UEFA Euro 1968
| Italia '68 | |
|---|---|
|
UEFA Euro 1968 official logo | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Italy |
| Dates | 5 – 10 June |
| Teams | 4 |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Italy (1st title) |
| Runners-up |
 Yugoslavia |
| Third place |
 England |
| Fourth place |
 Soviet Union |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 5 |
| Goals scored | 7 (1.4 per match) |
| Attendance | 260,916 (52,183 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Dragan Džajić (2 goals) |
The 1968 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Italy. This was the third European Football Championship, an event held every four years and organised by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 5 and 10 June 1968.
It was in this year that the tournament changed its name from the European Nations' Cup to the European Championship.[1]
There were also some changes in the tournament's qualifying structure, with the two-legged home-and-away knock-out stage being replaced by a group phase.
Only four countries played in the final tournament. There were semi-finals, the final and a third place match.
The hosts were only announced after the qualifying round, which meant that they had to qualify along with all the others for the final stage.[2]
Venues
| |
| Rome | Naples |
|---|---|
| Stadio Olimpico | Stadio San Paolo |
| Capacity: 80,000 | Capacity: 82,000 |
 |
 |
| Florence | |
| Stadio Comunale | |
| Capacity: 52,000 | |
 | |
Qualification
The qualification competition was played in two stages: a group stage (taking place from 1966 until 1968) and the quarter-finals (played in 1968). There were eight qualifying groups of four teams each with the exception of group 4, which only had three. The matches were played in a home-and-away basis. Victories were worth 2 points, draws 1 point, and defeats 0 points. Only group winners could qualify for the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals were played in two legs on a home-and-away basis. The winners of the quarter-finals would go through to the final tournament.
The following teams participated in the final tournament:
| Country | Qualified as | Date of qualification | Previous appearances1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| England |
Play-off winner | 8 May 1968 | 0 (debut) |
| Italy (host) |
Play-off winner | 20 April 1968 | 0 (debut) |
.svg.png){kind=small} Soviet Union |
Play-off winner | 11 May 1968 | 2 (1960, 1964) |
| Yugoslavia |
Play-off winner | 24 April 1968 | 1 (1960) |
- 1 Bold indicates champion for that year
Final tournament
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||
| 5 June – Naples (Stadio San Paolo) | |||||||
| Italy (coin toss) |
0 | ||||||
| Soviet Union |
0 | ||||||
| 8 June – Rome (Stadio Olimpico) (replayed 10 June) | |||||||
| Italy |
2 (1) | ||||||
| Yugoslavia |
0 (1) | ||||||
| Third place | |||||||
| 5 June – Florence (Stadio Comunale) | 8 June – Rome (Stadio Olimpico) | ||||||
| Yugoslavia |
1 | England |
2 | ||||
| England |
0 | Soviet Union |
0 | ||||
Semi-finals
Match decided by toss of coin: Italy captain Giacinto Facchetti called correctly.
Third place play-off
Final
As the match ended in a draw, a replay was played to determine the winner.
Statistics
Top scorers
Seven goals were scored by six different players in the five matches, for an average of 1.4 goals per game. None of the goals were credited as own goals. Yugoslavia's Dragan Džajić was the top scorer by virtue of being the only player to score more than one goal.
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
Awards
- UEFA Team of the Tournament[5]
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| Dino Zoff |
Mirsad Fazlagić |
Ivan Osim |
Geoff Hurst |
| Giacinto Facchetti |
Sandro Mazzola |
Luigi Riva | |
| Albert Shesternyov |
Angelo Domenghini |
Dragan Džajić | |
| Bobby Moore |
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to UEFA Euro 1968. |
- ↑ John Brewin and Martin Williamson 29 April 2012 (29 April 2012). "Euro 2012: European Nations Cup 1968 | Live football and soccer news". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ↑ Sheringham, Sam (12 May 2012). "BBC Sport - Euro 1968: Alan Mullery's moment of madness". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ↑ "European Football Championship 1968 FINAL". UEFA euro2000.org. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ↑ "European Football Championship 1968 FINAL Replay". UEFA euro2000.org. Archived from the original on 29 August 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ↑ "1968 team of the tournament". Union of European Football Associations. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
