The quarter-finals of the European Championship are when things get very, very serious. Any team that lacks the quality or the determination will be exposed and sent home, leaving only the best to battle it out for the trophy.
As the Euro 2024 quarter-finals approach and England get ready to take on an in-form Switzerland, we thought we would go through some of the past quarter-finals that thrilled fans and live long in their memories. We hope this year has half the drama of the games we will discuss!
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So, without further ado, here are NetBet’s top five Euros quarter-finals.
5 – France 0-1 Greece, Euro 2004
Included mainly for shock value, Lisbon was the venue for one of the greatest upsets in European Championship history. A star-studded France outfit featuring the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry looked to have weathered the early storm, with keeper Fabien Barthez somehow preventing the ball from crossing the line after a Costas Katsouranis attempt.
But as time ticked away the French were left frustrated by Greece and could not prevent Angelos Charisteas from heading home in the 65th minute and sealing the win for the Greeks – who famously went on to win the tournament, one of football’s great underdog stories.
4 – Germany 1-1 Italy (6-5 on Penalties), Euro 2016
Germany had struggled against Italy multiple times before the two faced off in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 but Die Mannschaft thought they had broken the streak when Mesut Ozil put them ahead midway through the second half.
However, a stubborn Italy side kept themselves in the game and earned a deserved equaliser in the form of a late Leonardo Bonucci penalty. After a tense period of extra-time the tie was to be decided by a penalty shootout. But no one in the stadium or at home could have predicted what happened next.
An 18-penalty shootout followed and it featured some shocking misses, most famously from Simone Zaza. Jonas Hector finally struck the winner after a nerve-shredding ordeal and sent Germany to the semi-finals.
3 – Spain 1-2 France, Euro 2000
This game is here for the sheer quality of football on display from some of the world’s best at the time, evidenced perfectly by Zidane, who put France ahead just after the half hour.
However, the game remained on a knife edge and the two teams went back and forth in an extremely entertaining start. Spain struck next through a Gaizka Mendieta penalty and there was to be more drama before the break as a superb solo run by Patrick Vieira would be capped by an even better finish from Youri Djorkaeff.
The tense game continued after the break as Spain maintained the pressure, culminating in a late penalty to be taken by legend Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez. But the usually-reliable striker missed the spot kick and France progressed, eventually going on to win the tournament.
2 – England 2-2 Portugal (5-6 on Penalties) Euro 2004
Most will remember the controversial clash between England and Portugal at the 2006 World Cup, however, this one was arguably just as entertaining. The home Portugal crowd were left stunned as Michael Owen struck in just the third minute to give England the lead going into half-time.
England held on resiliently but it would not be enough as Helder Postiga equalised in the 83rd minute to take the tie to extra-time. Rui Costa thought he had won the game 10 minutes from time but Frank Lampard levelled proceedings for England five minutes later and took the game to penalties.
Sadly, England hearts ended up being broken as Darius Vassell and David Beckham’s failures from the spot sent the hosts to the semi-finals.
1 – Wales 3-1 Belgium, Euro 2016
A truly unforgettable match from Euro 2016 featured a Wales team who were not even expected to make it out of the group, especially after a late 2-1 loss to England.
But against all odds they defeated Belgium’s fabled ‘Golden Generation’ in Lille during the knockout rounds. A long-range Radja Nainggolan rocket welcomed Wales to their first ever Euros quarter-final but undeterred, Ashley Williams headed Wales level just before the break.
Then ten minutes into the second half, Hal Robson-Kanu pirouetted inside the Belgium area and fired the ball past a despairing Thibaut Courtois to give Wales a shock lead.
Belgium pushed hard for the rest of the game but substitute Sam Vokes took the game out of the Red Devils’ reach in the 85th minute, securing a historic Welsh victory.
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