The Euro 2024 final is upon us as Spain and England battle it out in Berlin on Sunday, but which is the greatest final in the history of the European Championships?
After failing to reach a final of a major tournament for over 50 years, England have now reached back-to-back Euros finals, as they attempt to win their first trophy since lifting the World Cup in 1966.
For Spain, they won three major tournaments in a row, with arguably the greatest international team ever seen.
However, they last reached a final in 2012 and will hope that they can once again win it after being the best performing team in this tournament.
For Spanish and English fans, it will be a nervy 90 minutes (and maybe more). For neutrals, they will hope for a good game, in a tournament that has been starved of great matches.
But which are the best ever Euros finals? Here is a ranking from five to one of the best ever European Championship finals.
-
Honourable Mention: Spain 4-0 Italy (2012)
The game may not have been a classic, as goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata saw Spain steamroll to victory in Kyiv. However, as mentioned earlier, this Spain team are seen as arguably the greatest side ever seen in International Football and the world got to witness to a historic team.
At the time, the footballing nation were probably sick of seeing this Spain team win again and again, in an era where Barcelona dominated club football. However, twelve years on and fans can appreciate just how lucky they were to see this Spanish side in their pomp at that time.
-
5. Greece 1-0 Portugal (2004)
The game itself was not one for the record books but features one of the greatest moments in football history as Greece shocked the sporting world by beating favourites and hosts Portugal 1-0 in the final. Noone had Greece making it out of the group stages, let alone winning the tournament. After all, they were in Group A alongside Portugal, Spain and Russia.
They beat Portugal 2-1 on opening night but this was their only win of the group stage, finishing second in the group. They earned two 1-0 wins in both the quarter final and semi-final, so by the time it got to the final, they were still seen as the underdogs.
In the final, Portugal had 17 shots with five on target and had 58% of the possession. They had 10 corner kicks, nine more than Greece.
However, from the one corner Greece had in the final, Angelos Basinas whipped the ball in and found the head of Angelos Charisteas, who found the net in the 57th minute in what ended up being the game winner.
This was Greece’s only shot on target of the entire game as Greece showcased a defensive masterclass to earn what is surely down as the greatest achievement in International Football. You could have argued that this spread throughout all of football, but then Leicester won the Premier League in the 2015/16 season.
This Portugal side featured Luís Figo, Ricardo Carvalho, a young Cristiano Ronaldo, Rui Costa, Nuno Gomes, Deco and Maniche. Nine times out of 10, this team would have won this final. However, it was just Greece’s time, denying the hosts of cashing in on their golden generation. Ronaldo ended up winning a Euros medal in 2016, but the rest of the squad will feel that this was a chance that passed them by.
-
4. Germany 2-1 Czech Republic (AET- 1996)
Wembley played host to the 1996 final, as Germany ended up winning their third and to date, most recent triumph in the tournament. However, it was not an easy affair.
They actually went 1-0 down in the final as Patrik Berger, who would join Liverpool from Borussia Dortmund that summer, converted a 59th minute penalty. Four years on from another Euros shock (more on that later), football fans were almost treated to another underdog story.
It would not turn out that way in the end, as Oliver Bierhoff found the net with a 73rd minute equaliser. The game would go into extra time, as golden goal would be used for the first time in a European Championship final.
Just four minutes into extra time and Germany brought the ball out from their own penalty area. A long ball forward found the head of Bierhoff. He flicked it on to Jürgen Klinsmann, who played the ball into the box.
This found Bierhoff, who took a touch before holding the ball up. He would swivel and take a turn, moving to his right and getting his shot away. This took a deflection but was parried by the hands of Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Kouba into the net, earning Germany the victory and the Euro 96 trophy.
-
3. Czechoslovakia 2-2 West Germany (AET– 1976)
Until the final three years ago, this remained the only European Championship final to go to a penalty shootout.
This was after a thrilling first 90 minutes which ended 2-2. Czechoslovakia went 2-0 up, with goals from Ján Švehlík and Karol Dobiaš in the eighth and twenty fifth minutes respectively. That lead was cut in half just three minutes later as Dieter Müller put West Germany back in the game.
The clock was ticking towards stoppage time and Czechoslovakia looked as though they were going to hold on, but in the 89th minute, Bernd Hölzenbein put the German side level and sent the game to extra time.
Neither side could be separated, with penalties ending up deciding the victor, the first time that penalties were introduced at any European Championship game.
The first three penalty kicks from both sides were successful, meaning it was 3-3 in the shootout when Czechoslovakia's Ladislav Jurkemik stepped up. He found the net, putting the pressure on Germany taker number four Uli Hoeneß. The Bayern Munich forward missed his kick, allowing Antonín Panenka the chance to win the final for Czechoslovakia.
He would score the penalty to win the final, but his penalty has been engraved into football history. If you haven’t guessed from his surname, his kick is now a well-known type of penalty, the ‘Panenka’.
In 1976, Panenka stepped up and dinked it over the keeper Sepp Maier, who was moving to his left. What a way to win your country a major tournament.
This still remains the last time Germany have lost a penalty shootout and until their Euro 2016 quarter-final meeting with Italy, only one Germany player (Uli Stielike, 1982) had a missed a penalty in any shootout. That title is now with Bastian Schweinsteiger, who missed a spot kick along with Mesut Özil and Thomas Müller, the first to miss since Stielike.
-
2. Denmark 2-0 Germany (1992)
The story of Denmark at Euro 92 is quite an incredible one.
They originally did not qualify for the tournament. Back in 1992, there were seven qualifying groups with only the winners of each group advancing to the tournament alongside hosts Sweden. They finished second behind Yugoslavia, but the latter were sanctioned after the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars.
As runners up, in the same qualifying group, Denmark were awarded a place instead. As the second placed team with the most points and only one draw and one loss in qualifying, the signs should have been there that this team could cause an upset.
Advancing in second place from Group 1, Denmark would go on to beat the Netherlands 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, and would play Germany in the final, who beat Sweden 3-2.
Denmark would go on to beat Germany 2-0 in what is one of football’s great ever shocks.
John Jensen and Kim Vilfort scored the goals as the Danes completed their highly unlikely Cinderella story. Jensen scored with a powerful effort from just inside the box in the 18th minute. In the 78th minute, Vilfort got on the end of a knocked back header, cutting inside and beating German goalkeeper Bodo Illgner with help from the post as Denmark would hold on and secure what is easily their national team's greatest achievement.
The chances of this happening again are one on a million.
-
1. France 2-1 Italy (AET – 2000)
Golden goal did not last too much longer after this final, being replaced by the silver goal in the 2002-03 season before that was also abolished following Euro 2004.
There were definitely pros and cons to the golden goal, but it certainly created a dramatic finish to the Euro 2000 final as all three of France’s substitutes in Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet and Robert Peres came up with significant contributions.
Marco Delvecchio gave the Italian side the lead in the 55th minute, clinically getting on the end of a Gianluca Pessotto cross. The game seemed to be Italy’s as they lead into the 90th minute, but then Wiltord struck an equaliser in the fourth minute of added time.
Extra time began and the second half of it was looming when Pires glided past Fabio Cannavaro on the left side of the penalty box, playing the ball into the box, where Trezeguet struck the ball into the top of the net, securing France’s second European Championship.
Italy got their revenge in the 2006 World Cup final, but the manner of how they let the 2000 final slip through their hands will always haunt the Italian players and fans.
