The Euro 2016 is soon to start in France. I must admit that I have a hard time getting excited about a tournament that comes in the background of political crisis in Europe and all the nerves it implies.
In football terms, the expansion of the tournament into 24 teams has in my view watered down the quality and excitement of the tournament; there are simply too many mediocre teams and too many matches before the excitement starts to get there in the quarterfinals. I predict that, as in the World Cup, the first round will be full of defensive careful teams who are more afraid to lose than wanting to take the risk of winning.
That said, in my continuing attempts at getting excited about the tournament I have reflected of some of the good memories of this tournament, based on the top 10 matches that have stuck to my memories. It is purely a subjective list, based not on the matches themselves, but on the circumstances under which I watched them (friends, place, time...);
10. Germany-Turkey 2008: This was the early build-up of a Germany that would take the world with storm and a Turkey side that took Europe with charm. This semifinal, won by Germany 3-2, I watched on a boat between Denmark and Iceland, with friends in a ship-bar where one could not help by get excited about what was a fantastic match.
9. Netherlands-USSR 1988: My first Euro memories are from the 1988 tournament. The 1988 final was an exhibition of a historic Dutch side with the fantastic Marco Van Basten scoring a fantastic winner.
8. Denmark-Sweden 2004: I watched this match full of dilemmas in a bar in Copenhagen. The problem was that 2-2 would put both teams through instead of one of the least charming Italy sides in history. And this was also how it ended after Denmark had tried to defeat their arch-rivals. So it was in many ways a great but bitter-sweet tie. On top of this I should mention that I started this blog right after the Italy-Denmark match in this tournament with the most boring post ever.
7. Spain-Yugoslavia 2000: I was in Spain for this match that Spain won 4-3. I watched it with a bunch of Spanish friends and one Yugoslav friend, and the taunting and good atmosphere of a fantastic and legendary match makes the day and the match specially memorable.
6. England-Germany 1996: In 1996 I was biking around the Danish island of Bornholm with two friends from High School. We watched the match in a bar in a small town. The bar was full of Germans, but all Danes in the bar supported England. The Germans in the end won on penalties to the delight of the Germans and disappointment of the Danes (who were not very gracious losers).
5. Spain-Germany 2008: This was the start of Spanish World football dominance, being their first victory since their meager 1964 Euro win, and I watched the match in a restaurant called "Matstofan" in Borgarness in Iceland, during a great road-boat-trip of the northern Atlantic, where football was constantly in the background (see 10 above).
4. Denmark-Netherlands 1992: I was actually in a hotel in Sweden, alongside my uncle and cousin, for this match. I had just returned from one year in the USA, where it had been difficult to follow football, and could not believe Denmark had made it to the semifinals. In the end Denmark won an incredibly dramatic match against the defending champions, and we were delighted.
3. Sweden-England 2012: I was there, in the beautiful Stadium in Kiev, for a great match won 3-2 by England. The Euro 2012 is the first and only time I have traveled to a tournament, alongside a great friend, and it was great.
2. Portugal-Denmark 2012: This match was won 3-2 by Portugal, and I was also there at the stadium in Lviv. Of course it was a bit disappointing to lose, but this was only secondary to the fun day in the beautiful and welcoming city of Lviv alongside many fans, and even ending the day in a karaoke bar after the match, singing alongside drunken Portuguese fans.
1. Denmark-Germany 1992: Every Dane alive in 1992 remembers what they were doing when Denmark won the European Championship. This was one of the miracles in footballing history. I had just returned from one year in the US, and was one week in Denmark before joining my parents in Spain. By the time I returned to Spain, Denmark were European champions, and I had watched the semifinal in Sweden (see 4 above) and I was in the small town of Ikast for the final. Ikast is not a city that is memorable for anything, but that day was an incredible party that I will never forget (just like everywhere in Denmark).
Showing posts with label Euro 2000. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Euro 2000. Show all posts
Monday, June 06, 2016
Thursday, May 12, 2016
The Greatest Euro Matches: France-Italy (2000)
The 2000 European Championships were the first that were held in two countries, as Belgium and the Netherlands co-hosted the tournament that following the 1996 tournament continued to involve 16 teams.
