The Most Shocking Moments in Euro History

Since 1960 Every four years, the European nations who got qualified to be a part of the Euro championship, compete to pick up the trophy. However, the Euro 2020 was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and it was held in 2021. In this article, we have listed the top 10 most shocking moments at the Euros.

Over the years UEFA Euro tournament has had its fair share of controversy, outrage, and unforgettable moments. There were tears of joy and tears of a heavy defeat. The UEFA Euro championship is where the legendary stories came true. Sportmob brings you the most shocking moments in Euro history. Stay tuned and don’t miss it.

Biggest Shocks in Euro History

The Euro Championship is full of shocking moments and the 24 countries have to prepare themselves for everything. So far 16 teams are left in the knockout stages. The list of our

top 10 most shocking moments at the Euros

will begin from 1988 to the present tournament. Stay tuned and let’s start the list.

Top 10 Most Shocking Moments at The Euros

Indeed, there have been lots of shocking moments and Jaw-dropping stories in Euro history. In this article we will go through history and list the 10 most shocking moments in the tournament.

10. Netherland Vs Germany (Euro 1988)

During Euro 1988 on home soil, it was expected that

is the winner of the match however things took another turn. In the previous Euros the Dutch didn’t stand a chance as they were eliminated but that year it was different for them. Euro 1988 semifinals was a breathtaking competition between the two nations. Ronald Koeman was a skilled defender from the Dutch side. He was a talented centre-back with excellent control on the ball. The 25-year-old defender managed to take a penalty shot. His remarkable features saw him score 239 goals in his career.

Later Marco van Basten managed to score a late goal. He aimed the net with great technique and scored the winning goal. It was highly regarded as one of the greatest goals in the history of football. Netherland defeated Germany 2-1. However, we still didn’t tell you about the most shocking moment in the game. After the Dutch victory was secured Koeman swapped his jersey with the German footballer Olaf Thon then he pretended to wipe his backside with it. This move made a lot of headlines and surprisingly Koeman didn’t face any ban or fine for his move.

9. England Vs Spain (Euro 1996)

During the Euro 1996 quarter-final,

faced

on home soil and hosted the game. Often the team who gets to be the host benefits from a contentious call or two however that year England had unusual luck in the game. Spain had a great performance and nailed the English squad. Julio Salinas the talented Centre Forward of Spain managed to aim the net and score a goal but the referee didn’t accept his goal and ruled it out.

Kiko a center-forward with tremendous technical ability and field vision also scored a goal for Spain but once again the referee ruled the goal out. The referee blew his whistle and the result was 0-0. This game made a lot of headlines and raised eyebrows. The Spanish squad was later dumped out on penalties. Following the game, Salinas stated in an interview: “We not only played against 11 players and 70,000 fans but also three officials. It was impossible to win.” Learn more details about

the most shocking moments in Euro history

in the following.

8. Romania Vs England (Euro 2000)

During the Euro 2000, England went on and faced Romania in the Group A game at Charleroi. Prior to their match against

, England defeated Germany 1-0 and in order to maintain its position in the tournament only needed a draw with Romania in the final group match. During the first half of the game Alan Shearer scored a penalty. Later Michael Owen also aimed for the net and the game went to the second half 2-0 in favor of England.

The three lions were only halftime away from victory, and they were about to face Italy in the next game. However, during the last minutes of the game, Romania flourished and it changed the results. This was one of the most shocking moments in Euro history as England was defeated 3-2. At the time captain, Hagi from the Romanian side stated: “It’s hard to say who was the best player in that England team because they didn’t get near their potential.”

He added: “England always had sensational teams and I really liked Alan Shearer. In both 1998 (World Cup) and 2000 England could have won the competition but they didn’t reach their potential. I’m sorry, especially since Kevin Keegan was one of my idols. But a victory over England gives you such prestige and after that everybody respected us.” Find out more about Euros most shocking moments in the following.

