Teams & History
SwitzerlandCoach: Jakob Kuhn
Switzerland have twice qualified for the finals of the UEFA European Championship, doing so for the first time at the ninth attempt at EURO ’96. They then qualified again for UEFA EURO 2004. Both of their finals campaigns have started with draws – 1-1 against hosts England in 1996 and 0-0 with Croatia in Portugal – but ended with two subsequent defeats.
This is the first time the UEFA EURO 2008â„¢ co-hosts will have played in consecutive UEFA European Championship finals and the 2008 tournament will be their third finals overall. Their record prior to the finals of UEFA EURO 2008 was 80 matches played with 29 wins, 22 draws and 29 losses, with 119 goals scored and 108 conceded.
Czech Republic
Coach: Karel Brückner
The golden goal made its debut in senior international competition at UEFA EURO ’96â„¢ and accounted for the Czech Republic in the final of the tournament when Oliver Bierhoff scored the winning goal five minutes into extra time after the sides remained deadlocked at 1-1 after 90 minutes. The Czechs had earlier defeated France and Portugal in the knockout phase of the competition after finishing second to Germany in the group stage at the expense of Italy and Russia.
As part of the former state of Czechoslovakia, Czech players were involved in winning the 1976 UEFA European Championship against the Federal Republic of Germany. The final ended in a 2-2 stalemate in Belgrade before the Czechoslovak side won 5-3 on penalties with AntonÃn Panenka cheekily chipping in the final spot-kick for Václav Ježek’s side.
Although Pauleta ended up as the highest scorer in the European zone of the 2006 World Cup qualifying round competition with eleven goals, Czech Republic striker Jan Koller was second on nine with Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) and Aleksei Eremenko Jr. (Finland) a further goal behind.
Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying, the Czech Republic had played 54 matches in the UEFA European Championship, winning 39, drawing eight and losing seven. In that time, they scored 117 goals and conceded 37.
From independence up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying the Czechs’ record in the qualifying round of the UEFA European Championship reads – won 25, drawn six and lost two.
They secured their biggest victory in UEFA European Championship qualification by beating San Marino 7-0 in Liberec on 7 October 2006.
The Czechs retain a 100 per cent qualification record for the UEFA European Championship finals with four appearances from four attempts.
Portugal
Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Portugal’s best performance to date in the competition came in 2004 when they lost in the final to Greece. Prior to that, Portugal had appeared in two semi-finals where they lost on both occasions to France.
The two sides met in 1984 where France won 3-2 in an extra-time thriller at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille before defeating Spain in the final.
Sixteen years later, on this occasion at Brussels’ Roi Baudouin stadium, France prevailed 2-1 against Portugal, again after extra time, before defeating Italy in the final four days later.
Portugal have appeared in the last four UEFA European Championship final tournaments having first qualified for the finals in 1984.
Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying, Portugal had played 108 matches in their 13 participations in the UEFA European Championship, winning 58, drawing 26 and losing 24 with 183 goals scored and 98 conceded.
Portugal’s record victories to date in the competition have come via two 8-0 defeats of Liechtenstein on 18 December 1994 and 9 June 1999. The latter match saw both João Pinto and Sá Pinto scoring hat-tricks.
Their record defeats in the competition have come courtesy of 5-0 away defeats at the hands of Czechoslovakia (30 April 1975) and the Soviet Union (27 April 1983).
Turkey
Coach: Fatih Terim
Turkey first participated in a UEFA European Championship final round at UEFA EURO ’96, losing all three of their group matches, but they returned four years later and advanced as far as the quarter-finals, their best effort to date in the competition.
Finishing second in their qualifying group, Turkey defeated the Republic of Ireland on away goals in their subsequent play-off to book their place at UEFA EURO 2000. Drawn in a group featuring Belgium, Italy and Sweden, Turkey took four points from their three games, defeating the tournament hosts 2-0 in their final game with two goals from Hakan Sükür (45, 70). Their reward was a quarter-final berth, but Turkey were defeated 2-0 by Portugal.