In 1998 France had won the World Cup at home in awesome style, and had thus entered the European Championships as favourites for the European title, as they indeed had one of the best teams in the world led by the undisputed best player in the world at the time, Zinedine Zidane, who at the time was playing for Juventus. But Zidane was not the only star in the French side. The veteran Manchester United keeper Fabien Barthez stood behind a strong defense led by Inter's veteran Laurent Blanc, alongside a string of outstanding defenders: Parma's Lilian Thurram, Bayern Munich's Bixente Lizarazu, Arsenal's Patrick Vieira and Chelsea's Marcel Desailly. Chelsea's Didier Deschamps was the captain of a team with a fantastic midfield alongside Zinedine Zidane, alongside Arsenal's Emmanuel Petit, Marseille's Robert Pires or Kaiserslautern's veteran Youri Djorkaeff. Up front coach Roger Lemerre had difficult but luxurious choices: Bordaux's Christophe Dugarry, Real Madrid's Nikolas Anelka, Monaco's David Trezeguet or the young Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry.
In spite of it all France had struggled a bit in qualification winning their group ahead of Ukraine and Russia. In the first round of the tournament they had beaten Denmark 3-0, the Czech Republic 2-1, and had lost the final match 2-3 to the Netherlands to take second place in the group.
But France had proven that they were a great team that grew with the tournament, and they defeated Spain 2-1 in quarterfinals and Portugal 2-1 in a difficult semifinal match, with a Zinedine Zidane that had grown steadily with each man to become the best player of the tournament. He and France were now in the final to try to become the first team since West Germany in the 1970s to take both the World and European titles.
Italy were the rivals.
Italy had not done well in the European Championships since they had taken the title in 1968. Coach Dino Zoff nevertheless had a strong list of players from the best clubs in Europe: AC Milan's veteran Paolo Maldini was the captain of the side alongside other of Europe's best defenders: Parma's Fabio Cannavaro, Juventus Gianlucca Pessotto, Lazio's Alessandro Nesta and AC Milan's Demetrio Albertini. In midfield there were some fantastic offensive players such as Juventus Alessandro del Piero and Rom'as Francesco Totti with the striker's choices being Roma's Marco Delvecchio, Vicenzo Montella and Juventus Filippo Inzaghi.
Italy had qualified ahead of Denmark and Wales and had won their first round group with three straight victories over Turkey, Belgium and Sweden. In the quarterfinals they had defeated Romania 2-0 and had been in a long semifinal against the Netherlands, winning a goalless match only on penalties.
The match was largely seen as a contest between the French offensive prowess and the Italian disciplined defense. Alessandro del Piero was left on the bench as three players were put on the Italian midfield to check Zinedine Zidane, who was largely absent from the first half. Still, France had some isolated attempt, most closely Youri Djourkaeff when he shot weakly almost alone in front of the Fiorentina keeper Francesco Toldo.
Thierry Henry hit the post in a rather clumsy shot that wasn't really threatening, but repeatedly troubled the Italian defense with his speed, and they fouled him repeatedly. In the second half the French coach decided to push Zinedine Zidane forward to get him more involved in the match. Ironically, this had the effect of freeing up the Italian midfielders, and with the introduction of Alessandro del Piero Italy became more threatening. In the 55th minute Francesco Totti made an heel kick overlap to Gianlucca Pessoto that completely took apart the French defense. Pessotto's cross into the French area was first-timed into goal by Marco Delvecchio, sneaking in between two defenders.
The French reply was to introduce two new strikers, Bordeaux's Sylvain Wiltord and David Trezeguet, in the next twenty minutes, and pushing forward. This gave the Italians more space up front, where Alessandro del Piero missed a couple of chances that would have sentenced the match.
However, it was mostly France trying to get that vital equalizer, and it happened in the third minute of injury time, when Italian fans were are already celebrating the title. Sylvain Wiltord, one of the substitutes, received the ball inside the right hand side of the Italian area. At a rather steep angle he shot flat and hard towards the near post and the ball seemed to sneak in below Francesco Toldo, who should perhaps have had it.
France had managed the equalizer against all odds, and the match now went into extra-time, with a newly added courage against the Italian disappointment. It was France pressing in extra time, and towards the end of the first half it was two substitutes who produced the golden goal: Robert Pires elegantly dribbled through four Italian defenders on the left side, and his cross into the Italian area was a bit behind David Trezeguet, who nevertheless stepped back and in one elegant movement and hammered the ball into the upper right-hand corner of the goal, this time with no chance whatsoever for Toldo.
