SOCCER - EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
EURO 2021 - EUROPE
2019
Qualifier - Czech Republic (0) @ (5) England - England opened their qualification for Euro 2021 with a big win at Wembley Stadium. The star was Raheem Sterling, who scored his first hat-trick for England. England led 2-0 at the half and ended the game as a contest with 2 goals in 6 minutes mid-way through the 2nd half. The other England goals came from Harry Kane and an own-goal. England also gave Jadon Sancho his full debut, and there were debuts off the bench for Callum Hudson-Odoi and West Ham's Declan Rice (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (5) @ (1) Montenegro - England kept top spot in the group with a hard-fought win in Podgorica. The home side withstood early England pressure to open the scoring with their first shot on goal in the 17th minute. A galvanised England then scored 2 unanswered goals in the 1st half to turn the game around. The 2nd half saw England take their chances and 3 more goals sealed the win. The goals came from Michael Keane, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and man-of-the-match Ross Barkley (2). England gave full debuts to Callum Hudson-Odoi and West Ham's Declan Rice (10, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Dixon, PAL)
Qualifier - Montenegro (0) @ (7) England - On a record-setting night at Wembley, England coasted to victory against Montenegro to book their place at the 2021 European Chamionships. England were playing their 1,000th match, a feat no other country has achieved, and they fielded their youngest starting line-up since 1959, with an average age of 23 years and 255 days. England dominated the 1st half and took a 5-0 lead in at the break. The scoring slowed in the 2nd half, but England were never in danger of losing the game and coasted home. The England goals came from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harry Kane (3), Marcus Rashford, Tammy Abraham (his 1st for England) and an own-goal (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
Qualifier - England (4) @ (0) Kosovo - England won the final game of their Euro 2021 qualifying campaign with a 4-goal victory in Pristina. England led 1-0 at half-time but had to wait until the 79th minute for their 2nd goal. 2 more goals in the final 7 minutes padded the score-line but England were never in danger of losing the game. The loss was Kosovo's 1st ever in their National Stadium. The England goals came from Harry Winks (his 1st for England), Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount (his 1st for England). England also gave a debut to Fikayo Tomori off of the bench (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/Hoddle, PAL)
2020
Playoff - Scotland (1) @ (1) Serbia - Scotland's 23-year wait for a place at a major men's tournament ended with a roller-coaster win in Serbia. Scotland dominated the game and led 1-0 entering the final minute of the match. But Serbia scored from a corner to force extra-time. The hosts to control in the extra-period but couldn't find a winner and the game went to penalties. Both teams converted their first 4 kicks, and after Scotland scored their 5th, Serbia had their final penalty saved by goalkeeper David Marshall, a save that sent the Scots to the European Championships. The Scotland goal came from Ryan Christie. The Serbia goal came from Luka Jovic (8, Normal time + extra-time + post-game from SKY broadcast. Penalty shootout from ITV re-broadcast, 2 Discs, SKY - Crocker/Provan, PAL)
Group A - Turkey (0) v (3) Italy - In the opening game of the tournament, Italy gave their fans the best possible result, beating Turkey in Rome. Italy dominated possession (63%) and shots on goal (24 to 3). The Italy goals came from Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne and an own-goal (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Group A - Turkey (0) v (2) Wales - Wales took a big step towards qualifying for the knockout round with a big win over Turkey in a sweltering Baku. In contrast to their opening game, a rampant Wales took apart Turkey and goals from Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts gave them the win. Gareth Bale had a big game, setting up Ramsey's goal, and also missed a penalty (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Savage, PAL)
Group B - Denmark (0) v (1) Finland - On a dramatic day in Copenhagen, Finland won their first game at a major finals, but the story was the collapse and hospitalisation of Denmark's star player Christian Eriksen. In the 41st minute of a scoreless game, Eriksen collapsed on the pitch and received CPR while his team-mates threw a protective cordon around him and the medical team trying to save his life. Eriksen survived and was taken to hospital. The game re-started and an obviously stressed Denmark conceded a 2nd half goal to Joel Pohjanpalo then compounded their problems by missing a game-tieing penalty. Coverage is the 1st half only with brief hi-lites of the 2nd half (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Pearce/Keown, PAL)
Group B - Denmark (1) v (2) Belgium - In an emotional game in Copenhagen, Belgium fought back from 1-0 down to beat Denmark and book their place in the knockout round. Both teams and their fans paid tribute to Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen, who collapsed on the pitch in the 1st game of the group. Denmark scored in the opening 2 minutes, but Belgium fought back with 2 unanswered goals in the 2nd half to take the win. The Belgium goals came from Thorgan Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne. The Denmark goal came from Yussuf Poulsen (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/McCoist, PAL)
