UEFA Euro 2000, a dramatic and thrilling football event, left a profound mark in the hearts of fans. The final, held at De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 2, 2000, was a memorable one as France clinched victory in extra time against Italy with a score of 2-1. This was France’s second championship win, also making them the first World Cup champions to win the European title.
The match witnessed superb performances from the players. At the 56th minute, Italy took the lead with a goal from Marco Delvecchio. However, France continued to fight. In the fourth minute of extra time, Sylvain Wiltord equalized for France, sending the match into extra time.
Two minutes before the end of extra time, David Trezeguet scored against Italy from Pires’ pass, bringing France the precious golden goal and helping them clinch the Euro 2000 championship for the second time with a score of 2–1. A thrilling and breath-taking match ended with the joy of victory for the French.
Euro 2000 saw the rise of bright stars. Francesco Totti of Italy, despite not being able to help his team win, was honored by UEFA as the best player of the match. Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane of France received the award for the best player of the tournament. In the end, six players from both teams were selected for UEFA’s tournament squad.
Looking back, UEFA Euro 2000 was not just a football tournament, but also a testament to the strength, relentless fighting spirit, and passionate love for the king of sports. It is undoubtedly a memorable page in world football history.
UEFA Euro 1960 to 2021 with 16 championships and 10 champion countries:
Germany champion of Euro 3 times (1972 – 1980 – 1996)
Spain champion of Euro 3 times (1964 – 2008 – 2012)
France champion of Euro 2 times (1984 – 2000)
Italy champion of Euro 2 times (1968 – 2020)
Soviet Union champion of Euro 1960
Czechoslovakia champion of Euro 1976
Netherlands champion of Euro 1988
Denmark champion of Euro 1992
Greece champion of Euro 2004
Portugal champion of Euro 2016
With the participation of the strongest European teams as per FIFA rankings on 15/02/2024 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 along with promising young talents, Euro 2024 promises to deliver high peak 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 first and second teams in each group, and the 4 third-placed teams with the best performance to enter the knock-out round. The opening match will be held on June 14 between host Germany and Scotland.
Detailed groupings of EURO 2024:
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
