UEFA Euro 1968
| 1968 UEFA European Football Championship | |
| Italia '68 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country |  Italy |
| Teams | 4 |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
Champions  |
Italy (1st title) |
Runners-up  |
 Yugoslavia |
Third place  |
 England |
| Fourth place |  USSR |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 5 |
| Goals scored | 7 (1.4 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 endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 5 June and 10 June 1968.
It was in this year that the tournament changed its name from European Nations Cup to European Championship.
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.
At the time, only four countries could play the final tournament which meant that there were only the semi-finals, the final and the 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.
Contents |
Venues
- Stadio Olimpico, Rome - 86,500 capacity
- Stadio San Paolo, Naples - 72,800 capacity
- Stadio Comunale, Florence - 47,000 capacity
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:
Squads
For a list of all the squads that took part in the 1968 tournament, go to UEFA Euro 1968 squads.
Final tournament
| Semi finals | Final | ||||||
| 5 June – Naples (Stadio San Paolo) | |||||||
 USSR |
0 | ||||||
| Italy (coin toss) |
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) | ||||||
| England |
0 | England |
2 | ||||
| Yugoslavia |
1 | USSR |
0 | ||||
Semi-finals
| 5 June 1968 18:00 |
Italy |
0 – 0 (a.e.t.)[1] | USSR |
Stadio San Paolo, Naples Attendance: 68,582 Referee: Kurt Tschenscher (West Germany) |
| 5 June 1968 21:15 |
Yugoslavia |
1 – 0 | England |
Stadio Comunale, Florence Attendance: 21,834 Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendíbil (Spain) |
Džajić  87' |
Third place play-off
| 8 June 1968 16:45 |
England |
2 – 0 | USSR |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 68,817 Referee: István Zsolt (Hungary) |
| Charlton 39' Hurst 63' |
Final
| 8 June 1968 21:15 |
Italy |
1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Yugoslavia |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 85,000 Referee: Gottfried Dienst (Switzerland) |
| Domenghini 80' |
Džajić 39' |
Replay
| 10 June 1968 21:15 |
Italy |
2 – 0 | Yugoslavia |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 55,000 Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendíbil (Spain) |
| Riva 12' Anastasi 31' |
| Euro 1968 Champions |
|---|
Italy First title |
Statistics
Top scorers
- 2 goals
- Dragan Džajić
- 1 goal
- Luigi Riva
- Angelo Domenghini
- Pietro Anastasi
- Geoff Hurst
- Bobby Charlton
Fastest goal
12 minutes: Luigi Riva (Italy vs Yugoslavia, Replay)
Average goals
1.4 goals per game
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International football
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References
- ↑ Match decided by toss of coin: USSR captain Albert Shesternyov called incorrectly.