UEFA Euro 2008

This article is about the sporting event. For the video game based on this event, see UEFA Euro 2008 (video game).

UEFA Euro 2008

Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2008 Template:De icon Championnat d'Europe de football 2008 Template:Fr icon Campionato europeo di calcio 2008 Template:It icon Campiunadi d'Europa da ballape 2008 Template:Rm icon
File:UEFA EURO 2008 New Logo.svg UEFA Euro 2008 official logo
Tournament details
Host countries	Austria Switzerland
Dates	7 June – 29 June
Teams	16
Venue(s)	8 (in 8 host cities)
Final positions
Champions	Spain (2nd title)
Runners-up	Germany
Third place	Turkey Russia
Tournament statistics
Matches played	31
Goals scored	77 (2.48 per match)
Attendance	1,140,902 (36,803 per match)
Top scorer(s)	David Villa (4 goals)
Best player(s)	Xavi

The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations. The tournament, which was hosted by Austria and Switzerland, began on 7 June 2008, and concluded with the final at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June 2008. The second jointly-hosted edition in the competition's history, the tournament was eventually won by Spain, defeating Germany 1–0 in the final; becoming only the second nation to win all their group stage fixtures and win the European Championship itself—a milestone also achieved by France in 1984. Spain were also the first team since Germany in 1996 to win the tournament undefeated.

Greece were the defending champions going into the tournament, having won UEFA Euro 2004, the previous edition of the competition. However, they recorded amongst the worst finishes in Euro 2008, collecting the least amount of prize money and gaining no points in their only three group fixtures. Throughout 31 matches, the participating nations totalled 77 goals, the same as the previous tournament. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts; the remaining 14 teams were determined through qualifying matches, which began in August 2006. As European champions, Spain earned the right to compete for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Summary

Performance of the participating countries during the Euro 2008

Qualification for Euro 2008 started in August 2006, just over a month after the end of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The qualifying tournament was contested by national teams from each of UEFA's member associations, with the exceptions of Austria and Switzerland, who had automatically qualified for the finals tournament as hosts, and Montenegro, who came into existence too late to be admitted to UEFA. England was the only seeded team not to qualify for the tournament proper, whereas Russia was the only unseeded one to qualify.

The draw for the finals tournament took place on 2 December 2007, and saw Group C immediately labelled as the "group of death", with Italy, France, Romania and the Netherlands competing for the two qualifying places. In contrast, Germany and Portugal were deemed to have an easy draw, as the tournament structure meant they could not meet Italy, France, the Netherlands or Spain until the final.

In the group stage, Croatia, Spain and the Netherlands all qualified with maximum points. Austria and Switzerland were not expected to progress, despite the advantage of being the hosts. In Group A, the Swiss lost their captain, Alexander Frei, to injury in their first game and became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, after losing their first two matches. Austria fared slightly better in Group B, managing to set up a decisive final game against Germany, dubbed "Austria's final". However, they lost by one goal, making Euro 2008 the first European Championship not to have one of the host nations present in the knockout stage. In an exciting final game in Group A, an injury- and suspension-hit Turkey came back from 2–0 down to beat the Czech Republic 3–2, after an uncharacteristic handling mistake by Petr Čech, in the last few minutes, left Nihat Kahveci with the simplest of finishes. In the same game, goalkeeper Volkan Demirel was shown a red card for pushing Czech striker Jan Koller to the ground. The Turks joined Portugal as the qualifiers from Group A. France were the high-profile victims of Group C, recording just one point from a goalless draw against Romania in their opening game. Italy beat the French, on the final day, to finish on four points and joining the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Finally, in Group D, Greece failed to reproduce the form of their shock 2004 win, and ended the tournament with no points. Russia qualified at the expense of Sweden, after beating them in a final game decider, joining Spain in the knockout stage.

In the quarter-finals, the Portuguese team was unable to give their coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, a fitting send-off – following the mid-tournament announcement that Scolari would be leaving to join English club Chelsea – losing in an exciting game against Germany. Turkey continued their streak of last-gasp wins, equalising at the end of extra-time against Croatia and advancing on penalties. Coached by Dutchman Guus Hiddink, Russia eliminated the Netherlands with two extra-time goals. The last quarter-final match saw Spain defeat Italy on penalties, after a goalless draw in regular time.

Turkey's progress was halted by Germany at the semi-final stage. Turkey entered the game with nine of their squad members missing due to injury or suspension, but still scored the first goal. Later, they leveled the score at 2–2, before Germany scored the winning goal in the final minute. The world television feed of the match was intermittently lost during the match, which prevented the broadcast of Germany's second goal. This was due to a thunderstorm at the broadcasting relay station in Austria, despite the game being played in Switzerland. Spain won the second semi-final against Russia by three goals to nil, through second-half goals from Xavi, Dani Güiza and David Silva, earning Spain their first appearance in a major final for 24 years.

Spanish football team touring Madrid as champions

In the final, held at Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Spain became European champions for the second time after Fernando Torres' first-half goal proved enough to defeat Germany. Though Germany had a strong start, Spain started to look more dangerous after they had settled. After half an hour, Xavi played a pass in behind the Germany back line towards Torres, who outmuscled a hesitant Philipp Lahm and clipped the ball over the diving Jens Lehmann and just inside the far post. That goal proved to be the only goal of the game which Spain dominated, despite Germany having the majority of the possession, and Spain were crowned UEFA Euro 2008 champions.

Bid process

Austria and Switzerland jointly bid to host the games, and faced major competition from Greece/Turkey, Scotland/Republic of Ireland, Russia, Hungary, Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina and a 4-way Nordic bid from Norway/Sweden/Denmark/Finland. Austria had previously bid to host Euro 2004 with Hungary, but they eventually lost out to Portugal.

Austria/Switzerland, Greece/Turkey, and Hungary were recommended before the final vote. Greece and Turkey were rejected and let Hungary and Austria/Switzerland battle for the win.

