As Euro 2024 enters its latter stages and the final four get ready to fight for a spot in the final, we take a look back at some of the competition’s most thrilling semi-finals.
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So, without further ado, here are NetBet’s top five Euros semi-finals…
5 – Portugal 1-2 France (Euro 2000)
Euro 2000 produced one of the most exciting semi-finals to date, one which required a Golden Goal strike to decide who would earn a place in the final. Things were going well for Portugal, who took the lead through a superb Nuno Gomes effort in the 19th minute.
They did not hold on for long, though as Thierry Henry produced a neat finish to bring the game level. Afterwards, no one could break the deadlock in the regulation 90 minutes and the game moved into extra-time, with the Golden Goal rule in place.
And with just three minutes left, France were awarded a penalty for a handball at the near post. Zinedine Zidane stepped up and coolly swept the ball into the top left-hand corner, ending the game and sending France to the final.
4 – Germany 3-2 Turkey (Euro 2008)
Germany came out on top in an end-to-end thriller of a game which actually saw them fall behind early on, a nightmare start.
Goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose then gave them the lead but they were pegged back shortly afterwards through some sloppy defending.
But Phillip Lahm would hand the Germans victory with an emphatic last-minute strike, a dramatic finish to a game in which Turkey were by far the better side.
3 – France 4-5 Yugoslavia (Euro 1960)
The first edition of the Euros saw the highest-scoring game in the tournament’s history – and it came in the semi-finals no less! Who can complain about a nine-goal thriller?
Going into the half-time-break, the game was all square at 1-1 but an opening of the floodgates early in the second half left France 4-2 to the good with the game seemingly sewn up.
But astonishingly, Yugoslavia went on to score three goals in just five minutes, with Drazan Jerkovic bagging the final two and sending his side to the final.
2 – Netherlands 2-2 Denmark, 4-5 on penalties (Euro 1992)
Underdogs Denmark stunned the Netherlands – and the entire world – at Euro 1992, taking an early lead in this one through a close-range Henrik Larsen header. Dennis Bergkamp was on hand to restore order with an equaliser but it did not last long as Denmark took the lead once more.
Frank Rijkaard then levelled things up for a second time but neither team could break the deadlock again in a back-and-forth affair that was to be settled by the dreaded penalty shootout.
And a Peter Schmeichel save on none other than the great Marco van Basten sent Denmark to their first ever final, where they beat Germany 2-0 to claim the trophy against all the odds.
1 – France 3-2 Portugal (Euro 1984)
The standards were extremely high in this match, with both teams going full throttle from minute one in their attempts to reach the final of Euro 1984.
Michel Platini’s France were flying high prior to kick-off and a thunderous free-kick from Jean-Francois Domergue gave them the lead. Sadly, Les Bleus were brought back to reality when Portugal equalised late on through Jordao to send the game to extra-time.
Jordao put Portugal 2-1 up in the additional 30 minutes and it seemed like France’s Euros dream was coming to an end. However, they equalised soon after courtesy of Domergue and then Platini scored a sublime 119th-minute winner to sparks scenes of wild celebration in Marseille and – more importantly – send France to the final.
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