This was the second time a Euro final was decided by a golden goal, and the last time as well, since the rule was discontinued afterwards. It just seemed too odd to fans that there was no chance of return. The clash between these two arch-rivals would be repeated in the 2006 World Cup final, where Italy would get their revenge for this painful defeat.
At the same time this was the last tournament won by this great French side.
Rotterdam, 2nd July, 2000, Feyenoord Stadium
Attendance: 48,200
Referee: Anders Frisk, Sweden
France-Italy 2-1 (AET)
France: Fabien Barthez; Bixente Lizarazu (Robert Pires, 86), Patrick Vieira, Laurent Blanc, Youri Djorkaeff (David Trezeguet, 76), Didier Deschamps (c ), Marcel Desailly, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Liliam Thuram, Christophe Dugarry (Sylvain Wiltord, 58). Coach: Roger Lemerre.
Italy: Francesco Toldo; Paolo Maldini (c), Demetrio Albertini, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianlucca Pessotto, Alessandro Nesta, Luigi Di Baggio (Massimo Ambrosini, 66), Mark Iuliano, Stefano Fiore (Alessandro Del Piero, 53), Francesco Totti, Marco Delvecchio (Vicenzo Montella, 86). Coach: Dino Zoff
Goals:
0-1 Delvecchio (55)
1-1 Sylvain Wiltord (90+4)
2-1 David Trezeguet (103) (gg)
In 1998 France had won the World Cup at home in awesome style, and had thus entered the European Championships as favourites for the European title, as they indeed had one of the best teams in the world led by the undisputed best player in the world at the time, Zinedine Zidane, who at the time was playing for Juventus. But Zidane was not the only star in the French side. The veteran Manchester United keeper Fabien Barthez stood behind a strong defense led by Inter's veteran Laurent Blanc, alongside a string of outstanding defenders: Parma's Lilian Thurram, Bayern Munich's Bixente Lizarazu, Arsenal's Patrick Vieira and Chelsea's Marcel Desailly. Chelsea's Didier Deschamps was the captain of a team with a fantastic midfield alongside Zinedine Zidane, alongside Arsenal's Emmanuel Petit, Marseille's Robert Pires or Kaiserslautern's veteran Youri Djorkaeff. Up front coach Roger Lemerre had difficult but luxurious choices: Bordaux's Christophe Dugarry, Real Madrid's Nikolas Anelka, Monaco's David Trezeguet or the young Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry.
In spite of it all France had struggled a bit in qualification winning their group ahead of Ukraine and Russia. In the first round of the tournament they had beaten Denmark 3-0, the Czech Republic 2-1, and had lost the final match 2-3 to the Netherlands to take second place in the group.
But France had proven that they were a great team that grew with the tournament, and they defeated Spain 2-1 in quarterfinals and Portugal 2-1 in a difficult semifinal match, with a Zinedine Zidane that had grown steadily with each man to become the best player of the tournament. He and France were now in the final to try to become the first team since West Germany in the 1970s to take both the World and European titles.
Italy were the rivals.
Italy had not done well in the European Championships since they had taken the title in 1968. Coach Dino Zoff nevertheless had a strong list of players from the best clubs in Europe: AC Milan's veteran Paolo Maldini was the captain of the side alongside other of Europe's best defenders: Parma's Fabio Cannavaro, Juventus Gianlucca Pessotto, Lazio's Alessandro Nesta and AC Milan's Demetrio Albertini. In midfield there were some fantastic offensive players such as Juventus Alessandro del Piero and Rom'as Francesco Totti with the striker's choices being Roma's Marco Delvecchio, Vicenzo Montella and Juventus Filippo Inzaghi.
Italy had qualified ahead of Denmark and Wales and had won their first round group with three straight victories over Turkey, Belgium and Sweden. In the quarterfinals they had defeated Romania 2-0 and had been in a long semifinal against the Netherlands, winning a goalless match only on penalties.
The match was largely seen as a contest between the French offensive prowess and the Italian disciplined defense. Alessandro del Piero was left on the bench as three players were put on the Italian midfield to check Zinedine Zidane, who was largely absent from the first half. Still, France had some isolated attempt, most closely Youri Djourkaeff when he shot weakly almost alone in front of the Fiorentina keeper Francesco Toldo.