The Austria/Switzerland bid is the second successful joint bid in the competition's history, following the UEFA Euro 2000 hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands. The 2012 competition in Poland and Ukraine is scheduled to become the third jointly-hosted tournament.

Venues

The tournament was played at eight venues throughout the two host nations; four in Austria and four in Switzerland. Each venue had a capacity of at least 30,000 for the tournament; the largest stadium was Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna with a capacity of 53,295. It was for this reason that Ernst Happel Stadion hosted the final. Switzerland played all of their group stage matches at St. Jakob Park in Basel, which also hosted the opening match of the tournament as a compromise for the final being held in Vienna. Austria played all of their group stage matches at Ernst Happel Stadion.

In 2004, the Zürich venue became a problem for the organisers. Originally, the Hardturm stadium was to be renovated and used as the city's venue, but legal challenges delayed the plan to a point that would not have allowed the ground to be used in 2008. This created a problem, as the agreement between UEFA and the organizers stipulated that four venues would be used in each country. The problem was solved when the organizers proposed renovating Letzigrund instead; UEFA approved the revised plan in January 2005. The Letzigrund stadium hosted its first football match on 23 September 2007.

Vienna	Klagenfurt	Salzburg	Innsbruck
Ernst-Happel-Stadion Capacity: 53,295	Hypo-Arena Capacity: 31,957	Wals-Siezenheim-Stadion Capacity: 31,020	Tivoli Neu Capacity: 31,600
Basel	Berne	Geneva	Zürich
St. Jakob-Park Capacity: 42,000	Stade de Suisse Capacity: 31,907	Stade de Genève Capacity: 31,228	Letzigrund Capacity: 30,000

Qualifying

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

The draw for the qualifying round took place in Montreux, Switzerland on 27 January 2006 at 12:00 CET.

The qualifying process commenced a month after the 2006 World Cup. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified for the tournament finals as host nations.

The qualifying format was changed compared to previous tournaments. The winners and runners-up from seven groups automatically qualified for the Championship, with the hosts filling the other two slots in the 16-team tournament. The change means there were no play-offs between teams finishing in second place in the groups – they qualified directly for the finals. Teams that finished in third place didn't have any further opportunity to qualify. Six of the qualifying groups contained seven teams, and the other, Group A, contained eight.

Qualified teams

Country	Qualified as	Date qualification was secured	Previous appearances in tournament1
Austria	00Co-hosts	0012 December 2002	01 (debut)
Switzerland	01Co-hosts	0112 December 2002	21 (1996, 2004)
Poland	02Group A winner	0917 November 2007	00 (debut)
Portugal	03Group A runner-up	1421 November 2007	4 (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Italy	04Group B winner	0617 November 2007	60 (1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004)
France	05Group B runner-up	0717 November 2007	61 (1960, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Greece	06Group C winner	0317 October 2007	23 (1980, 2004)
Turkey	07Group C runner-up	1221 November 2007	22 (1996, 2000)
Czech Republic	08Group D winner	0517 October 2007	62 (19602, 19762, 19802, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Germany	09Group D runner-up	0213 October 2007	9 (19723, 19763, 19803, 19843, 19883, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Croatia	10Group E winner	0817 November 2007	20 (1996, 2004)
Russia	11Group E runner-up	1521 November 2007	8 (19604, 19644, 19684, 19724, 19884, 19925, 1996, 2004)
Spain	12Group F winner	1117 November 2007	71 (1964, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004)
Sweden	13Group F runner-up	1321 November 2007	30 (1992, 2000, 2004)
Romania	14Group G winner	0417 October 2007	31 (1984, 1996, 2000)
Netherlands	15Group G runner-up	1017 November 2007	70 (1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004)

¹ Bold indicates champion for that year

² as Czechoslovakia

³ as West Germany

⁴ as Soviet Union

⁵ as Commonwealth of Independent States

Seeding

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 seeding

The draw for the final tournament took place on 2 December 2007 at the Culture and Convention Centre in Lucerne.

In a return to the format used at Euro 92 and Euro 96 the games in each group were held at just two stadia, with the seeded team remaining in the same city for all three matches. As was the case at the 2000 and 2004 finals, the finalists were divided into four seeding pots, based on average points per game in the qualifying phases of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008, with each group having one team from each pot. Switzerland and Austria, as co-hosts, and Greece, as defending champions, were seeded first automatically. The Netherlands were seeded based on their UEFA coefficient in the Euro 2008 finalists ranking.

Pot 1	Pot 2	Pot 3	Pot 4
Switzerland (assigned to A1) Austria (assigned to B1) Greece Netherlands	Croatia Italy Czech Republic Sweden	Romania Germany Portugal Spain	Poland France Turkey Russia

Match officials

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 officials

Twelve referees and twenty four assistants were selected for the tournament:

Football Association	Referee	Assistants
Austria	Konrad Plautz	Egon Bereuter	Markus Mayr
Belgium	Frank de Bleeckere	Peter Hermans	Alex Verstraeten
England	Howard Webb	Darren Cann	Mike Mullarkey
Germany	Herbert Fandel	Carsten Kadach	Volker Wezel
Greece	Kyros Vassaras	Dimitiris Bozartzidis	Dimitiris Saraidaris
Italy	Roberto Rosetti	Alessandro Griselli	Paolo Calcagno
Netherlands	Pieter Vink	Adriaan Inia	Hans ten Hoove
Norway	Tom Henning Øvrebø	Geir Åge Holen	Jan Petter Randen
Slovakia	Ľuboš Micheľ	Roman Slysko	Martin Balko
Spain	Manuel Mejuto González	Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez	Jesús Calvo Guadamuro
Sweden	Peter Fröjdfeldt	Stefan Wittberg	Henrik Andren
Switzerland	Massimo Busacca	Matthias Arnet	Stephane Cuhat

Squads

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 squads

Each nation had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of which had to be goalkeepers, by 28 May 2008. If a player was injured seriously enough to prevent him from taking part in the tournament before his team's first match, he could be replaced by another player.