Despite playing in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying rounds, Turkey’s first participation in a final tournament took place at UEFA EURO ’96. Turkey have appeared in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions. Prior to the finals of UEFA EURO 2008, they have played 95 matches. In that time, they had won 35, drawn 22 and lost 38 of those fixtures with 110 goals scored and 135 conceded.
Austria
Coach: Josef Hickersberger
Austria have never qualified for a UEFA European Championship final tournament, and so will be playing in the finals for the first time when they co-host UEFA EURO 2008. They came within one round of the four-team final tournament of the inaugural 1960 competition, but lost 9-4 on aggregate to France in the quarter-finals.
Austria will be one of two first-time contenders at the UEFA European Championship finals along with Poland. However, they have played at seven FIFA World Cup final tournaments. Going into the finals of UEFA EURO 2008, their record in the tournament was 80 matches played, with 33 wins, 13 draws and 34 defeats, and 146 goals scored and 125 conceded.
Croatia
Coach: Slaven Bilic
Croatia’s best performance to date came in their first involvement in the competition. Having topped their qualification round group for UEFA EURO ’96 with 23 points from ten games, the Croatians were pitched against Denmark, Portugal and Turkey in the final tournament group phase. Opening with two victories against Turkey (1-0) and Denmark (3-0), the Croatians qualification for the knockout phase was guaranteed prior to their 3-0 defeat against Portugal in their last match. Facing eventual winners, Germany, in the quarter-final phase, the Croatians exited following a 2-1 defeat.
Croatia have missed only one UEFA European Championship final tournament since independence, missing out on a trip to UEFA EURO 2000.
Up until the end of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Croatia had appeared in the UEFA European Championship on four occasions, and had played 47 matches. In that time, they had won 28, drawn eleven and lost eight with 86 goals scored and 38 conceded.
Germany
Coach: Joachim Löw
Germany have won the competition once since reunification (1996) but three times overall having earlier won the competition in 1972 and 1980 as West Germany. The Czech Republic were defeated in the 1996 final at Wembley, Oliver Bierhoff scoring the golden goal winner five minutes into extra-time after having earlier scored their equaliser 17 minutes from time. Patrik Berger had given the Czechs a 59th-minute lead from the penalty spot.
Germany advanced from the group stage with defeats of the Czech Republic (2-0) and Russia (3-0) before holding Italy to a scoreless draw. Their reward was a quarter-final match against Croatia which Germany won 2-1 before they defeated England in the semis on penalties after the match ended 1-1 after extra-time.
Germany have not won a match in the final tournament of a UEFA European Championship since winning the competition in 1996. Since then, Germany have played six matches, drawing three and losing three with three goals scored and eight conceded.
Germany lead the way with three tournament victories to date. In 1972 and 1980, they won the competition as West Germany, but their 1996 success came after reunification. France are the only other country to have won the competition more than once following successes in 1984 and 2000.
Up until the end of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Germany had appeared in the UEFA European Championship on eleven occasions, and had played 110 matches. In that time, they won 67, drawn 29 and lost 14 of those fixtures with 224 goals scored and 77 conceded.
Poland
Coach: Leo Beenhakker
Prior to securing their first qualification this time around, Poland’s best campaign saw them come close to qualifying for the 1980 UEFA European Championship final round in Italy, finishing one point behind the Netherlands in their qualifying round group.
The number 13 proved to be a luck one for Poland as they secured their first UEFA European Championship final round appearance at the 13th attempt in for UEFA EURO 2008. Up until the end of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Poland had appeared in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions, and had played 90 matches. In that time, they had won 38, drawn 24 and lost 28 of those fixtures with 131 goals scored and 100 conceded.