Group B - Russia (1) v (4) Denmark - In a remarkable turnaround, Denmark booked their place in the knockout stages with a huge win over the Russians in Copenhagen. The Danes, losers of their opening 2 games, needed to beat Russia by 2 clear goals and hope that Belgium beat Finland to stand any chance of qualification. Denmark over-ran Russia, scoring sensational goals from Mikkel Damsgaard, Yussuf Poulsen, Andreas Christensen and Joakim Maehle and after the game huddled around a mobile phone waiting for the score from the Belgium game before celebrating. The Russia goal came from Artem Dzyuba (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Murphy, PAL)
Group C - Netherlands (3) v (2) Ukraine - In a sensational shootout in Amsterdam, the home team recovered from losing a 2-goal lead to win with a goal 5 minutes from time. After a scoreless 1st half, the Dutch scored twice in 6 minutes to take a comfortable lead. But Ukraine scored twice of their own in 4 minutes to level the game. With a tie looking likely, the Dutch scored the winner 5 minutes from time to take the win. The Netherlands goal came from Georginio Wijnaldum, Wout Weghorstto and Denzel Dumfries. The Ukraine goals came from Andriy Yarmolenko (a sensational 25-yard curler) and Roman Yaremchuk (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/McCoist, PAL)
Group D - England (1) v (0) Croatia - England avenged their 2018 World Cup Semi-Final loss to Croatia with a big win at Wembley. After a scoreless 1st half, England took the lead with a 57th minute goal from Raheem Sterling then held on the rest of the way to take the win (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Group D - Scotland (0) v (2) Czech Republic - Scotland's first match at a men's major finals in 23 years ended in defeat as the Czech Republic gave the Scots a lesson in finishing at Hampden. A goal in each half from Patrik Schick, including a sensational lob of the goalkeeper from the halfway line, did the damage. Scotland had their chances (19 shots on goal) but couldn't find a way past the Czech goalkeeper (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Maclean/McFadden, PAL)
Group D - England (0) v (0) Scotland - Both teams took a step toward the knockout round with a goal-less draw at Wembley. England had the better of the early going, hitting the post, but as the game wore on they settled for a draw. Scotland huffed and puffed but lacked the firepower up front to trouble the English (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon/McCoist, PAL)
Group D - England (1) v (0) Czech Republic - England went through to the knockout rounds of the tournament top of their group with a comfortable win at Wembley. A 1st half goal from Raheem Sterling did the job, and England saw out the game comfortably to take the victory (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL)
Group F - France (1) v (0) Germany - World champions France started their Euro 2020 campaign with a win over Germany in Munich. Neither team were at their best, but with the best move of the match Germany defender Mats Hummels turned into his own goal a Lucas Hernandez cross and France held on the rest of the way for the win (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/McCoist, PAL)
Group F - Portugal (2) v (2) France - On a record-setting night in Munich, a back-and-forth game saw both teams through to the knockout rounds. 2 goals (both penalties) from Cristiano Ronaldo saw him equal the all-time international goal-scoring record (109 goals) but it wasn't enough to get the win, as France's Karim Benzema scored 2 goals of his own (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Last 16 - Wales (0) v (4) Denmark - In front of an almost exclusively Danish crowd in Amsterdam, Denmark thrashed Wales to move into the Quarter Finals. Welsh fans were not allowed to travel to Amsterdam due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Danish goals from Kasper Dolberg (2), Joakim Maehle and Martin Braithwaite did the damage, with Dolberg's 2nd goal at the start of the 2nd half knocking the fight out of the Welsh. Wales paid for their poor finishing, managing only 1 shot on target in the game (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Savage, PAL)
Last 16 - Netherlands (0) v (2) Czech Republic - At the Puskás Aréna in Budapest, the Czech Republic upset the fancied Dutch with 2 goals in the 2nd half. After a scoreless 1st half, the game turned when Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt was sent off early in the 2nd half. The Czech's dominated the game the rest of the way, and secured the result with goals from Tomas Holes (who had a great game) and Patrik Schick (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Hutchinson/McCoist, PAL)
Last 16 - Croatia (3) v (5) Spain - A dramatic shootout in Copenhagen went the way of the Spanish, but only after extra-time. Spain looked in control, leading 3-1 with 5 minutes to play, but conceded 2 goals, including an equaliser in the 92nd minute, that forced extra-time. In the extra period, though, Spain re-grouped and 2 goals in 3 minutes saw them finally through to the Quarter Finals. The Spain goals came from Pablo Sarabia, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ferran Torres, Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal. The Croatia goals came from Mislav Orsic, Mario Pasalic and an own-goal (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Speight/Hayes, PAL)