Results

Group stage

Tie-breaking criteria

For the three game group stage of this tournament, where two or more teams in a group tied on an equal number of points, the finishing positions were determined by the record of the tied teams in the games they played against each other in the first instance, then the goals scored and goal difference in all group matches. There was a facility for positions to be determined by a penalty shoot-out if their records were identical and their last match was a draw against each other, but this situation did not arise. Pre-tournament records, disciplinary history and the drawing of lots were also available, but unused, grounds for determining positions.

Group A

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Portugal	3	2	0	1	5	3	+2	6	Advance to knockout phase
2	Turkey	3	2	0	1	5	5	0	6
3	Czech Republic	3	1	0	2	4	6	−2	3
4	Switzerland (H)	3	1	0	2	3	3	0	3

Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:

7 June 2008 (2008-06-07)

18:00

Switzerland	0–1	Czech Republic
	Report	Svěrkoš 71'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 39,730

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

7 June 2008 (2008-06-07)

20:45

Portugal	2–0	Turkey
Pepe 61' Meireles 90+3'	Report

Stade de Genève, Geneva

Attendance: 29,106

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

11 June 2008 (2008-06-11)

18:00

Czech Republic	1–3	Portugal
Sionko 17'	Report	Deco 8' Ronaldo 63' Quaresma 90+1'

Stade de Genève, Geneva

Attendance: 29,016

Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

11 June 2008 (2008-06-11)

20:45

Switzerland	1–2	Turkey
Yakin 32'	Report	Semih 57' Turan 90+2'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 39,730

Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

15 June 2008 (2008-06-15)

20:45

Switzerland	2–0	Portugal
Yakin 71', 83' (pen.)	Report

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 39,730

Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

15 June 2008 (2008-06-15)

20:45

Turkey	3–2	Czech Republic
Turan 75' Nihat 87', 89'	Report	Koller 34' Plašil 62'

Stade de Genève, Geneva

Attendance: 29,016

Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)

2008-06-07
Switzerland	0 – 1	Czech Republic
Portugal	2 – 0	Turkey
2008-06-11
Czech Republic	1 – 3	Portugal
Switzerland	1 – 2	Turkey
2008-06-15
Switzerland	2 – 0	Portugal
Turkey	3 – 2	Czech Republic

Notes on the tie-breaking situation

• Portugal and Turkey are ranked by their head-to-head records
• Czech Republic and Switzerland are ranked by their head-to-head records

Group B

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Croatia	3	3	0	0	4	1	+3	9	Advance to knockout phase
2	Germany	3	2	0	1	4	2	+2	6
3	Austria (H)	3	0	1	2	1	3	−2	1
4	Poland	3	0	1	2	1	4	−3	1

Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:

8 June 2008 (2008-06-08)

18:00

Austria	0–1	Croatia
	Report	Modrić 4' (pen.)

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Pieter Vink (Netherlands)

8 June 2008 (2008-06-08)

20:45

Germany	2–0	Poland
Podolski 20', 72'	Report

Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt

Attendance: 30,461

Referee: Tom Henning Øvrebø (Norway)

12 June 2008 (2008-06-12)

18:00

Croatia	2–1	Germany
Srna 24' Olić 62'	Report	Podolski 79'

Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt

Attendance: 30,461

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

12 June 2008 (2008-06-12)

20:45

Austria	1–1	Poland
Vastić 90+3' (pen.)	Report	Guerreiro 30'

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

16 June 2008 (2008-06-16)

20:45

Poland	0–1	Croatia
	Report	Klasnić 53'

Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt

Attendance: 30,461

Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

16 June 2008 (2008-06-16)

20:45

Austria	0–1	Germany
	Report	Ballack 49'

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)

2008-06-08
Austria	0 – 1	Croatia
Germany	2 – 0	Poland
2008-06-12
Croatia	2 – 1	Germany
Austria	1 – 1	Poland
2008-06-16
Poland	0 – 1	Croatia
Austria	0 – 1	Germany

Notes on the tie-breaking situation

• Austria and Poland are ranked by goal difference in all of their group games as their head-to-head records are identical.

Group C

Free kick in the Netherlands-Italy match, 9 June

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group C

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Netherlands	3	3	0	0	9	1	+8	9	Advance to knockout phase
2	Italy	3	1	1	1	3	4	−1	4
3	Romania	3	0	2	1	1	3	−2	2
4	France	3	0	1	2	1	6	−5	1

Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

9 June 2008 (2008-06-09)

18:00

Romania	0–0	France
	Report

Letzigrund, Zürich

Attendance: 30,585

Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)

9 June 2008 (2008-06-09)

20:45

Netherlands	3–0	Italy
Van Nistelrooy 26' Sneijder 31' Van Bronckhorst 79'	Report

Stade de Suisse, Bern

Attendance: 30,777

Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)

13 June 2008 (2008-06-13)

18:00

Italy	1–1	Romania
Panucci 56'	Report	Mutu 55'

Letzigrund, Zürich

Attendance: 30,585

Referee: Tom Henning Øvrebø (Norway)

13 June 2008 (2008-06-13)

20:45

Netherlands	4–1	France
Kuyt 9' Van Persie 59' Robben 72' Sneijder 90+2'	Report	Henry 71'

Stade de Suisse, Bern

Attendance: 30,777

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

17 June 2008 (2008-06-17)

20:45

Netherlands	2–0	Romania
Huntelaar 54' Van Persie 87'	Report

Stade de Suisse, Bern

Attendance: 30,777

Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

17 June 2008 (2008-06-17)

20:45

France	0–2	Italy
	Report	Pirlo 25' (pen.) De Rossi 62'

Letzigrund, Zürich

Attendance: 30,585

Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

2008-06-09
Romania	0 – 0	France
Netherlands	3 – 0	Italy
2008-06-13
Italy	1 – 1	Romania
Netherlands	4 – 1	France
2008-06-17
Netherlands	2 – 0	Romania
France	0 – 2	Italy

