On June 29, 2008, Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, Austria witnessed a dramatic UEFA Euro 2008 final match between two top European nations, Germany and Spain. The match attracted the attention of 51,428 fans. It was a game where Spain won with a minimal score of 1-0, but full of significance, to become the European champion for the second time.
Before the match, both teams had tense matches to get through the qualifiers. Germany, despite struggling when they lost to Croatia, regained their form with victories over Poland and Austria. The team then overcame Portugal and Turkey in the knockout matches. From Spain’s side, they led Group D with three victories over Russia, Sweden, and Greece. They then won against Italy through a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, and once again defeated Russia in the semifinals.
Spain did not start the final impressively, while Germany pushed for early attacks. However, the situation reversed when Fernando Torres, Spain’s forward, opened the scoring in the 33rd minute. He received a pass from Xavi, bypassed Philipp Lahm at the edge of the penalty area, and kicked the ball over Germany’s goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to put the ball into the left corner of the goal. The match ended without any more goals, and Spain won 1–0 to become the European champion for the second time.
Spain’s victory opened a period of world football domination, as they later won the FIFA World Cup 2010 and retained the European championship for the third time at Euro 2012. Germany also did not fall behind, as they continued to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, and later won the FIFA World Cup 2014. The match proved the strength and competitive spirit of both Germany and Spain 2008 teams and left a deep impression on football fans worldwide.
⚽️ UEFA Euro 1960 to 2021 with 16 times organized and 10 countries as champions
⏩ Germany 3 times Euro champion (1972 – 1980 – 1996)
⏩ Spain 3 times Euro champion (1964 – 2008 – 2012)
⏩ France 2 times Euro champion (1984 – 2000)
⏩ Italy 2 times Euro champion (1968 – 2020)
⏩ Soviet Union 1 time Euro champion 1960
⏩ Czechoslovakia 1 time Euro champion 1976
⏩ Netherlands 1 time Euro champion 1988
⏩ Denmark 1 time Euro champion 1992
⏩ Greece 1 time Euro champion 2004
⏩ Portugal 1 time Euro champion 2016
With the participation of the strongest European teams according to FIFA ranking as of February 15, 2024, such as France (2) – England (3) – Belgium (4) – Netherlands (6) – Portugal (7) – Spain (8) – Italy (9) – Croatia (10) and bright stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku to promising young talents, Euro 2024 promises to bring high-level and dramatic matches.
EURO 2024 will take place in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024 in 10 cities in Germany with 24 participating teams. The teams are divided into 6 groups to select the top 12 teams, and the 4 best third-placed teams will get a ticket to the knockout round. The opening match is held on June 14 between the host Germany and Scotland.
Detailed EURO 2024 match groups:
⚽️ Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
⚽️ Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania
⚽️ Group C: England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia
⚽️ Group D: Poland, France, Netherlands, Austria
⚽️ Group E: Slovakia, Romania, Belgium, Ukraine
⚽️ Group F: Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, Georgia
