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20 Years On: Trezeguet’s Golden Goal

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Trezeguet's Golden Goal

France win Euro 2000 with Trezeguet’s Golden Goal

 

Euro 2020 should be in full swing by now. Fans ought to be travelling all around Europe, hoping that their team can go all the way. There was even hope that this could be England’s year, with Harry Kane lifting the trophy in front of a partisan Wembley crowd.

Alas, all that will have to wait. What’s another year anyway?

The postponement of this year’s Euros does not mean that we can’t dip into the archives though. 20 years ago, we were all set for the showpiece event at Euro 2000 between France and Italy in Rotterdam. It was to be a dramatic conclusion to the tournament.

Let’s take a look back at that unforgettable night and what led up to it as France became just the second side in history to hold the titles of world and European champions simultaneously.

 

France Made to Work for Final Berth

Having been placed in a group containing the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Denmark, France set about securing qualification for the knockout stages early. They started impressively, swatting Denmark aside 3-0. Arsenal duo Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord both got on the scoresheet, with the latter finding the net in stoppage time. It was not his only late goal of the tournament.

A 2-1 win over Czech Republic ensured that France were through to the quarter-finals, but a 3-2 defeat in the final group game at the hands of the Dutch showed that Les Bleus still had work to do if they were to go on to win the whole competition.

Spain awaited in the last eight after topping their group. France were made to work for their victory, eventually booking their semi-final spot thanks to a 2-1 win sealed by a Youri Djorkaeff winner. Just Portugal stood between France and the final. They were to prove a difficult obstacle to overcome.

Nuno Gomes put Portugal ahead with a wonderful volley, only for Henry to level matters shortly after the break to take the game into extra time. The Golden Goal rule applied, meaning that one mistake was all that was needed for a side to crash out. Portugal blinked first. After Vitor Baia had denied David Trezeguet, the ball fell to Wiltord, whose shot was kept out by the hand of Abel Xavier. Following a lengthy discussion with his assistant, the referee pointed to the spot. Zinedine Zidane stepped up and dispatched the penalty three minutes from time. France were through, just.

Zinedine Zidane - Wikipedia

Italy Show Their Class

On the other side of the draw, Italy faced Turkey, Belgium and Sweden. In a potentially tricky group, the Italians maintained a 100% record, scoring six goals in their three games courtesy of six different scorers. The likes of Filippo Inzaghi, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero all found the target, marking Gli Azzurri out as one of the favourites for the tournament.

Romania were their opponents in the quarter-finals. The Eastern Europeans had made it through a group including defending champions Germany, but were no match for Dino Zoff’s men. Totti and Inzaghi scored first half goals, wrapping up a comfortable 2-0 win.

The semi-final against the Netherlands was to be a far more even contest. The Dutch were the top-scorers in the tournament, netting 13 times in their previous four matches, including humiliating Yugoslavia 6-1 just four days prior to their meeting with Italy. Up against an attack made up of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars, Italy had their work cut out.

They set about keeping the game as tight as possible. It worked. After two hours of goalless action, it was left to penalties to separate the two sides. Neither team had previously won a shootout, and for the Dutch it showed. Frank de Boer and Jaap Stam missed their spot-kicks, the former being denied by Francesco Toldo, whilst Stam blasted over the bar. When Totti produced an audacious ‘Panenka’ to make it 3-0 in the shootout, it seemed to be game over. Edwin van der Sar saved Paolo Maldini’s penalty to offer some hope to his teammates, but Toldo saved Paul Bosvelt’s effort to confirm a 3-1 shootout triumph for Italy.

The Final

All eyes turned to Rotterdam on July 2 2000. The two teams had met in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup, with France winning on penalties before going on to lift their maiden World Cup trophy the following week. Revenge was on the mind for Italy.

Ten minutes into the second half, they took the lead. Totti produced a lovely flick for Gianluca Pessotto to run onto and cross into the six-yard box where Marco Delvecchio was on hand to volley home from close range.

Having only conceded two goals in the whole tournament so far, Italy were now firm favourites to see the game out. France huffed and puffed, but could not find a way through. Wiltord, Trezeguet and Robert Pires were all introduced from the bench, but time was against the French.

In the third minute of added time, France fashioned one final opportunity. A long ball from Fabien Barthez was flicked on by Trezeguet into the path of Wiltord. From a tight angle, the Arsenal forward hit a fierce strike across goal. Toldo, Italy’s hero just days earlier, allowed the shot to squirm beneath his left hand and into the far corner. In that moment, Italy’s hopes were crushed.

For the second straight game, France and Italy headed into extra time. Roger Lemerre’s team had all the momentum, and they weren’t about to let it slip. In the 103rd minute, the iconic moment arrived. Pires jinked past Demetrio Albertini and then Fabio Cannavaro before crossing the ball into the penalty area. There was Trezeguet, who with a swing of his left foot fired a volley into the roof of the net. France were the European champions.

Trezeguet’s Golden Goal Video

What Happened Next?

France’s Euro 2000 victory capped off a glorious period for the team. Led by Didier Deschamps, this side had proved themselves to be the dominant side in world football, with the likes of Zidane, Henry and Marcel Desailly providing a formidable spine which could simply not be beaten at the time.

Their success did not last forever though. Two years later, France crashed out at the group stage of the World Cup after failing to win a single game.

Italy also took their time to rediscover their form following their promising Euro 2000 run. They were controversially dumped out of the 2002 World Cup by South Korea in one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history, and at Euro 2004 they failed to progress to the knockout stages.

In 2006, it all finally came together once more. Italy exacted their revenge, beating France in the final on penalties to become four-time world champions, in a game largely remembered for Zidane getting sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi.

Yet 20 years ago today, the day belonged to France. From the brink of defeat, they turned things around just in time. Two decades on, Trezeguet’s Golden Goal remains firmly lodged in the memory of football fans across Europe.

 

We hope you enjoyed the article ’20 Years On: Trezeguet’s Golden Goal.’ How do you reflect on that memorable final and the tournament as a whole? Let us know!

 

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