Thierry Henry hit the post in a rather clumsy shot that wasn't really threatening, but repeatedly troubled the Italian defense with his speed, and they fouled him repeatedly. In the second half the French coach decided to push Zinedine Zidane forward to get him more involved in the match. Ironically, this had the effect of freeing up the Italian midfielders, and with the introduction of Alessandro del Piero Italy became more threatening. In the 55th minute Francesco Totti made an heel kick overlap to Gianlucca Pessoto that completely took apart the French defense. Pessotto's cross into the French area was first-timed into goal by Marco Delvecchio, sneaking in between two defenders.
The French reply was to introduce two new strikers, Bordeaux's Sylvain Wiltord and David Trezeguet, in the next twenty minutes, and pushing forward. This gave the Italians more space up front, where Alessandro del Piero missed a couple of chances that would have sentenced the match.
However, it was mostly France trying to get that vital equalizer, and it happened in the third minute of injury time, when Italian fans were are already celebrating the title. Sylvain Wiltord, one of the substitutes, received the ball inside the right hand side of the Italian area. At a rather steep angle he shot flat and hard towards the near post and the ball seemed to sneak in below Francesco Toldo, who should perhaps have had it.
France had managed the equalizer against all odds, and the match now went into extra-time, with a newly added courage against the Italian disappointment. It was France pressing in extra time, and towards the end of the first half it was two substitutes who produced the golden goal: Robert Pires elegantly dribbled through four Italian defenders on the left side, and his cross into the Italian area was a bit behind David Trezeguet, who nevertheless stepped back and in one elegant movement and hammered the ball into the upper right-hand corner of the goal, this time with no chance whatsoever for Toldo.
This was the second time a Euro final was decided by a golden goal, and the last time as well, since the rule was discontinued afterwards. It just seemed too odd to fans that there was no chance of return. The clash between these two arch-rivals would be repeated in the 2006 World Cup final, where Italy would get their revenge for this painful defeat.
At the same time this was the last tournament won by this great French side.
Rotterdam, 2nd July, 2000, Feyenoord Stadium
Attendance: 48,200
Referee: Anders Frisk, Sweden
France-Italy 2-1 (AET)
France: Fabien Barthez; Bixente Lizarazu (Robert Pires, 86), Patrick Vieira, Laurent Blanc, Youri Djorkaeff (David Trezeguet, 76), Didier Deschamps (c ), Marcel Desailly, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Liliam Thuram, Christophe Dugarry (Sylvain Wiltord, 58). Coach: Roger Lemerre.
Italy: Francesco Toldo; Paolo Maldini (c), Demetrio Albertini, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianlucca Pessotto, Alessandro Nesta, Luigi Di Baggio (Massimo Ambrosini, 66), Mark Iuliano, Stefano Fiore (Alessandro Del Piero, 53), Francesco Totti, Marco Delvecchio (Vicenzo Montella, 86). Coach: Dino Zoff
Goals:
0-1 Delvecchio (55)
1-1 Sylvain Wiltord (90+4)
2-1 David Trezeguet (103) (gg)
Thursday, May 05, 2016
The Greatest Euro Matches: Yugoslavia-Spain (2000)
Spain and Yugoslavia had always been two great footballing nations who had somehow punched below their weight. Spain had won the Euro in 1964, but had since not been overly successful in spite of important clubs and great expectations. In fact, the 2000 Champions League final had been a purely Spanish affair between Real Madrid and Valencia, with Barcelona also making it to the semi-final.In 2000 they had qualified in awesome style in spite of being in a rather easy group (Israel, Austria, Cyprus and San Marino).
Yugoslavia had in 1992 had the best team in Europe, but had been refused entry to the Euro 1992 because of UN sanctions, and could only see in regret that their replacement, Denmark, had gone on to win the tournament. When the country split, one of the new countries, Croatia, had done well in the 1996 European Championships. In 2000 the remainder of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) qualified for their first European Championship since the civil war. They had won their group against Ireland and Croatia, and had an experienced side of players who had made it to the last-16 in the 1998 World Cup.
Both teams had drawn one another in the first round, together with Norway and Slovenia. Spain had started by sensationally losing 0-1 to Norway, but had then come back to defeat Slovenia 1-2. Yugoslavia had tied Slovenia 3-3 in their opening match and defeated Norway 0-1. This meant that Spain needed a victory to progress, while Yugoslavia could tie, although Norway not winning against Slovenia could put both teams through.