Group D

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Group D

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Spain	3	3	0	0	8	3	+5	9	Advance to knockout phase
2	Russia	3	2	0	1	4	4	0	6
3	Sweden	3	1	0	2	3	4	−1	3
4	Greece	3	0	0	3	1	5	−4	0

Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

10 June 2008 (2008-06-10)

18:00

Spain	4–1	Russia
Villa 20', 44', 75' Fàbregas 90+1'	Report	Pavlyuchenko 86'

Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck

Attendance: 30,772

Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

10 June 2008 (2008-06-10)

20:45

Greece	0–2	Sweden
	Report	Ibrahimović 67' Hansson 72'

Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg

Attendance: 31,063

Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

14 June 2008 (2008-06-14)

18:00

Sweden	1–2	Spain
Ibrahimović 34'	Report	Torres 15' Villa 90+2'

Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck

Attendance: 30,772

Referee: Pieter Vink (Netherlands)

14 June 2008 (2008-06-14)

20:45

Greece	0–1	Russia
	Report	Zyryanov 33'

Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg

Attendance: 31,063

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

18 June 2008 (2008-06-18)

20:45

Greece	1–2	Spain
Charisteas 42'	Report	De la Red 61' Güiza 88'

Stadion Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg

Attendance: 30,883

Referee: Howard Webb (England)

18 June 2008 (2008-06-18)

20:45

Russia	2–0	Sweden
Pavlyuchenko 24' Arshavin 50'	Report

Tivoli-Neu, Innsbruck

Attendance: 30,772

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

2008-06-10
Spain	4 – 1	Russia
Greece	0 – 2	Sweden
2008-06-14
Sweden	1 – 2	Spain
Greece	0 – 1	Russia
2008-06-18
Greece	1 – 2	Spain
Russia	2 – 0	Sweden

Knockout stage

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 knockout stage

The knockout stage was different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B were separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. This increased the chance of a group fixture being replayed in the knockout stage, and rendered impossible a final between two teams drawn in the same half of the tournament. Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues (St. Jakob-Park, Basel and Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna—the two largest of the eight stadiums used) were used for the seven matches in the knockout stage of the tournament.

The knockout phase of UEFA Euro 2008 began with the quarter-finals on 19 June 2008, and was completed on 29 June 2008 with the final at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.

All times Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Format

The knockout phase was different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B were separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. This increased the chance of a group fixture being replayed in the knockout phase, and rendered a final between two teams drawn in the same half of the tournament impossible. The reason for the format change this year was to equalise the rest periods during the knockout phase. Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues (St. Jakob-Park, Basel and Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna) were used for the seven matches in the knockout phase of the tournament. As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there was no third place play-off.

Another new rule forgave all single yellow cards received up to and including the quarter-finals. However, players that were booked both in group tournament and quarter-finals missed semi-finals through suspension, but could play in the final. It was thus not possible to be suspended for the final without a red card.

Qualified teams

The top two placed teams from each of the four groups qualified for the knockout stage.

Group	Winners	Runners-up
A	Portugal	Turkey
B	Croatia	Germany
C	Netherlands	Italy
D	Spain	Russia

Bracket

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	19 June – Basel
	Portugal	2
					25 June – Basel
	Germany	3
					Germany	3
	20 June – Vienna
					Turkey	2
	Croatia	1 (1)
									29 June – Vienna
	Turkey (p)	1 (3)
									Germany	0
	21 June – Basel
									Spain	1
	Netherlands	1
					26 June – Vienna
	Russia (a.e.t.)	3
					Russia	0
	22 June – Vienna
					Spain	3
	Spain (p)	0 (4)
	Italy	0 (2)

Quarter-finals

The first quarter-final saw Group A winners Portugal take on Germany, who finished as runners-up of Group B. Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the opener half-way through the first half, before Miroslav Klose doubled their lead four minutes later. Portugal pulled one back five minutes before half-time, but Germany restored their two-goal lead on the hour mark. Portugal now needed two goals to take the game to extra time; Hélder Postiga pulled one back, but Germany were able to hang on to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since 1996.

The second quarter-final was between Croatia and Turkey, and was a less high scoring affair. No goals were scored in normal time, and it took 29 minutes of extra time before Ivan Klasnić put Croatia into the lead. However, two minutes into injury time at the end of extra time Turkey was awarded a free kick. Controversially referee Roberto Rosetti did not allow the Croatian coach to put on a substitute, after Turkey was awarded the free kick, which would have allowed for the Croatian defence to better settle. A long free kick from Turkey goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber found Semih Şentürk on the edge of the area; the striker turned and hit a shot into the top corner of the net to take the game to a penalty shootout. Croatia went first, but only managed to score one of their four penalties, while Turkey scored all three of theirs to win 3–1.

The Group C winners, the Netherlands, who had won all three of their group games, took on Group D runners-up Russia in quarter-final 3. The Netherlands' players wore black armbands in sympathy for the death of Anissa, Khalid Boulahrouz's premature baby daughter. Russia took the lead through Roman Pavlyuchenko just before the hour mark. Ruud van Nistelrooy equalised in the 86th minute. In the 90th minute, Ľuboš Micheľ sent Russian defender Denis Kolodin off for a second booking, but reversed his decision afterwards. The reversal was based on a linesman's (mistaken) observation that the ball was out of play before the tackle. Eugen Strigel, head of the German referee committee, later judged the reversal against regulations as based on a mistaken premise. The Russians played on with 11 players and with two quick-fire goals in the last eight minutes of extra time from Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin secured a remarkable win.

The final quarter-final pitted Spain against Italy. In 120 minutes of football, neither team managed to produce a goal, sending the game to penalties. Spain went first and scored three of their first four penalties, Gianluigi Buffon saving the other from Dani Güiza, while Iker Casillas saved two of Italy's four penalties. This left Cesc Fàbregas having to score to send Spain through. He converted, meaning that Spain had won their first competitive match against Italy since the 1920 Summer Olympics and that Spain had qualified for the semi-finals for the first time since 1984.

