Playing for 90
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20 Greatest European Championship Moments of All-Time

By Jon O'brien

Famous figures from football history gathered on the pitch before the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich, (back row from left) Marquitez, Matt Busby, Miguel Munoz and Keizer, (front row from left) Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, Jose Augusto, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Famous figures from football history gathered on the pitch before the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich, (back row from left) Marquitez, Matt Busby, Miguel Munoz and Keizer, (front row from left) Francisco Gento, Raymond Kopa, Jose Augusto, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images) /
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Former French football player Just Fontaine shows his jersey before the start of the French L1 football match Olympique de Marseille (OM) versus Toulouse at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, on October 19, 2014. AFP PHOTO / BORIS HORVAT (Photo credit should read BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images)
Former French football player Just Fontaine shows his jersey before the start of the French L1 football match Olympique de Marseille (OM) versus Toulouse at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, on October 19, 2014. AFP PHOTO / BORIS HORVAT (Photo credit should read BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images) /

The very first match

235 matches have been played at the European Championships and yet incredibly it could be argued that the most enthralling was its very first.

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Just four teams entered the inaugural 1960 tournament – then named the European Nations Cup – with Yugoslavia and hosts France chosen to kick off proceedings at Paris’ Parc des Princes.

It’s fair to say that they did so in style. Despite the absence of their two star men, Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine, the French looked to be heading comfortably into the final when they went 3-1 and then 4-2 up in the second half.

But with less than a quarter of an hour to go, their opponents suddenly went into turbo-charged mode and scored an astonishing three goals in the space of just five minutes, stunning the previously jubilant home crowd to win 5-4.

To make matters worse, France also lost the third-place play-off and had to wait another 24 years before they got their hands on the trophy.

Next: The coin toss