It proved to be one of the most exciting matches of European Championship history.
Yugoslavia had an ageing but very experienced side with an intimate knowledge of Spanish football, since many of the player were or had at some point been playing for Spanish clubs. To mention some: Miroslav Djukic was a prominent Valencia defender, Jovan Stankovic led the midfield at Mallorcaand Savo Milosevic was the striker of Real Zaragoza. Predrag Mijatovic, from Fiorentina, had throughout the 1990s had an extraordinary career in Valencia and then Real Madrid, leading the latter to the 1998 Champions League trophy.
In the 30th minute, after initial Spanish dominance it was in fact Milosevic who brought the Yugoslavs ahead. It happened after an elegant pass on midfield by captain Dragan Stojkovic, who left FC Porto's Ljubinko Robovic with space on the Spanish right side to cross into the area, where Milosevic did not forgive the header.
But Spain continued its pressure and it was only eight minutes before Real Madrid's star, Raul, made a good run on the Yugoslav defense. The Real Betis striker picked up the ball and shipped the ball past the PSV Eindhoven keeper Ivica Krajl.
The first half was all in all intense, with dramatic duels and a Yugoslav side that played all its cards, in particular physically, to disturb the Spanish game. The French referee, Gilles Veissere was having a difficult time keeping the players and spectators adrenaline under control. It did not improve in the second half.
Both coaches made changes in halftime, and it was Boskov who initially benefitted: the RKC Waalwijk midfielder Dejan Govedarica had come on for Vladimir Jugovic, and after five minutes he scored on a strong shot from the edge of the Spanish area with no chance for the Valencia keeper Santiago Canizares.
But again Spain struck back, and again it was a substitute. Racing Santander striker Pedro Munitis had come on for Michel Salgado in Camacho's attempt to strengthen the offensive, and it soon bore fruit when Munitis's curling shot from the edge of the area became an equalizer for Spain.
Tension grew, and in the 60th minute the French referee gave the Deportivo la Coruna player Slavica Jokanovic his second yellow card. This infuriated the Yugoslav players and fans, and amid chaotic scenes a fan even came on the pitch trying to attack the referee. But the decision remained and things now looked more difficult for Yugoslavia down to 10 men against a Spanish team that would now increase its pressure. But the Yugoslavs had been in this situation before: they had come back from 0-3 against Slovenia and had won against Norway being only ten men on the pitch. So perhaps it surprised only the Spaniard when Slobodan Komljenovic, who plied his trade in Kaiserslautern in Germany, brought Yugoslavia ahead 3-2 inside the Spanish area when the Spanish defense proved unable to get the ball away in a scramble. Everything seemed to be going against a Spanish side that had again entered the tournament as favourites and had scored an impressive 42 goals in qualification. It was now everything forward for the Spaniards against an experienced Yugoslav defense with a deadly counter-attack.
The referee unsurprisingly added a lot of time due to the incidences with spectators and many duels during the first half, but according to the Yugoslavs it was too much. It was four minutes into stoppage time when Govedarica brought down the Barcelona defender Abelardo, and the referee immediately awarded Spain a penalty. It was not a big penalty, but Valencia's midfield-general, Gaizka Mendieta, was cool and scored the equalizer.
In the other match in the group Norway and Slovenia had tied 0-0, and the result of this match would put Norway and Yugoslavia through.
It seemed to be impossible and everything was thrown forward by the Spaniards. In the dying seconds (96th minute) Barcelona's Pep Guardiola just kicked the ball into the area, where Atheltic Bilbao's Ismael Urzaiz headed it towards Alfonso at the edge of the area. Without time, and barely without thinking, Alfonso just kicked first time, and the ball went through two Yugoslav defenders and into goal.
Spain erupted in wild celebrations while the Yugoslavs complained bitterly. The match ended right there, and the referee had to be escorted by police as angry Yugoslav fans tried to attack him. Hit by a coin, the referee went out bleeding.
But Yugoslavia were not out. The real losers of this match were Norway, who were out of the tournament. Yugoslavia progressed to the next round where they were trashed 6-1 by the Netherlands. A Spanish side full of hope lost to the later champions of France.
Nevertheless both teams had given fans one of the most memorable and dramatic matches of Euro history.
