semi-final game against the Netherlands. During the final, they were huge underdogs against Germany, a team universally considered very powerful.

The match was played at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Germans kicked off with a powerful start but were unable to score any goals throughout the game. Denmark, however, netted two goals and won the match 2:0, earning their first and only Euro title.

4. Marco van Basten’s Legendary Volley (1988)

Few goals are as celebrated and renowned as the one scored by Marco van Basten, a Dutch player, during the match against the Soviets in 1988. This was the final of Euro 1988, and van Basten truly sealed his team’s victory with a final score of 2:0.

So, what exactly was great about this volley? An angled strike came from the near corner of the field and was executed acrobatically. Given the sharp angle, the airborne nature of the strike, and the widely held view that Soviet goalkeeper Rinat Dasayev is one of the greatest in football history, this remarkable volley rightfully earns its spot among the greatest goals in the sport.

Source: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/14692/3624841/1988-dutch-of-class

5. Greece’s Underdog Story (2004)

The success of the Greek team is one of the most modern moments of this list to consider. It was the highest point of the team’s history, although one cannot call them a weak team.

Overall, the 2004 Euro was one of those championships filled with surprises. For example, very powerful teams, such as Germany, Italy, and Spain, were eliminated during the group stage. The reigning champions, France, lost their game against Greece during the quarter-finals. Portugal (the host) and Greece were the teams that reached the finals. Greece won the game with a 1:0 score. It was actually the second time Greece beat Portugal during Euro 2004. Before the tournament, the bookmakers calculated Greece’s odds as 150:1, so surely some bettors became rich as a result. Although it is important to mention that online betting was still in its relative infancy, offline bookmakers were quite popular.

How did Greece win, and what was the secret behind their underdog success story? The answer is actually simple: by taking chances and with every footballer playing above their absolute best. Of course, one can argue that the early elimination of powerful teams such as the Germans helped. However, saying that Greece won only by the draw would be strange: after all, they beat Portugal, a rather masterful team, twice during the Championship.

6. The 9-Goal Thriller Between Yugoslavia and France (1960)

Let’s get back to the inaugural Euro championship that we started our article with. The tournament’s semi-final games included the showdown between Yugoslavia and France, which remains one of the highest-scored games in the history of Euro finals and semi-finals. Yugoslavia won with a score of 5:4, and the game was definitely very heated.

While the majority of the match was full of goals from both teams, sometimes happening just a couple of minutes away from each other, Yugoslavia achieved its victory with the help of Dražan Jerković, a legendary forward. He scored two goals at 78′ and 79′, ending the very impressive game with a solid victory.

7. Spain’s Era of Dominance Begins (2008)

Spain won two consecutive Euro Championships in 2008 and 2012. Let’s look at how they achieved their first victory of these two. Spain started strong by beating Russia 4:1 at the group stage. In the quarter-finals, they won the game against Italy with the help of penalties, with the result being 4:2, although the regular time ended with a 0:0 score. They beat Russia again in the semi-finals with a score of 3:0. The final game was against Germany. Spain won with a score of 1:0. It was the first time since 1996 that any team had gone undefeated during the European tournament.

8. Portugal’s Resilience Without Ronaldo (2016)

The period of Spain’s dominance in football wrapped up in 2016 when Portugal won the finals. They faced the French team, and what made this victory even more remarkable was that it occurred without their leading player, Cristiano Ronaldo. He was injured early in the match, leaving the field in the 18th minute and watching the rest of the game from the audience. Nani stepped in as the captain. The game was not easy, but Portugal won with a score of 1:0. Éderzito Lopes scored the goal at 109’.

The match proved that the team’s unity can overcome any issues and that there are always ways to overcome the absence of a star player. Discipline and determination clearly helped Portugal to win that game.

(Source: https://www.eurosport.com/football/blow-for-portugal-as-injured-cristiano-ronaldo-forced-out-of-euro-2016-final_sto5682653/story.shtml)

9. Michel Platini’s Golden Touch (1984)

France and Portugal met in the semi-finals of Euro 1984. Both teams were powerful, and the game was heated. As it was coming to its conclusion, the score was 2:2. Until Michel Platini, a 29-year-old captain of the French team, scored a very impressive goal at 119’.

What makes this goal so popular and renowned? Mainly the speed and technique. Platini quickly took control of the ball after Jean Tigana passed it to him. The nature was very precise: Platini did not use any unexpected tricks, which made the result even more impressive. Portuguese fans were shocked by how quickly things changed.

10. England’s Redemption at Wembley (2021)

The 2020 Euro actually took place during the summer of 2021 after the outbreak of COVID-19 postponed the championship. This is why it is the only game on our list that took place in the odd-numbered year.

England (the host of the championship) played Italy. Despite being a rather skilled team, England reached the finals of the Euro for the first time. On the other hand, for the Italians, it was their fourth European championship final. The game was lively and quite interesting but ended with a score of 1:1, so there was a need for the penalties. The shoot-out started with English dominance, but then the players missed, and Italy ultimately won with 3:2 penalties.

The Impact of These Moments on Modern Football

It would be extremely difficult to overestimate how influential some of these moments were for football, both on the European and worldwide stage. The inaugural European Championship in 1960 marked the beginning of an era and featured some of the performances that are still fondly remembered. Panenka, who had taken a historic penalty shot during the 1976 Euro finals, popularised his technique. Denmark’s victory in 1992 and Greece’s win in 2004 proved that even the most unexpected teams can show impressive results and ultimately win with their sheer discipline and determination. In 2016, Portugal clearly showed that you can win a championship even after your most notable player suffers an injury. In 2021, the Euro 2020 had very strict rules for the audience due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the games were attended by thousands, and millions of online football fans watched the games over the Internet and TV.

Conclusion

European football is very important, so it is not surprising that it has had its fair share of legendary moments. Moreover, many of them were quite influential, such as the penalty kick by Panenka in 1976. In this article, we covered what we consider to be the top 10 most impressive moments in the history of the UEFA European Championship. It included shockingly precise goals, great penalty shots, unexpected wins, and matches packed with goals.

Scroll to Top