UEFA Euro 2000

Infobox International Football Competition
tourney_name = UEFA Euro 2000
year =
other_titles = UEFA Championnat Européen du Football
Belgique/Pays Bas 2000fr icon
UEFA Europees Voetbalkampioenschap
België/Nederland 2000nl icon
UEFA Fußball-Europameisterschaft
Belgien/Niederlande 2000de icon


size = 120px
caption = UEFA Euro 2000 official logo
country = Belgium
country2 = Netherlands
dates = 10 June – 2 July
num_teams = 16
venues = 8
cities = 8
champion = France
count = 2
second = Italy
matches = 31
goals = 85
attendance = 1122833
top_scorer = flagicon|NED Patrick Kluivert
flagicon|YUG|FR Savo Milošević
(5 goals)
player = flagicon|FRA Zinedine ZidaneThe 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, football's governing body in Europe.

The finals of Euro 2000 were co-hosted (the first time this happened) by Belgium and the Netherlands between 10 June and 2 July 2000. The final tournament was contested by 16 nations. With the exception of the national teams of the hosts, Belgium and the Netherlands, the finalists had to go through a qualifying round to reach the final stage. France won the tournament, by defeating Italy 2-1 in the final, via a golden goal.

Overview

Belgium had a surprise exit in the group stage, winning the tournament's first game against Sweden but losing to Turkey and Italy. Italy also eliminated co-host and favorites Netherlands in the semi-finals, despite going down to ten men and facing two penalty kicks. (in addition to his penalty save in regulation time) to carry the Italians to the final.

One of the biggest surprises of the tournament was Portugal, winning their group with three wins, including a 3-0 win against Germany. They reached the semi-finals, when they lost in extra-time to France after Zinedine Zidane converted a penalty kick. Several Portuguese players challenged the awarding of the penalty for a handball and were given lengthy suspensions for shoving the referee. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/euro2000/teams/portugal/815848.stm Uefa suspends Portuguese trio] , "BBC Sport", 2 July, 2000, Accessed 6 June, 2008] The Euro 2000 winner was France, who defeated Italy 2-1 in the final after a golden goal by France's David Trézéguet.

In Britain, Match of the Day named Stefano Fiore's goal against Belgium the Goal of the Tournament, ahead of Patrick Kluivert's against France and Zinedine Zidane's against Spain. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/euro2000/the_bbc_team/814570.stm Fiore strike scoops top spot] , "BBC Sport", 1 July, 2000, Accessed 6 June 2008]

Qualification

Qualification for the tournament took place throughout 1998 and 1999. Forty-nine teams were divided into nine groups and each played the others in their group, on a home-and-away basis. The winner of each group and the best runner-up qualified automatically for the final tournament. The eight other runners-up played an additional set of playoff matches to determine the last four qualifiers. Belgium and the Netherlands automatically qualified for the tournament as co-hosts.

The following 16 teams participated in the tournament:

*fb|BEL (host)
*fb|CZE
*fb|DEN
*fb|ENG
*fb|FRA
*fb|GER
*fb|ITA
*fb|NED (host)
*fb|NOR (first appearance)
*fb|POR
*fb|ROU
*fb|SVN (first appearance)
*fb|ESP
*fb|SWE
*fb|TUR
*fb|FR Yugoslavia

Mascot

The official mascot of this EuroCup was Benelucky (a pun on Benelux), a lion-devil with its hair color being a combination of the flag colors of both host nations.

Venues

footballbox
date = 2000-06-10
time = 20:45
team1 = fb-rt|BEL
score = 2 – 1
report = [http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=2000/round=1458/match=64851/index.html (Report)]
team2 = fb|SWE
goals1 = Goor goal|43
É. Mpenza goal|46
goals2 = Mjällby goal|53
stadium = King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
attendance = 50,000
referee = Markus Merk (Germany) ----footballbox
date = 2000-06-11
time = 14:30
team1 = fb-rt|TUR
score = 1 – 2
report = [http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=2000/round=1458/match=64852/index.html (Report)]
team2 = fb|ITA
goals1 = Okan goal|62
goals2 = Conte goal|52
Inzaghi goal|70|pen.
stadium = Gelredome, Arnhem
attendance = 25,000
referee = Hugh Dallas (Scotland) ----footballbox
date = 2000-06-14
time = 20:45
team1 = fb-rt|ITA
score = 2 – 0
report = [http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=2000/round=1458/match=64853/index.html (Report)]
team2 = fb|BEL
goals1 = Totti goal|6
Fiore goal|66
goals2 =
stadium = King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
attendance = 46,000
referee = José Garcia Aranda (Spain) ----footballbox
date = 2000-06-15
time = 20:45
team1 = fb-rt|SWE
score = 0 – 0
report = [http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=2000/round=1458/match=64854/index.html (Report)]
team2 = fb|TUR
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Philips Stadion, Eindhoven
attendance = 24,500
referee = Dick Jol (Netherlands) ----footballbox
date = 2000-06-19
time = 20:45
team1 = fb-rt|TUR
score = 2 – 0
report = [http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=2000/round=1458/match=64855/index.html (Report)]
team2 = fb|BEL
goals1 = Hakan Ş. goal|45 goal|70
goals2 =
stadium = King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
attendance = 48,000
referee = Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark) ----footballbox
date = 2000-06-19
time = 20:45
team1 = fb-rt|ITA
score = 2 – 1
report = [http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/history/season=2000/round=1458/match=64856/index.html (Report)]
team2 = fb|SWE
goals1 = Di Biagio goal|39
Del Piero goal|88
goals2 = Larsson goal|77
stadium = Philips Stadion, Eindhoven
attendance = 25,000
referee = Vítor Melo Pereira (Portugal)

Group C

UEFA Player of the Tournament
*flagicon|FRA Zinedine Zidane

Trivia

*The official song of the event "Campione 2000" by the Swedish musician E-Type is a popular European football chant. Campione means champion in Italian. After the event, it still continues to be a favourite football chant.
*3 of the 4 teams in Group D had won the European Championship previously, and the other one – the Czech Republic – came into existence after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, who were champions in 1976.
*France are the only reigning World Champions to have won the European Championship. West Germany are the only other team to have held both trophies at the same time, winning the Euro first in 1972.

References

ee also

*The Official Euro 2000 Album

Further reading

* "Euro 2000 The Official Guide" Carlton Books Limited, London. ISBN 1-84222-08-3

External links

* [http://www.uefa.com/competitions/euro/history/season=2000/intro.html EURO 2000 official history]