Brugges, 21st June 2000, Jan Breydel Stadion
Attendance: 24,000
Referee: Gilles Veissiere, France
Yugoslavia-Spain 3-4
Yugoslavia: Ivica Krajl; Slobodan Komljenovic, Miroslav Djukic, Sinisa Mihaijlovic, Goran Djorovic (Jovan Stakovic, 12), Dragan Stojkovic (c) (Nisa Saveljic, 68), Vladimir Jugovic (Dejan Govedarica, 46), Slavica Jokanovic (RC, 63), Ljubinko Drulovic, Predrag Mijatovic, Savo Milosevic. Coach: Jujadin Boskov
Spain: Santiago Canizares; Michel Salgado (Pedro Munitis, 46), Abelardo (c), Paco (Izmail Urzaiz, 64), Sergi, Gaizka Mendita, Pep Guardiola, Ivan Helguera, Fran (Joseba Etxeberria, 22), Raul, Alfonso. Coach: Jose Antonio Camacho
Goals:
1-0 Milosevic (30)
1-1 Alfonso (38)
2-1 Govedarica (50)
2-2 Munitis (51)
3-2 Komljenovic (75)
3-3 Mendieta (94) (pen)
3-4 Alfonso (96)
Yugoslavia had in 1992 had the best team in Europe, but had been refused entry to the Euro 1992 because of UN sanctions, and could only see in regret that their replacement, Denmark, had gone on to win the tournament. When the country split, one of the new countries, Croatia, had done well in the 1996 European Championships. In 2000 the remainder of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) qualified for their first European Championship since the civil war. They had won their group against Ireland and Croatia, and had an experienced side of players who had made it to the last-16 in the 1998 World Cup.
Both teams had drawn one another in the first round, together with Norway and Slovenia. Spain had started by sensationally losing 0-1 to Norway, but had then come back to defeat Slovenia 1-2. Yugoslavia had tied Slovenia 3-3 in their opening match and defeated Norway 0-1. This meant that Spain needed a victory to progress, while Yugoslavia could tie, although Norway not winning against Slovenia could put both teams through.
It proved to be one of the most exciting matches of European Championship history.
Yugoslavia had an ageing but very experienced side with an intimate knowledge of Spanish football, since many of the player were or had at some point been playing for Spanish clubs. To mention some: Miroslav Djukic was a prominent Valencia defender, Jovan Stankovic led the midfield at Mallorcaand Savo Milosevic was the striker of Real Zaragoza. Predrag Mijatovic, from Fiorentina, had throughout the 1990s had an extraordinary career in Valencia and then Real Madrid, leading the latter to the 1998 Champions League trophy.
In the 30th minute, after initial Spanish dominance it was in fact Milosevic who brought the Yugoslavs ahead. It happened after an elegant pass on midfield by captain Dragan Stojkovic, who left FC Porto's Ljubinko Robovic with space on the Spanish right side to cross into the area, where Milosevic did not forgive the header.
But Spain continued its pressure and it was only eight minutes before Real Madrid's star, Raul, made a good run on the Yugoslav defense. The Real Betis striker picked up the ball and shipped the ball past the PSV Eindhoven keeper Ivica Krajl.
The first half was all in all intense, with dramatic duels and a Yugoslav side that played all its cards, in particular physically, to disturb the Spanish game. The French referee, Gilles Veissere was having a difficult time keeping the players and spectators adrenaline under control. It did not improve in the second half.
Both coaches made changes in halftime, and it was Boskov who initially benefitted: the RKC Waalwijk midfielder Dejan Govedarica had come on for Vladimir Jugovic, and after five minutes he scored on a strong shot from the edge of the Spanish area with no chance for the Valencia keeper Santiago Canizares.
But again Spain struck back, and again it was a substitute. Racing Santander striker Pedro Munitis had come on for Michel Salgado in Camacho's attempt to strengthen the offensive, and it soon bore fruit when Munitis's curling shot from the edge of the area became an equalizer for Spain.
Tension grew, and in the 60th minute the French referee gave the Deportivo la Coruna player Slavica Jokanovic his second yellow card. This infuriated the Yugoslav players and fans, and amid chaotic scenes a fan even came on the pitch trying to attack the referee. But the decision remained and things now looked more difficult for Yugoslavia down to 10 men against a Spanish team that would now increase its pressure. But the Yugoslavs had been in this situation before: they had come back from 0-3 against Slovenia and had won against Norway being only ten men on the pitch. So perhaps it surprised only the Spaniard when Slobodan Komljenovic, who plied his trade in Kaiserslautern in Germany, brought Yugoslavia ahead 3-2 inside the Spanish area when the Spanish defense proved unable to get the ball away in a scramble. Everything seemed to be going against a Spanish side that had again entered the tournament as favourites and had scored an impressive 42 goals in qualification. It was now everything forward for the Spaniards against an experienced Yugoslav defense with a deadly counter-attack.