7.France Vs Portugal (Euro 2000)

Another controversial football event went down in Euro 2000. In the first quarter-final,

defeated Turkey thanks to Nuno Gomes a talented striker who scored two goals for the side. In a game, Spain faced a heavy defeat going up against

and the French side got qualified for the semifinals. Portugal was ready to defeat France and take the trophy home.

The competition was thrilling and all the fans were on the edge of their seat trying to figure out who is the winner going to be. During the first half of the game Nuno Gomes gave Portugal the lead, however only a few moments after the break Thierry Henry managed to score the equalizer. Neither of the teams scored and the game went for extra time.

Just three minutes until penalties David Trezeguet struggled to score but his shot was saved by Portuguese keeper Vitor Baia and the ball fell for Sylvain Wiltord, whose goal-bound shot hit defender Abel Xavier on the arm. Gunter Benko, the referee gave a corner however linesman convinced him to give a penalty. Portugal squad was upset with the decision and Protested. But they were finished as Zinedine Zidane scored the penalty and sent his team to the final. stay tuned for the most shocking moments in Euro history.

6. Greece Vs Portugal (Euro 2004)

what we are about to tell you is indeed the most heartbreaking match, football community had witnessed in the European championship history. Portugal hosted the game and the stage was set for its victory. They had their golden players on the pitch including Luís Figo, Deco, and the young

. However, things didn’t go exactly as they planted. Giorgios Karagounis scored the opening goal and

won the game 2-1. Greece defeated Portugal and picked up the trophy leaving Rolando in tears. At the time Luiz Felipe Scolari, Portugal coach stated: “They won defensively. They won because they knew how to play that way.”

He added: “The Greeks play defensively, and they know how to do it. They are always waiting for the mistake of the opponent. It is very hard to accept it, but we must accept it.” Angelos Charisteas, Greece forward commented about their victory: “This is a unique moment, which many of us may never experience again, and I believe we deserved it. We got this far by getting past very big teams, and today we came up against a very strong Portugal. Despite this, we were able to win the trophy. It's the best moment of my career.” Find out further details about

the most shocking moments in Euro history

in the following.

5. Sweden and Denmark fixed draw (Euro 2004)

The winner of the biggest controversial award at the Euros belongs to

and

draw, back in 2004. The Italians knew if they defeated Bulgaria they will be qualified for the rest of the competition as long as Sweden and Denmark didn’t finish in a 2-2 or higher scoring draw. In their game against Bulgaria, they won 2-1 fair and square. However, Sweden and Denmark tied in the last round of the group stage 2- 2, which meant that both sides were qualified and Italy dumped out of the championship.

Denmark got ahead of 2-1 with the two goals Jon Dahl Tomasson scored but later Mattias Jonson aimed the net and both teams tied in the last minute. The Italians were very upset and the legendary Gianluigi Buffon who is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world claimed that the game was fixed in order to eliminate Italy from the competition. This was one of the biggest shocks in Euro history.

Buffon stated: “Winners find a way; losers find an excuse. It seems to me a motto that fits in well with everyday life as well as sport. I advise you not give life to excuses or alibis as mediocre people would, but on the contrary roll your sleeves up and get to work.” He later added: “Someone should be ashamed and it's not us. I'm very bitter, I didn't believe this would happen with peoples who are proud of their spirit of fair play.” Stay tuned and learn more about the most shocking moments in Euro history.

4. Russia Vs Netherlands (Euro 2008)

One of

Euros most shocking moments

was in 2008, when Russia went against Netherlands. The Russian side managed to defeat Netherlands 3-1 in extra time during the Euro 2008 quarterfinals. Russia had one of the best Dutch coaches on his side. Guus Hiddink, who is a Dutch former player and football manager, built quite a good reputation for himself as one of the greatest managers of all time during the championship. He already led the Dutch national team to World Cup semifinals back in 1998 and managed to take South Korea to the World Cup as well.

In the second half of the game Andrey Arshavin provided an assist for Dmitri Torbinski's goal and four minutes later he aimed the net himself. Roman Pavlyuchenko also did his part for

and scored a goal. In the 86 minute Ruud van Nistelrooy of the Dutch side scored a goal as well. “The better Dutchman, our coach, won today.” These were the words of Andrei Arshavin who provided the chance for the winning goal and scored a one himself in the extra time.