Last 16 - France (3) v (3) Switzerland - In the shock of the tournament, favourites France were upset by Switzerland in a penalty shootout at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest. France were in cruise control, up 3-1 with 9 minutes to play. But Switzerland didn't quit and scored 2 goals, including the equaliser in the 90th minute, to force extra-time and then a penalty shootout. After everyone else scored, top striker Kylian Mbappe missed the final French kick and the Swiss celebrated the famous victory. The Switzerland goals came from Haris Seferovic (2) and Mario Gavranovic. The France goals came from Karim Benzema (2) and Paul Pogba, with arguably the goal of the tournament (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/McCoist, PAL)
Last 16 - England (2) v (0) Germany - At an emotionally-charged Wembley Stadium, England laid to rest the ghosts of previous losses to Germany with an emphatic win that moved them into the Quarter Finals. It was the first English win over the Germans in a major tournament knockout game since 1966. The goals came from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Quarter Final - Belgium (1) v (2) Italy - Italy extended their unbeaten streak to 32 games with a great win against the #1 team in the world. All the goals came in the 1st half, with Italy jumping out to a 2-0 lead before Belgium answered with the last kick of the half. Both teams had chances in the 2nd half, but both Defenses were resolute and Italy held on to progress to the Semi-Final. The Italy goals came from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne, whose goal was a contender for goal of the tournament. The Belgium goal came from Romelu Lukaku (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Bower/Keown, PAL)
Quarter Final - Czech Republic (1) v (2) Denmark - Denmark continued their emotional run through the tournament with a surprising win over the Czech Republic in Baku. 2 goals in the 1st half gave the Danes a comfortable lead, but the Czech's made 2 substitutions to start the 2nd half and they turned the game around. An early goal gave them impetus, but the Danish Defense and especially goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel kept them at bay and secured the win and a place in the Semi-Final. The Denmark goals came from Thomas Delaney and Kasper Dolberg. The Czech Republic goal came from Patrik Schick (9, 2 Discs, ITV - Tyldesley/McCoist, PAL)
Quarter Final - England (4) v (0) Ukraine - England booked a place in their 2nd ever European Championship Semi-Final with a comfortable win in Rome against Ukraine. A goal in the 4th minute gave England a 1-0 lead at the half, then 3 goals in 18 minutes early in the 2nd half easily saw England through. England had 6 shots on target in the game, scoring on 4 of them. The England goals came from Harry Kane (2), Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson, his first for his country in his 62nd appearance (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Semi-Final - Italy (1) v (1) Spain - Wembley Stadium saw a semi-final high on skill as Italy booked a place in the Final with a penalty shootout win over Spain. Italy used a fast-break attack to cause Spain all sorts of trouble, while Spain used a crisp midfield passing game to continually open up the stingy Italian defense. After a scoreless 1st half, each team scored in the 2nd half. But for the rest of the game and extra-time, both sides seemed to settle for penalties. Spain missed 2 kicks in the shootout and Italy went through to the Final 4-2 on penalties. The Italy goal came from Federico Chiesa. The Spain goal came from Alvaro Morata (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Wilson/Murphy, PAL)
Semi-Final - England (2) v (1) Denmark - For the first time in 55 years, England reached the final of a major tournament, beating Denmark at Wembley Stadium in extra-time. England had to fight back from conceeding their 1st goal of the tournament, and did so with relentless pressure. Firstly they forced an own goal, which led to the extra-time, then took the lead with a disputed penalty after Raheem Sterling was fouled in the box. VAR vindicated the referee decision but Denmark 'keeper Kasper Schmeichel saved the penalty, only for England to score on the rebound. Once in the lead, England held on for the emotional win. The England goal came from Harry Kane. The Denmark goal came from Mikkel Damsgaard, a sensational 25-yard free-kick (2 versions : 9, 3 Discs, ITV - Matterface/Dixon, PAL / 9, 2 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)
Final - England (1) v (1) Italy - On a tense night at Wembley Stadium, Italy won their 2nd European Championship with a penalty shootout win over England. England started fast, scoring after 2 minutes, and controlled the 1st half. But Italy changed tactics in the 2nd half and equalised in the 67th minute. The game ebbed-and-flowed the rest of the way but neither team could find a winner so the game went to penalties. England 'keeper Jordan Pickford saved 2 Italian kicks, but England missed 3 of their own and Italy held on for the win. The Italy goal came from Leonardo Bonucci. The England goal came from Luke Shaw. Disc 1 is the ITV Preview show + BBC News from the day of the final. Discs 2 to 5 are the game + BBC News after the game (9, 5 Discs, BBC - Mowbray/Jenas, PAL)