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Bests and worsts from Euro 2000
Posted: Sunday July 02, 2000 08:23 PM
ROTTERDAM (Reuters) -- Following is a light-hearted look at the best and worst teams, players and moments of Euro 2000. Most exciting match: Spain 4 Yugoslavia 3. Spain, three times behind and needing to win to reach the quarter-finals, came back from 3-2 down deep in heart-stopping stoppage time. - - - -
Most boring match: Sweden 0 Turkey 0. No incidents, no passion, little skill, enough said. - - - -
Greatest comeback: Slovenia 3 Yugoslavia 3. Yugoslavia, 3-0 down and reduced to 10 men after sending off of Sinisa Mihajlovic, fought back with three goals in seven minutes to draw 3-3. - - - -
Biggest upset: Belgium 0 Turkey 2. Turkey had never won a European finals match but managed to beat the co-hosts who only needed a draw to reach the last eight. - - - - Best goal: Luis Figo's first for Portugal in 3-2 win over England. Figo's run and long-range rocket into the top corner of the net was both spectacular and match-turning. Portugal appeared out of the match at 2-0 down when he struck. - - - - Most bizarre goal: Christian Chivu's first for Romania in 3-2 win over England. Chivu's cross struck the far post and bounced over the line. - - - -
Most inspired substitutions: Roger Lemerre (France). Sent on Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet and Robert Pires in final against Italy with score at 0-1. Wiltord scored the equalizer in stoppage time and Pires crossed for Trezeguet to score golden goal winner. - - - -
Worst foul: Gheorghe Hagi's challenge on Antonio Conte in Romania v Italy quarter-final. Hagi was booked for his aggressive over-the-top challenge which put Conte out of the tournament with a serious ankle injury. - - - - Best penalty-taker: Zinedine Zidane (France). Zidane's golden goal spot kick against Portugal in the semifinal was perfection. Despite almost five minutes of Portuguese protests, Zidane stayed cool and hit a hard, well-placed shot into the top left corner. - - - Best penalty: Francesco Totti (Italy). Dinky chip into the center of the goal past a sprawling Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar in the semifinal shootout. - - - Worst penalty-taker: Frank de Boer (Netherlands). Francesco Toldo saved twice from him -- once in normal time and once in the shootout in the Netherlands v Italy semifinal. - - - - Worst penalty: Jaap Stam (Netherlands). Blazed his spot kick miles over the bar in the shootout against Italy. - - - - Best penalty-saver: Francesco Toldo (Italy). Saved three against the Dutch. From de Boer in normal time and from de Boer again and Paul Bosvelt in the shootout. - - - - Best player not called Zidane: Luis Figo (Portugal). Zidane lives on another soccer planet so it would be unfair to let him collect all the awards. Figo excelled himself in the Portuguese midfield with his skill, industry and shooting power. - - - - Biggest flop: Sinisa Mihajlovic (Yugoslavia). The Lazio defender was way below his best. Yugoslavia let in 13 goals in the three matches he played in and kept a clean sheet only against Norway -- when he was serving a suspension for his red card in the Slovenia game. - - - - Biggest blunderer: Filip de Wilde (Belgium). The Belgian keeper trod on the ball and then tripped up to let in Sweden's Johan Mjallby for the simplest of goals. Compounded it with another blunder to give Turkey a goal in the final group match and then got himself sent off. - - - - Most pitiful attempt at a save: Oliver Kahn (Germany). Stooped to catch Sergio Conceicao's shot and let it drift straight past him for Portugal's second in 3-0 defeat. - - - - Best performance by a reserve team: Portugal 3 Germany 0. Portugal played their second-string against the Germans and still thrashed them, thanks to a Conceicao hat trick. - - - - Most adventurous team: Netherlands. Put three goals past Denmark and the French reserves and then rampaged with six against Yugoslavia. - - - - Least adventurous team: Norway. Scored only once and conceded just one in their three group games. Went home with few regrets outside Norway. - - - - Most generous team apart from Yugoslavs: England. Gave away 2-0 lead against Portugal and 2-1 against Romania, losing both 3-2. - - - - Most sympathetic team: Slovenia. Made lots of friends in their first big tournament and acquitted themselves well with draws against Yugoslavia and Norway. - - - - Unluckiest team: Czech Republic. Finalists last time but drawn in the toughest group with France and the Netherlands and failed to make the quarter-finals though they were probably among the best four or five teams on show. - - - - Most hapless team: Denmark. Just as unlucky to be drawn in the same group as the Czechs. Lost all three, scoring none and conceding eight. - - - - Biggest loss to reputation: Lothar Matthaeus (Germany). First played at international level at the 1980 finals so his durability can only be admired. But at 39, was clearly too slow and ponderous and his only achievement in the worst German side ever seen was to win a world record 150th cap. - - - - Worst behavior by fans: England. In a boorish class of their own. Caused the usual unspeakable mayhem before, during and after the match with Germany. - - - - Worst behavior by team: Portugal. Abused and jostled linesman and referee after penalty award to France in semifinal for Abel Xavier's handball. Abel Xavier, Nuno Gomes, who was sent off for his protest, and Paul Bento all received heavy suspensions from UEFA. - - - - Hardest team to find: Turkey. Kept themselves secluded from the international media for most of the tournament, switching times and venues of rare news conferences to cause maximum confusion. - - - - Most dramatic resignation: Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands). Announced he was going, without telling his players, shortly after his team missed five penalties out of six in semifinal loss to Italy. - - - - Biggest scoop missed: Dutch television. Forgot to ask Rijkaard about his future in television interview just after Italy defeat. Rijkaard then stepped outside studio and told radio he was resigning. - - - - Most striking referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy). He of the bald head, bulging eyes and no-nonsense whistling emerged as one of stars of the tournament.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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