Portugal vs Germany

19 June 2008 (2008-06-19)

20:45

Portugal	2–3	Germany
Nuno Gomes 40' Postiga 87'	Report	Schweinsteiger 22' Klose 26' Ballack 61'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 39,374

Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)

Portugal

Germany

GK 1 Ricardo RB 4 José Bosingwa CB 15 Pepe  60' CB 16 Ricardo Carvalho LB 2 Paulo Ferreira CM 8 Petit  26'  73' CM 10 João Moutinho  31' RW 7 Cristiano Ronaldo AM 20 Deco LW 11 Simão CF 21 Nuno Gomes (c)  67' Substitutions: MF 6 Raul Meireles  31' MF 19 Nani  67' FW 23 Hélder Postiga  90'  73' Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari

GK 1 Jens Lehmann RB 3 Arne Friedrich  48' CB 17 Per Mertesacker CB 21 Christoph Metzelder LB 16 Philipp Lahm  49' CM 6 Simon Rolfes CM 13 Michael Ballack (c) RW 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger  83' LW 15 Thomas Hitzlsperger  73' CF 11 Miroslav Klose  89' CF 20 Lukas Podolski Substitutions: MF 18 Tim Borowski  73' DF 4 Clemens Fritz  83' DF 2 Marcell Jansen  89' Assistant manager: Hansi Flick

Man of the Match: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) Assistant referees: Stefan Wittberg (Sweden) Henrik Andrén (Sweden) Fourth official: Kyros Vassaras (Greece) Reserve assistant referee: Dimitrios Bozatzidis (Greece)

Croatia vs Turkey

20 June 2008 (2008-06-20)

20:45

Croatia	1–1 (a.e.t.)	Turkey
Klasnić 119'	Report	Semih 120+2'
Penalties
Modrić Srna Rakitić Petrić	1–3	Turan Semih Altıntop

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

Croatia

Turkey

GK 1 Stipe Pletikosa RB 5 Vedran Ćorluka CB 4 Robert Kovač CB 3 Josip Šimunić LB 22 Danijel Pranjić CM 14 Luka Modrić CM 10 Niko Kovač (c) RW 11 Darijo Srna LW 7 Ivan Rakitić SS 19 Niko Kranjčar  65' CF 18 Ivica Olić  97' Substitutions: FW 21 Mladen Petrić  65' FW 17 Ivan Klasnić  97' Manager: Slaven Bilić

GK 1 Rüştü Reçber RB 22 Hamit Altıntop CB 4 Gökhan Zan CB 15 Emre Aşık  107' LB 3 Hakan Balta DM 6 Mehmet Topal  76' RM 20 Sabri Sarıoğlu CM 17 Tuncay Şanlı  27' LM 14 Arda Turan  49' CF 18 Colin Kazim-Richards  61' CF 8 Nihat Kahveci (c)  117' Substitutions: DF 16 Uğur Boral  89'  61' FW 9 Semih Şentürk  76' MF 10 Gökdeniz Karadeniz  117' Manager: Fatih Terim

Man of the Match: Hamit Altıntop (Turkey) Assistant referees: Alessandro Griselli (Italy) Paolo Calcagno (Italy) Fourth official: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain) Reserve assistant referee: Juan Carlos Yuste Jiménez (Spain)

Netherlands vs Russia

21 June 2008 (2008-06-21)

20:45

Netherlands	1–3 (a.e.t.)	Russia
Van Nistelrooy 86'	Report	Pavlyuchenko 56' Torbinski 112' Arshavin 116'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 38,374

Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

Netherlands

Russia

GK 1 Edwin van der Sar (c) RB 21 Khalid Boulahrouz  50'  54' CB 2 André Ooijer CB 4 Joris Mathijsen LB 5 Giovanni van Bronckhorst CM 17 Nigel de Jong CM 8 Orlando Engelaar  62' RW 18 Dirk Kuyt  46' AM 23 Rafael van der Vaart  60' LW 10 Wesley Sneijder CF 9 Ruud van Nistelrooy Substitutions: FW 7 Robin van Persie  55'  46' DF 3 John Heitinga  54' MF 20 Ibrahim Afellay  62' Manager: Marco van Basten

GK 1 Igor Akinfeev RB 22 Aleksandr Anyukov CB 4 Sergei Ignashevich CB 8 Denis Kolodin  71' LB 18 Yuri Zhirkov  103' DM 11 Sergei Semak (c) RM 17 Konstantin Zyryanov CM 20 Igor Semshov  69' LM 9 Ivan Saenko  81' SS 10 Andrei Arshavin CF 19 Roman Pavlyuchenko  115' Substitutions: MF 15 Diniyar Bilyaletdinov  69' MF 7 Dmitri Torbinski  111'  81' FW 21 Dmitri Sychev  115' Manager: Guus Hiddink

Man of the Match: Andrei Arshavin (Russia) Assistant referees: Roman Slyško (Slovakia) Martin Balko (Slovakia) Fourth official: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland) Reserve assistant referee: Matthias Arnet (Switzerland)

Spain vs Italy

See also: Italy–Spain football rivalry

22 June 2008 (2008-06-22)

20:45

Spain	0–0 (a.e.t.)	Italy
	Report
Penalties
Villa Cazorla Senna Güiza Fàbregas	4–2	Grosso De Rossi Camoranesi Di Natale

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,178

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Spain

Italy

GK 1 Iker Casillas (c) RB 15 Sergio Ramos CB 4 Carlos Marchena CB 5 Carles Puyol LB 11 Joan Capdevila RM 6 Andrés Iniesta  11'  59' CM 19 Marcos Senna CM 8 Xavi  60' LM 21 David Silva CF 7 David Villa  72' CF 9 Fernando Torres  85' Substitutions: MF 12 Santi Cazorla  113'  59' MF 10 Cesc Fàbregas  60' FW 17 Dani Güiza  85' Manager: Luis Aragonés

GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c) RB 19 Gianluca Zambrotta CB 2 Christian Panucci CB 4 Giorgio Chiellini LB 3 Fabio Grosso RM 22 Alberto Aquilani  108' CM 10 Daniele De Rossi LM 13 Massimo Ambrosini  31' AM 20 Simone Perrotta  58' CF 9 Luca Toni CF 18 Antonio Cassano  75' Substitutions: MF 16 Mauro Camoranesi  58' FW 11 Antonio Di Natale  75' FW 7 Alessandro Del Piero  108' Manager: Roberto Donadoni

Man of the Match: Iker Casillas (Spain) Assistant referees: Carsten Kadach (Germany) Volker Wezel (Germany) Fourth official: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium) Reserve assistant referee: Peter Hermans (Belgium)

Semi-finals

The first semi-final saw Group B runner-up and three-time champions Germany face Group A runner-up and first time semi-finalists Turkey. Turkey scored first as Uğur Boral converted a rebound from the crossbar. Bastian Schweinsteiger equalised for Germany four minutes later. In the 79th minute, Miroslav Klose headed Germany into the lead with his second goal of the tournament. Turkey managed to get back seven minutes later when Semih Şentürk flicked the ball past Jens Lehmann. The match was headed for extra time when defender Philipp Lahm in the 90th minute scored the final goal and sent Germany into their sixth European Championship final. The TV broadcast of the match experienced technical difficulties caused by severe thunderstorms in Vienna, Austria, from where the television broadcast was transmitted. Television pictures in several countries were interrupted on three occasions, including at the time of Klose and Semih's goals. The entire match was recorded and distributed to all countries.

The second semi-final was a replay of the opening match of Group D, Spain in their first semi-final since 1984 faced Russia who had not been in a semi-final since 1988 as the Soviet Union. The first half was scoreless, but five minutes into the second, Xavi opened the scoring. Dani Güiza replaced Fernando Torres in the 69th minute and scored the second goal for Spain in four minutes. David Silva rounded up the scoring with Spain's third of the night, sending Spain into their third European Championship final.

Germany vs Turkey

25 June 2008 (2008-06-25)

20:45

Germany	3–2	Turkey
Schweinsteiger 26' Klose 79' Lahm 90'	Report	Boral 22' Semih 86'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 39,374

Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

Germany

Turkey

GK 1 Jens Lehmann RB 3 Arne Friedrich CB 17 Per Mertesacker CB 21 Christoph Metzelder LB 16 Philipp Lahm CM 15 Thomas Hitzlsperger CM 6 Simon Rolfes  46' RW 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger AM 13 Michael Ballack (c) LW 20 Lukas Podolski CF 11 Miroslav Klose  90+2' Substitutions: MF 8 Torsten Frings  46' DF 2 Marcell Jansen  90+2' Manager: Joachim Löw

GK 1 Rüştü Reçber (c) RB 20 Sabri Sarıoğlu  90+4' CB 6 Mehmet Topal CB 4 Gökhan Zan LB 3 Hakan Balta DM 7 Mehmet Aurélio RM 18 Colin Kazim-Richards  90+2' CM 22 Hamit Altıntop CM 19 Ayhan Akman  81' LM 16 Uğur Boral  84' CF 9 Semih Şentürk  53' Substitutions: FW 21 Mevlüt Erdinç  81' MF 10 Gökdeniz Karadeniz  84' MF 11 Tümer Metin  90+2' Manager: Fatih Terim

Man of the Match: Philipp Lahm (Germany) Assistant referees: Matthias Arnet (Switzerland) Stéphane Cuhat (Switzerland) Fourth official: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden) Reserve assistant referee: Henrik Andrén (Sweden)

Russia vs Spain

26 June 2008 (2008-06-26)

20:45

Russia	0–3	Spain
	Report	Xavi 50' Güiza 73' Silva 82'

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)

Russia

Spain

GK 1 Igor Akinfeev RB 22 Aleksandr Anyukov CB 2 Vasili Berezutski CB 4 Sergei Ignashevich LB 18 Yuri Zhirkov  56' DM 11 Sergei Semak (c) RM 17 Konstantin Zyryanov CM 20 Igor Semshov  56' LM 9 Ivan Saenko  57' SS 10 Andrei Arshavin CF 19 Roman Pavlyuchenko Substitutions: MF 15 Diniyar Bilyaletdinov  60'  56' FW 21 Dmitri Sychev  57' Manager: Guus Hiddink

GK 1 Iker Casillas (c) RB 15 Sergio Ramos CB 4 Carlos Marchena CB 5 Carles Puyol LB 11 Joan Capdevila RM 6 Andrés Iniesta CM 19 Marcos Senna CM 8 Xavi  69' LM 21 David Silva CF 7 David Villa  34' CF 9 Fernando Torres  69' Substitutions: MF 10 Cesc Fàbregas  34' MF 14 Xabi Alonso  69' FW 17 Dani Güiza  69' Manager: Luis Aragonés

Man of the Match: Andrés Iniesta (Spain) Assistant referees: Peter Hermans (Belgium) Alex Verstraeten (Belgium) Fourth official: Kyros Vassaras (Greece) Reserve assistant referee: Dimitrios Saraidaris (Greece)

Final

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 final

The final match was played between Germany and Spain on 29 June 2008 at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria. Spain won the match 1–0, the winning goal scored by Fernando Torres.

