20 Greatest European Championship Moments of All-Time
By Jon O'brien
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