In 1996, the next European Football Championship was held. The venue was England. Euro 1996 was remembered by many football fans. The tournament brought new rules and showed the world debutants of major competitions: Croatia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Russia. At Euro 1996, the UK for the last time showed its best side, reaching the semifinals. At the same championship, the Golden Goal rule appeared and the number of participating countries increased by 2 times (up to 16).
Qualifying Tournament
The qualifying tournament was not remembered by any sensations. Surprised only by Sweden, which was the bronze medalist of the last European Championship, not reaching the final part. Turkey and Switzerland rose above it.
Due to the expansion of the number of countries that were able to participate in the tournament, more teams had the opportunity to leave the group. After the collapse of the USSR and Czechoslovakia, Russia and the Czech Republic went to Euro 1996.
Group A
The group included England, Holland, Scotland and Switzerland.
The bitter struggle here began with the first match of Euro 1996. In the first round, Switzerland beat England, but the Netherlands could not defeat Scotland. The second matches put everything in its place: the favorites beat the opponents with a score of 2: 0.
In the third round, England opposed Holland and scored four goals. In a parallel meeting, Scotland beat Switzerland 1-0. Holland in this situation did not leave the group, but Scotland could not contain the onslaught and conceded a ball. England and Holland reached the playoffs.
Group B
The group included France, Spain, Romania and Bulgaria.
Despite the obvious favorites, the decision was made in the last minutes of the third stage. At the Euro 1996 football in group B, France and Bulgaria had 4 points each in the final half, Spain had 2 points, only Romania remained at 0.
In the last match, Spain-Romania were the first to win, which they managed just six minutes before the end of the match. France not without difficulty managed to defeat Bulgaria.
Group C
The group included Germany, Czech Republic, Italy and Russia.
Many analysts claim that the composition of the Russian national team was the strongest in the entire post-Soviet history. The age of the players was optimal, almost all played in the leading European championships. However, the Russian team was not lucky at Euro 1996. The results upset many fans, but we must remember that in the group were the future champions and silver medalists. The enemy was a strong Italy.
Germany won the group without losing a single goal. The second strongest team was the Czech Republic, which managed to beat the Italians. Russia finished the group stage in fourth place.
Group D
The group included Portugal, Croatia, Denmark and Turkey.
In this group, many were interested in Denmark. The current winner of the cup stood out with a strong composition, which was even better than four years ago. At the first stage, they were not able to defeat Portugal, tied. The Croats defeated the Danes 3-0. The victory against Turkey did not allow them to leave the group. Portugal and Croatia went to the playoffs. The last place in the group was taken by the Turks.
Quarter final
Quarter-finals did not give the audience a lot of goals. Some games even ended in a goalless draw. Only one team managed to score two goals.
The pair England-Spain was the most interesting. Both teams created a sea of moments, but failed to score in regular time. Everything was decided in a penalty shoot-out, where the British were unmistakable. Fernando Hierro made a mistake in the Spanish national team , and one hit was saved by the goalkeeper of the national team. Result: 4: 2 on a penalty.
In the quarterfinals of Croatia went to formidable Germany. The Croats powerfully started the match, but fouled on the German footballer in their own penalty area, after which a penalty was accurately realized. At 51 minutes, Croatia played one goal, but after a few minutes was removed from the field of Stimac. Almost immediately, Germany took advantage and stepped forward. Result: 2: 1 in favor of the Germans.
The Czech Republic was to compete with the formidable attack of Portugal. The defense of the Czechs coped with honors with the raids of Luis Figo and Rui Costa. At 53 minutes, midfielder Karela Poborski brought the Czech Republic forward. Portugal could not equalize, despite the removal of Latal in 83 minutes.
The match France-Holland attracted special attention. In this pair there were great teams that can show off. However, the match was boring. In the main time, the audience did not see the goals. Clarence Seedorf could not score in the penalty shootout . Result: 5: 4 on a penalty, in the semifinal France.
Semifinal
The Germany-England couple could not decide who would go next in normal time. In the first half, the teams scored one goal. In the penalty shootout, German goalkeeper Andreas Kepke repelled a shot and brought the national team to the final. Result: 6: 5 on a penalty spot.
Match Czech Republic-France turned out to be the most boring in the championship. The main time did not bring goals. Everything was decided in a penalty shootout, where again the first ten shots were unmistakable, and then the Czech goalkeeper repelled a penalty. Result: 6: 5 on a penalty spot.
Final Euro 1996
The finals of the European Championship promised to be exciting. Who won the Euro 1996? This question can be heard from young fans. Germany came to the end of the tournament with serious losses. Many key players were injured. Only 16 players entered the application for the game, and out of five substitutes there were two goalkeepers.
The Czechs, however, were doing better. Players did not have disqualifications or injuries. Despite the unfortunate situation, Germany managed to go out and win. In the second half, the Czechs came forward. At 69 minutes, a substitute Germany striker Oliver Bierhoff entered the field . After six minutes, he evened the score, and in extra time scored the “Golden Ball”.
Euro 1996 football brought Germany the only trophy for many years. The country suffered a systemic crisis, and the fans had to wait long for new victories.