Euro 2024 is in full swing and it’s already living up to its billing as one of the more exciting Euros in recent memory.
Every team, other than Scotland (only joking Tartan Army), has turned up to have a go regardless of ranking or history and as a result, the games have made for incredible viewing for fans. Slovakia have already upset Belgium in their Group E opener, while Georgia beat 2016 champions Portugal to secure their passage into the last 16.
With the amount of talent involved this summer, we’re sure there will be plenty more shocks, twists and memories made which fans will talk about for years to come.
Here is a look at some of the other special Euro moments that have lit up the summers of times gone by.
When Antonin Panenka stepped up to take what would be the deciding penalty for Czechoslovakia in their Euro 1972 final against West Germany, nobody would have thought the technique he used to score would, to some degree, overshadow the win itself, but 52 years later and we are still seeing the Panenka used in football’s biggest matches.
With one delicate chip of the football and nerves forged from the toughest steel, Panenka wrote his name into the history books and left a legacy within the game forever. Many have replicated the Panenka but nothing tops the iconic original which you can see below.
As golden generations go, Spain’s was 24 carats.
From 2008 to 2012, ‘La Furia Espanola’ swept aside all that stood in their way, as they became the first and only team to retain the European Championship. In the middle of that stunning run, they also conquered the world, lifting the World Cup in 2014.
With a team littered with world-class talent such as Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Ramos, the silky Spanish routed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final, cementing their place as one of the most fearsome national sides in the game's history.
Spain is the only nation to win back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2012.
Marco van Basten was undoubtedly the star man for Holland during the 1988 European Championships, scoring 5 goals in total, earning him the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament.
In the final against the Soviet Union, he certainly saved the best for last.
With the game still in the balance at 1-0 to Holland, Arnold Muhren sent a high, lofted cross to the back post in hope more than anything. Spectacularly, Van Basten struck it on the volley from a seemingly impossible angle into the opposite corner of the goal, leaving everyone in the stadium stunned.
The goal, widely considered one of the greatest of all time, sealed a 2-0 victory for the Oranje and their first major international trophy.
Take a look at the stunning strike below.
In what was essentially a home tournament for England, they reached the final of Euro 2020, having the incredible opportunity to bring home the trophy in front of nearly 70,000 fans at Wembley, the majority cheering on the Three Lions.
Unfortunately, Italy had other ideas, and after Bonucci equalised England’s 2nd-minute opener from Luke Shaw, the Azzurri would go on to break English hearts when they won the game, perhaps tragically poetic when it comes to England, 3-2 on penalties.
This was the Italian's second European Championship and helped bring joy back to a country heavily affected by Covid-19.
England and Gareth Southgate suffer penalty shootout heartbreak again!
In perhaps the biggest underdog story in International football history, Greece pulled off a seismic shock when they won Euro 2004.
Coming into the tournament, they were placed 35th in the world rankings and faced an uphill task to even qualify from the group after being paired alongside Spain and Portugal, but came through on goal difference ahead of the Spanish.
After qualifying, they went from strength to strength beating a strong French side in the quarters before overcoming a Czech team that had lit up the competition in the semis.
In the final, they faced host nation Portugal in a rematch from the group stage, and this time they would come out on top, registering their third consecutive 1-0 victory and in doing so, securing undoubtedly the greatest triumph in Greek football history.
Greece proved all doubters wrong, beating the host nation in the final.