The referee unsurprisingly added a lot of time due to the incidences with spectators and many duels during the first half, but according to the Yugoslavs it was too much. It was four minutes into stoppage time when Govedarica brought down the Barcelona defender Abelardo, and the referee immediately awarded Spain a penalty. It was not a big penalty, but Valencia's midfield-general, Gaizka Mendieta, was cool and scored the equalizer.
In the other match in the group Norway and Slovenia had tied 0-0, and the result of this match would put Norway and Yugoslavia through.
It seemed to be impossible and everything was thrown forward by the Spaniards. In the dying seconds (96th minute) Barcelona's Pep Guardiola just kicked the ball into the area, where Atheltic Bilbao's Ismael Urzaiz headed it towards Alfonso at the edge of the area. Without time, and barely without thinking, Alfonso just kicked first time, and the ball went through two Yugoslav defenders and into goal.
Spain erupted in wild celebrations while the Yugoslavs complained bitterly. The match ended right there, and the referee had to be escorted by police as angry Yugoslav fans tried to attack him. Hit by a coin, the referee went out bleeding.
But Yugoslavia were not out. The real losers of this match were Norway, who were out of the tournament. Yugoslavia progressed to the next round where they were trashed 6-1 by the Netherlands. A Spanish side full of hope lost to the later champions of France.
Nevertheless both teams had given fans one of the most memorable and dramatic matches of Euro history.
Brugges, 21st June 2000, Jan Breydel Stadion
Attendance: 24,000
Referee: Gilles Veissiere, France
Yugoslavia-Spain 3-4
Yugoslavia: Ivica Krajl; Slobodan Komljenovic, Miroslav Djukic, Sinisa Mihaijlovic, Goran Djorovic (Jovan Stakovic, 12), Dragan Stojkovic (c) (Nisa Saveljic, 68), Vladimir Jugovic (Dejan Govedarica, 46), Slavica Jokanovic (RC, 63), Ljubinko Drulovic, Predrag Mijatovic, Savo Milosevic. Coach: Jujadin Boskov
Spain: Santiago Canizares; Michel Salgado (Pedro Munitis, 46), Abelardo (c), Paco (Izmail Urzaiz, 64), Sergi, Gaizka Mendita, Pep Guardiola, Ivan Helguera, Fran (Joseba Etxeberria, 22), Raul, Alfonso. Coach: Jose Antonio Camacho
Goals:
1-0 Milosevic (30)
1-1 Alfonso (38)
2-1 Govedarica (50)
2-2 Munitis (51)
3-2 Komljenovic (75)
3-3 Mendieta (94) (pen)
3-4 Alfonso (96)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
France-Italy: Not for children
First time Italy played an official national football match was in Milan in 1910. They won 6-2 against one of the other best teams in history, France, laying the groundwork for an almost-centennial rivalry.
Tonight they are at it again in an all-for-nothing match in the first round of the Euro 2008. True, both teams have been a huge disappointment so far, but with their backs against the wall, the match tonight could truly be a drama PG-16.
The two countries have faced each other 35 times in official matches (tonight will be their 36th) with Italy winning 17, France 8, and 10 matches ending in a draw. The last includes two penalty shootouts: one memorable one in the World Cup final of 2006, where Italy won, and another one in the quarterfinal of the 1998 World Cup, where France won (and eventually became world champion).
In fact, the last ten years has only seen important matches between these two giants: besides the 2006 World Cup final, they also faced one another in the Euro 2000 final, where France won after exra time after Wiltord equalized Italy’s lead in the 90th minute, and Trezeguet scoring the winner in extra time.
In the qualifying for this current Euro 2008, the two teams also faced each other, and after the 2006 World Cup, France came out the best: they won 3-1 at home and managed to tie 0-0 in Italy to win the group.
Tonight will be a completely different story, but be certain that a new chapter of drama is to be written into the books of these two football giant’s rivalry.
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