The 1984 European Championship in France will be remembered most for one match and in particular, the performances of one man. In the next installment of The Panenka’s series we are taken to another tournament held in France where Les Blues and ‘carre magique’ reigned superior.
In one of the most exciting matches of the competition’s history, a France team inspired by Michel Platini fought their way to the final via extra time against Portugal in this fondly remembered and nail-biting tie.
Pavel Vrba knows that his Czech Republic team are Euro 2016 underdogs but his past experience at club level has taught him that an upset is always possible. With an attacking mentality the former Viktoria Plzen boss is looking to make an impact this summer.
The Panenka looks at Vrba, the Czech Republic team and their chances at the summer tournament in France.
Turkey’s ambitions of making an impact at the European Championship will rest largely on their captain. However, the former Galatasaray midfielder has not enjoyed the best of seasons at Camp Nou.
The Panenka discusses whether the player shouldering the majority of his country’s hope in France can bounce back from a difficult year in Spain.
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Like Euro 2016 the inaugural European Championships were held in France. In the next installment of The Panenka’s ‘Greatest Games of The European Championships’ we go all the way back to the first ever tournament in 1960.
There were goals galore in this nine goal thriller as it served up a sign of things to come for the tournament which would be held every four years thereafter. In the city of love Paris hosted one of the best matches in the history of European football. Continue reading
In the last ten years Croatia have made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The majority of media coverage surrounding the team has been in connection to the racist behavior of their fans instead of the men on the pitch
The Panenka reviews Croatia’s racist history where the unwelcome behavior has not just been limited to the stands but throughout the national football association.
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Euro 2016 will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s fourth European Championship and possibly his last. The Real Madrid man has won nearly all there is to win at club level but how has international success eluded him for so long?
The Panenka looks at the three-time player of the year’s record at the European Championships.
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Albania weren’t even ranked within FIFA’s top 100 less than a decade ago. Now they have earned the right to represent their tiny country at the European Championships in France.
The Panenka looks at the story of one of the unlikeliest of journeys in football as the eagles rose from footballing obscurity to rub shoulders with hosts France at Euro 2016.
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Russia has enjoyed varied degrees of success since Guus Hiddink took the side to a third place finish at Euro 2008. Dreary football and failure to qualify for one of the last three tournaments in the years that followed meant that Russian football was struggling to comprehend it’s failure after witnessing some of it’s best performances.
The appointment of a new domestically respected manager and a strong finish to qualifying has revived expectations back home. The man in charge though is not so confident and has put an air of limitation on what his side can achieve.
Euro 2000, hosted by Netherlands and Belgium, staged some fascinating matches that summer. Among them was England losing 3-2 to both Portugal and Romania, Yugoslavia’s 3-3 draw with Slovenia and when the Netherlands missed two normal-time penalties before missing a few more and losing on spot-kicks to Italy in the semi-final.
The next installment of The Panenka’s Greatest Games of The European Championships series harks back to a time when Yugoslavia was still a country. To a seven goal thriller between Spain and Yugoslavia where a place in the knockout stage was up for grabs for the winner.
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In April 1996 Eidur Gudjohnsen made international football history in a game against Estonia when he replaced his father Arnor during the second half. The first time a father and son had played in the same international match
The Panenka looks at the careers of the two strikers with the news that the younger of the pair will be representing his country at Euro 2016 with Iceland.
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