29 June 2008 (2008-06-29)

20:45

Germany	0–1	Spain
	Report	Torres 33'

Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

Germany

Spain

GK 1 Jens Lehmann RB 3 Arne Friedrich CB 17 Per Mertesacker CB 21 Christoph Metzelder LB 16 Philipp Lahm  46' CM 8 Torsten Frings CM 15 Thomas Hitzlsperger  58' RW 7 Bastian Schweinsteiger AM 13 Michael Ballack (c)  43' LW 20 Lukas Podolski CF 11 Miroslav Klose  79' Substitutions: DF 2 Marcell Jansen  46' FW 22 Kevin Kurányi  88'  58' FW 9 Mario Gómez  79' Manager: Joachim Löw

GK 1 Iker Casillas (c)  43' RB 15 Sergio Ramos CB 4 Carlos Marchena CB 5 Carles Puyol LB 11 Joan Capdevila DM 19 Marcos Senna RM 6 Andrés Iniesta CM 8 Xavi CM 10 Cesc Fàbregas  63' LM 21 David Silva  66' CF 9 Fernando Torres  74'  78' Substitutions: MF 14 Xabi Alonso  63' MF 12 Santi Cazorla  66' FW 17 Dani Güiza  78' Manager: Luis Aragonés

Man of the Match: Fernando Torres (Spain) Assistant referees: Alessandro Griselli (Italy) Paolo Calcagno (Italy) Fourth official: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden) Reserve assistant referee: Stefan Wittberg (Sweden)

External links

• UEFA Euro 2008 official history

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Quarter-finals

2008-06-19

20:45

Portugal	2 – 3	Germany
Nuno Gomes 40' Postiga 87'	(Report)	Schweinsteiger 22' Klose 26' Ballack 61'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 39,374

Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt (Sweden)

---

2008-06-20

20:45

Croatia	1 – 1 (a.e.t.)	Turkey
Klasnić 119'	(Report)	Semih 120+2'

Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

---

2008-06-21

20:45

Netherlands	1 – 3 (a.e.t.)	Russia
van Nistelrooy 86'	(Report)	Pavlyuchenko 56' Torbinski 112' Arshavin 116'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 38,374

Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

---

2008-06-22

20:45

Spain	0 – 0 (a.e.t.)	Italy
	(Report)

Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 48,000

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Semi-finals

2008-06-25

20:45

Germany	3 – 2	Turkey
Schweinsteiger 26' Klose 79' Lahm 90'	(Report)	Boral 22' Semih 86'

St. Jakob-Park, Basel

Attendance: 39,374

Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

---

2008-06-26

20:45

Russia	0 – 3	Spain
	(Report)	Xavi 50' Güiza 73' Silva 82'

Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Frank de Bleeckere (Belgium)

Final

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 Final

2008-06-29

20:45

Germany	0 – 1	Spain
	(Report)	Torres 33'

Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna

Attendance: 51,428

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

UEFA Euro 2008 Winners
Spain Second title

Statistics

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 statistics

Goalscorers

4 goals

• David Villa

3 goals

• Lukas Podolski
• Roman Pavlyuchenko
• Hakan Yakin
• Semih Şentürk

2 goals

• Ivan Klasnić
• Michael Ballack
• Bastian Schweinsteiger
• Miroslav Klose
• Ruud van Nistelrooy
• Robin van Persie
• Wesley Sneijder
• Andrei Arshavin
• Dani Güiza
• Fernando Torres
• Zlatan Ibrahimović
• Arda Turan

2 goals (cont.)

• Nihat Kahveci

1 goal

• Ivica Vastić
• Luka Modrić
• Ivica Olić
• Darijo Srna
• Jan Koller
• Jaroslav Plašil
• Libor Sionko
• Václav Svěrkoš
• Thierry Henry
• Philipp Lahm
• Angelos Charisteas
• Daniele De Rossi
• Christian Panucci
• Andrea Pirlo
• Giovanni van Bronckhorst
• Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
• Dirk Kuyt

1 goal (cont.)

• Arjen Robben
• Roger Guerreiro
• Deco
• Raul Meireles
• Nuno Gomes
• Pepe
• Hélder Postiga
• Ricardo Quaresma
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Adrian Mutu
• Dmitri Torbinski
• Konstantin Zyryanov
• Rubén de la Red
• Cesc Fàbregas
• Xavi
• David Silva
• Petter Hansson
• Uğur Boral

Awards

Xavi, Player of the Tournament.

The UEFA Technical Team was charged with naming a squad comprised of the 23 best players over the course of the tournament. The group of nine analysts watched every game at the tournament before making their decision after the final. Nine players from the winning Spanish team were named in the team of the tournament, while no players knocked out in the group stage were included. The UEFA Technical Team also had to pick a Player of the Tournament, taking fans' votes into account. The player chosen was Spain midfielder Xavi. The Golden Boot was awarded to yet another Spaniard, David Villa, who scored four goals, three of which came in his side's 4–1 win over Russia (the only hat-trick scored in the tournament).

UEFA Team of the Tournament

Goalkeepers	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
Gianluigi Buffon	José Bosingwa	Hamit Altıntop	Andrei Arshavin
Iker Casillas	Philipp Lahm	Michael Ballack	Roman Pavlyuchenko
Edwin van der Sar	Carlos Marchena	Cesc Fàbregas	Fernando Torres
	Pepe	Andrés Iniesta	David Villa
	Carles Puyol	Luka Modrić
	Yuri Zhirkov	Lukas Podolski
		Marcos Senna
		Wesley Sneijder
		Xavi
		Konstantin Zyryanov

Golden Boot

• David Villa (4 goals)

UEFA Player of the Tournament

• Xavi

Discipline

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 disciplinary record

At UEFA Euro 2008, players may be suspended from playing in subsequent matches upon the collection of a certain number of yellow or red cards. If a player is shown a red card – whether as a result of two bookable offences or a straight red – that player is suspended from playing in his team's next match. If his team is eliminated from the competition before the end of his suspension, the games carry over to the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. A player is also suspended for one match for picking up two yellow cards in separate matches. However, any yellow cards accumulated are annulled once a team is eliminated from the tournament or reaches the semi-finals.

In extreme cases of ill-discipline, UEFA may choose to have a disciplinary panel examine the incident in order to determine whether or not further suspension is required. One case of this at Euro 2008 was the suspension of Turkey goalkeeper Volkan Demirel for two matches for pushing Czech striker Jan Koller.