Netherlands
Coach: Marco van Basten
The Netherlands won the competition in 1988, their only appearance in the final to date. They defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 at Munich’s Olympiastadion on 25 June 1988 thanks to goals from Ruud Gullit (32 minutes) and current coach Marco van Basten (54). The Dutch have also appeared in four additional semi-finals (2004, 2000, 1992 and 1976) and one additional quarter-final (1996). The Dutch have qualified for the last five UEFA European Championship final tournaments. Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying, the Netherlands had played 117 matches in the UEFA European Championship. Their record read: 72 wins, 22 draws and 23 losses with 241 goals scored and 91 conceded. They did not participate in the 1960 UEFA European Championship.
Italy
Coach: Roberto Donadoni
Italy won the 1968 UEFA European Championship, defeating Yugoslavia 2-0 in a final replay after the two sides had shared a 1-1 draw at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. Italy forced a replay when Angelo Domenghini’s 80th-minute goal cancelled out Dragan Dzajic’s opener after 39 minutes. The tournament hosts made no mistake in the replay played two days later as first-half goals from Luigi Riva (12) and Pietro Anastasi (31) sealed a 2-0 win.
Italy have qualified for the last four UEFA European Championship final tournaments.
Up until the end of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Italy had appeared in the UEFA European Championship on twelve occasions, and had played 111 matches. In that time, they won 59, drew 35 and lost 17 of those fixtures with 175 goals scored and 77 conceded.
Romania
Coach: Victor Piturca
Romania topped their qualification round group for UEFA EURO 2000 with 24 points from their ten matches. Their reward was to be drawn against England, Germany and Portugal in the group stage of the final tournament. Romanian hopes were receding following one point from their opening two games, but a 3-2 defeat of England, with Ioan Ganea scoring the winner in the 89th minute, provided them with a place in the knockout stage. Italy ended their involvement in the competition, running out 2-0 winners following their quarter-final meeting with goals from Francesco Totti (33) and Filippo Inzaghi (43).
Although Romania qualified for the 1984 and 1996 UEFA European Championship finals, they failed to win a match. Their first victory in the finals actually took place in their ninth match, defeating England 3-2 in the UEFA EURO 2000â„¢ finals, a result that provided them with a place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Up until the end of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Romania had appeared in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions, and had played 105 matches. In that time, they had won 52, drawn 27 and lost 26 with 191 goals scored and 104 conceded.
France
Coach: Raymond Domenech
France are the only other country apart from three-time winners Germans to have won the competition more than once following successes in 1984 and 2000.
The victory in 1984 came on home soil as hosts with Spain defeated 2-0 in the final at Parc des Princes in Paris. The French won all their matches in the competition, defeating Denmark (1-0), Belgium (5-0) and Yugoslavia (3-2) in the group phase before Portugal (3-2 after extra-time) were accounted for in the semi-finals at Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome. They edged out Ukraine and Russia by one and two points respectively to book an automatic spot at the UEFA EURO 2000â„¢ finals which were co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. Roger Lemerre’s side were second to the Dutch through the three-match group phase, but they overcame Spain (2-1) and Portugal (2-1 after extra-time) in the knockout phase before defeating Italy in the final. The endgame also went to extra-time with Marco Delvecchio putting the Italians ahead after 55 minutes only for Sylvain Wiltord to equalise in stoppage time. France went on to win the game thanks to David Trezeguet’s goal after 103 minutes.
France have qualified for the last five UEFA European Championship final tournaments having first qualified to host the inaugural four-team final round in 1960.
France have been involved in all 13 UEFA European Championship competitions to date. Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008â„¢ qualifying, they had played 117 matches, with 67 wins, 29 draws, 21 losses, 236 goals scored and 109 conceded.
Before defeating Azerbaijan 10-0 on 6 September 1995 in Auxerre, France’s record victory came in their first-ever match in the competition at the expense of Greece.
France were humbled 5-1 by Yugoslavia at the quarter-final stage of the 1968 UEFA European Championship. To date, that result is their record defeat in the competition.
Greece
Coach: Otto Rehhagel
Greece Won UEFA EURO 2004.