Hiddink said: “I don't want to use big words but it is almost a miracle. It is unbelievable how the boys performed. ... They outplayed tactically and physically the Dutch.” Netherlands coach Marco van Basten stated: “We didn't play football, and never got into the game. Normally we should have been in better shape than the Russians. We didn't see that.” This victory made lots of headline and a lot of people criticized Hiddink for coaching Russia to defeat his own nation. Arshavin was awarded with the Man of the Match prize for his performance in the game. Learn more details about the most shocking moments in Euro history in the following.

3. Italy Vs Germany (Euro 2012)

One of Euros most shocking moments was in Euro 2012. During the semi-finals Germany went to face the Italian side with full confidence that they will qualify for the final and hopefully win the crown. In the game

surprised the Germans with two goals in the first half of the game and set up

to the final round of UEFA Euro 2012 against Spain. He also became the first black footballer to feature for Italy in a major competition like UEFA European Championship.

Cesare Prandelli, the Italian coach stated: “Balotelli was excellent just like the entire team were. I am very proud of these players – I don't want it all to be about me. Germany are a good side, but we have a good idea about how to play the game. We tried to play football right from the start against Germany. I always wanted to focus on this style as we have a lot of quality.”

Joachim Löw, Germany coach also commented: “We've had two great years, the team has developed very well, winning 15 [competitive] games in a row. We lost today against a very strong Italy team who have a great spine and two quick strikers. They were just a bit better – you have to acknowledge that and they were more clinical than us.”

2. When Portugal Became the Champion of Euro 2016

Portugal faced a heavy defeat in Euro 2004 against Greece while they were just a game away from being the winners of the European championship. In Euro 2008 Portugal faced Germany in a stressful final. Once again they were defeated by the German side 3-2 in Basel with goals from Schweinsteiger, Klose and Ballack. In 2016 they came a long way however they lost to Spain in the penalty kicks. In the Euro 2012, Portugal made its way to the final game for the second time in history.

The team was desperate to take the trophy home for the first time on international level. In the final game, Portugal faced France which was a tough opponent to go up against. Following a challenge from Dimitri Payet of the French side, Ronaldo was sent off the pitch due to an injury. In the extra time, substitute Eder managed to aim the net and score a goal in the 109th minute which led Portugal to a 1-0 victory. Find out more about

the most shocking moments in Euro history

in the following.

Portugal Deserved the Championship

 “This is the first time I think that a team finished third in their group and ended up as champions.” Portugal coach Santos added: “I always said we were a team. I told them we have a lot of quality and talent. But first we have to run and fight.” France coach Didier Deschamps further stated: “The winner always deserves it. You can analyze things but they didn't get to the final by chance.”

the footballer who scored the winning goal stated about Cristiano Ronaldo: “Ronaldo told me I would score the winning goal for the team. He gave me this strength, this energy and it was vital. It was a goal I've been working for from the first minute of the Euros”

1. Cristiano Ronaldo is Getting Close to Break a Record in Euro 2020

One of the

biggest shocks in Euro history

was in Euro 2020 when Cristiano Ronaldo broke another record. Ali Daei is an Iranian former professional player who played as a striker before retiring in 2007. Prior to Euro 2020 he held the record for the all-time men's international top goal scorer, with 109 goals in 149 appearances between 1993 and 2006. His remarkable goal-scoring achievement is listed in Guinness World Records. Over the international tournaments Ronaldo worked hard to break the Iranian striker’s record.

Just in the first day of Euro 2020 Ronaldo went on and grabbed a brace in a 3-0 victory over

on Tuesday and reached 107 goals. Later in a game over France, the 36-year-old footballer grabbed a brace and reached 109 goals on international level. Ali Daei congratulated Ronaldo on Instagram and wrote: “Congratulations to @cristiano who is now one goal away from breaking the men’s international goal scoring record. I am honored that this remarkable achievement will belong to Ronaldo - great champion of football and caring humanist who inspires and impacts lives throughout the world.”

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