The following players were suspended for one or more games as a result of red cards or yellow card accumulation:

Player	Offence(s)	Suspension(s)	Notes
Andrei Arshavin	in Euro qualifying v Andorra	Group D v Spain Group D v Greece	Suspension due to red card in last game of qualifying Group E
Bastian Schweinsteiger	in Group B v Croatia	Group B v Austria
Sebastian Prödl	in Group B v Croatia in Group B v Poland	Group B v Germany
Dorin Goian	in Group C v France in Group C v Italy	Group C v Netherlands
Mehmet Aurélio	in Group A v Switzerland in Group A v Czech Republic	Quarter-final v Croatia
Volkan Demirel	in Group A v Czech Republic	Quarter-final v Croatia Semi-final v Germany	Suspension increased to two games for serious violent conduct
Éric Abidal	in Group C v Italy	World Cup qualifying v Austria	Suspension to be served in World Cup qualifying Group 7
Andrea Pirlo	in Group C v Romania in Group C v France	Quarter-final v Spain
Gennaro Gattuso	in Group C v Netherlands in Group C v France	Quarter-final v Spain
Tuncay Şanlı	in Group A v Switzerland in Quarter-final v Croatia	Semi-final v Germany
Arda Turan	in Group A v Czech Republic in Quarter-final v Croatia	Semi-final v Germany
Emre Aşık	in Group A v Czech Republic in Quarter-final v Croatia	Semi-final v Germany
Denis Kolodin	in Group D v Sweden in Quarter-final v Netherlands	Semi-final v Spain
Dmitri Torbinski	in Group D v Greece in Quarter-final v Netherlands	Semi-final v Spain

Miscellany

Television coverage failure

Three times in the second half of the semi-final between Germany and Turkey, nearly the entire global television coverage of the game was interrupted. A thunderstorm over Vienna caused technical difficulties in the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), which relayed the television feed from the match in Basel, Switzerland, resulting in one or more goals being missed by various audiences. Various national broadcasters took emergency contingency measures such as reverting to radio broadcasting (for example, the BBC used coverage from Radio 5 Live). Only the Swiss public broadcaster SRG maintained full coverage since it used a direct signal other than the IBC's.

New trophy

A new trophy was awarded to the winners of the Euro 2008 tournament. The new version of the Henri Delaunay Trophy, created by Asprey London, is almost an exact replica of the original designed by Arthus-Bertrand. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original has been removed, as has the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy also had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy, which is made of sterling silver, weighs 8 kilograms (17.6 lb) and is 60 centimetres (24 in) tall.

Match ball

The match ball for the finals was unveiled at the draw ceremony. Produced by Adidas and named the Europass, it is a 14-panel ball in the same construction as the Teamgeist, but with a modified surface design. A version named the Europass Gloria was used in the final.

There were concerns raised about the match ball, which was claimed to deviate unpredictably in flight, making it difficult to judge for goalkeepers. Notable players to criticise were Germany's Jens Lehmann and the Czech Republic's Petr Čech. These claims were disputed by the ball's designer, Oliver Kahn.

Music

The official melody was composed by Rollo Armstrong of Faithless on behalf of UEFA.

The official Euro 2008 song was "Can You Hear Me" by Enrique Iglesias, which was performed live during the official closing ceremony prior to the final in Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June.

As well as the official song, two soundtracks, "Like a Superstar" and "Feel the Rush", were recorded by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy as mascot songs for Euro 2008. They formed a musical background to video clips featuring the twin mascots Trix and Flix.

The official Swiss song for the tournament was a new version of "Bring en hei" by Baschi, Christina Stürmer sings the official tournament song of Austrian ÖFB, "Fieber" (Fever). Croatia manager, Slaven Bilić has recorded his country's official Euro 2008 song, "Vatreno ludilo" ("Fiery Madness"), with his rock group, Rawbau.

"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes was played when players walked out before kick-off. A remix of "Samba de Janeiro" by German dance group Bellini is played after each goal scored in the competition.

Mascots

File:Trix+Flix-Musikvideo.jpg

Trix and Flix, the official mascots for the UEFA Euro 2008 competition

See also: UEFA European Football Championship mascot

The two official mascots for UEFA Euro 2008, were named after a vote from the public of the two host nations from the following options:

• Zigi and Zagi
• Flitz and Bitz
• Trix and Flix

After receiving 36.3% of the vote, Trix and Flix were chosen. "I am sure the mascots and their names will become a vital part of the understanding of the whole event," said Christian Mutschler, who is the tournament director for Switzerland.

Slogan

The slogan for UEFA Euro 2008 was chosen on 24 January 2007: Expect Emotions.

The UEFA President Michel Platini stated "It describes in a nutshell what the UEFA Euro 2008 has to offer: all kinds of emotions – joy, disappointment, relief or high tension – right up to the final whistle."

Commemorative coins

File:2008 Austria 5 Euro Soccer Coin 1 back.jpg

File:2008 Austria 5 Euro Soccer Coin 2 back.jpg

2008 European championship €5 commemorative coins

To celebrate this occasion, some countries in Europe issued special commemorative coins. Among them were the Austrian €5 2008 European championship commemorative coins (two coins). One coin shows players dribbling, while the other coin shows a striker trying to reach the ball. In the pieces, all eight venues of the 2008 finals, are depicted.

Prize money

UEFA announced that total of €184 million has been offered to the 16 teams competing in this tournament, increasing from €129 million in the previous tournament. The distributions as below:

• Prize for participating: €7.5 million

Extra payment based on teams performances:

• Winner: €7.5 million
• Runner-up: €4.5 million
• Semi-finals: €3 million
• Quarter-finals: €2 million
• Group stage (per match):
  • Win: €1 million
  • Draw: €500,000

Spain, as winners of the tournament and winners of all three of their group stage matches, received a total prize of €23 million, the maximum possible prize money. Greece on the other hand, being the only team to lose all three of their group matches, were the only team to receive nothing more than the €7.5 million participation prize.

Broadcasting rights

Main article: UEFA Euro 2008 broadcasting rights

Many of the world's national broadcasters have secured broadcasting rights of the tournament, as of 16 January 2008.

External links

• UEFA Euro 2008 Official Site