Facts
Greece refused to play Albania in their first match in the UEFA European Championship in March 1963 as the countries had officially been at war since 1912.
They have played at two UEFA European Championship finals having featured at EURO 1980 in Italy before triumphing at UEFA EURO 2004.
Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008â„¢ qualifying, Greece had played 100 games in the UEFA European Championship (including the forfeit 3-0 defeat to Albania in 1963) winning 48, drawing 19 and losing 33 times with 146 goals scored and 115 conceded.
Their greatest margin of victory came in the qualifying round for EURO 1980 when Finland were on the receiving end of a 8-1 thrashing with Thomas Mavros scoring a hat-trick.
Their greatest margin of defeat came in their opening tie in the competition in 1958 when the Greeks were on the receiving end of a 7-1 loss against France in Paris with Just Fontaine, Jean Vincent and Thadée Cisowski scoring two goals apiece for the home side.
Sweden
Coach: Lars Lagerbäck
As tournament hosts, Sweden advanced to the semi-finals of the 1992 UEFA European Championship, a competition that was the last to feature eight teams in the final round. The Swedes topped their group following victories against Denmark (1-0) and England (2-1) after opening the competition with a 1-1 draw against France at the RÃ¥sunda stadium. But Sweden found Germany too stern an opponent in the semis, making their exit following a 3-2 defeat.
By reaching UEFA EURO 2008, Sweden qualified for their fifth successive major international tournament.
Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008â„¢ qualifying Sweden had played 92 matches in the UEFA European Championship with 43 wins, 24 draws and 25 losses, 137 goals scored and 91 conceded.
They did not participate in the 1960 UEFA European Championship.
Sweden have recorded five 5-0 victories in the competition, but their highest winning margin came on 7 June 2003 when they defeated San Marino 6-0 in Serravalle with Mattias Jonson scoring a hat-trick.
Spain
Coach: Luis Aragonés
Spain’s greatest UEFA European Championship moment came on 21 June 1964 when they won the competition in Madrid, defeating the Soviet Union 2-1. The Spaniards defeated Romania, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the qualifying rounds before overcoming Hungary (2-1) in the semi-finals.
Up until the end of UEFA EURO 2008â„¢ qualifying, Spain had been involved in the most fixtures by a single country in the competition with 122 matches since their 4-2 away win against Poland in the last 16 of the 1960 UEFA European Championship on 28 June 1959. Denmark were second on 120 with the Netherlands and France joint third with 117 matches played.
Up until the end of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008â„¢, Spain had appeared in all 13 UEFA European Championship qualifying competitions, and had played 122 matches. In that time, they had won 72, drawn 24 and lost 26 with 260 goals scored and 108 conceded.
Russia
Coach: Guus Hiddink
Russia’s best performance since competing as an independent state came at UEFA EURO 2004 although their best qualification round came in the run up to EURO ‘96. From ten matches, Russia collected 26 points to claim first position from a group featuring Finland, Greece, Scotland, the Faroe Islands and San Marino. Their involvement in the UEFA EURO ’96â„¢ was less memorable with one point from three games, a 3-3 draw against the Czech Republic after earlier losing their opening two games to Italy (2-1) and Germany (3-0).
Prior to UEFA EURO ’96, Russia participated as part of the Commonwealth of Independent States during the 1992 UEFA European Championship having previously played as a member of the Soviet Union from the competition’s inception in 1958. The Soviet Union appeared in the first four final rounds of the UEFA European Championship, winning the inaugural competition in 1960. They would end up as losing finalists in 1964, 1972 and 1988.
Up until the end of qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008, Russia had appeared in the UEFA European Championships on four occasions, and had played 48 matches. In that time, they had won 27, drawn ten and lost eleven of those fixtures with 100 goals scored and 48 conceded.
Russia’s first international since the dissolution of the Soviet Union came on 16 August 1992 when they defeated Mexico 2-0. Previously, Russia had played international matches as an independent state between 1912 and 1914.
