The UEFA European Championship is a quadrennial event which attracts a lot of attention. Football is the most popular sport in the world and Europe is where it is played the most. It’s not as popular as volleyball which raised a little dust with the decision that angered some hardcore fans and which you can read about on chojniczanin.pl

Many great players come to European clubs to play their hearts out and earn a lot of money. Fans also enjoy the Euros, as they are an opportunity to earn money. Yes, each time a major football championship is taking place, the bookmakers and punters are enjoying it. Bookmakers offer promotions and punters reap the benefits. For example, if you sign up with Ladbrokes, you could also potentially reap the benefits of their bonuses.

Bonuses are nice, but football is even better, especially when you take a look back at some of the best European Championship matches in history. There have been so many of them, great and entertaining, but here are the 6 most interesting ones.

Yugoslavia Versus France – 1960

The inaugural championship was interesting as it only had four teams playing in the semi-finals and finals. France led the charge against Yugoslavia, securing a solid 4 against 2 lead. With only 15 minutes to spare, Yugoslavia made the effort and scored 3 goals, to take the match for themselves, 5 to 4. It was a great match, to this day remembered as one of the most entertaining ones. 9 goals is a lot in a single match.

Portugal Versus England – 2004

This was a very strange championship for England and Portugal. It was the championship nobody expected to end the way it did, with a Greek victory. Portugal took this match, in the penalties.

Portugal won the shootout with 6 goals to 5 in the penalties. It was up to the Portugal goalkeeper, Ricardo, to end the shootout in favor of Portugal. And he did, earning Portugal a trip to the finals, where they were beaten by Greece.

France Versus Italy – 2000

France took this win, in a way which was characteristic for that period. The Golden Goal was still a thing and David Trezeguet did not fail to capitalize on it. France took the victory 2 to 1, with Trezeguet’s goal being the winning one. Oh yes, it was also the final match of the tournament, earning France a title at that.

Spain Versus Italy – 2012

Spain took the Euros of 2008 and were the only national team to ever take two in a row. The 2012 finals between Italy and Spain were very one-sided, with Spain winning with 4 goals to 0. Silva, Torres, Alba and Mata scored the winning goals, making this one of the most dominant finals in the Euros, ever.

The Netherlands Versus USSR – 1988

This final match is remembered as a win for the West, given the political situation of the time. The two goals the Netherlands scored are what make the match interesting and memorable, especially the second goal, scored by Marco van Basten. That goal was highly unlikely to happen, but are a great example of skilled players taking the most minute opportunity to win the tournament for their team.

These are the five most interesting Euros matches, ever.