Seven of the most memorable Euro semi-finals in history

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  • The best Euro semi-finals in history

    The Euro 2016 semi-finals are upon us with Wales facing Portugal on Wednesday before Germany and France battle on Thursday night.

    The tournament’s semi-finals have regularly delivered entertaining spectacles and hopefully, this year will be no different.

    Here’s a look at some of the most thrilling semi-final clashes in the tournament’s history.

    FRANCE 4-5 YUGOSLAVIA – 1960

    The first incarnation of the European Championship saw its highest scoring semi-final as France and Yugoslavia shared a remarkable nine goals in 90 minutes. Milan Galic – who would later finished his career in France with Stade Reims – opened the scoring but Les Bleus scored four goals without reply to take a 4-1 lead with 53 minutes on the clock.

    However, helped by some shambolic defending and goalkeeping by France, Yugoslavia battled back to turn the game on its head. Two goals in two minutes by midfielder Dražan Jerković sealed the victory as Yugoslavia took just 26 minutes to change the score from 4-1 to 5-4 in their favour. Yugoslavia ended up losing the final to a Lev Yashin-inspired Soviet Union in extra-time, little surprise given the energy they’d expended fighting back against France.

    YUGOLSAVIA 2-4 WEST GERMANY (aet) – 1976

    Looking to win their third successive international tournament having triumphed at Euro ’72 and the 1974 World Cup, West Germany had to show every ounce of their champion spirit to topple Yugoslavia in Belgrade. The tournament hosts had race into a two-goal lead by half-time thanks to goals from Dragan Dzajlic and Danilo Popivoda, who played his club football for German side Eintracht Braunschweig.

    But West Germany did not roll over, Heinz Flohe snatched one back before substitute Dieter Muller came off the bench to equalise with eight minutes to go and send the game into extra-time. Muller was not finished there, though, the Cologne striker scoring twice more to round off an impressive hat-trick and send his side into the final, where West Germany would lose on penalties to Antonin Panenka’s Czecholsovakia.

    FRANCE 3-2 PORTUGAL (AET) – 1984

    Michel Platini was in blistering form at Euro ’84, scoring hat-tricks in group games against Belgium and Yugoslavia, but he saved perhaps his most decisive intervention for the semi-final. Toulouse striker Jean-François Domergue’s opener was cancelled out by Jordao to take the game into extra-time.

    Jordao and Domergue then exchanged a goal apiece again as the game in Marseille looked to be heading towards penalties. That’s when Platini stepped up, the Juventus striker picking up Jean Tigana’s cross and swiveling superbly inside the area before slotting the ball home to send the hosts into the final. Platini would score again in the showpiece against Spain, as France lifted the trophy on home soil.

    WEST GERMANY 1-2 NETHERLANDS – 1988

    After West Germany’s victory over them in the 1974 World Cup final, Netherlands were determined to exact a measure of revenge and they did just that, dumping the hosts out. The game in Hamburg had some amazing symmetry with the 1974 final. Back then Johan Neeskens had put the Dutch ahead before West Germany equalized with a penalty of their own and then scored a second to triumph.

    In the Euro ’88 semi-final, it was West Germany who led through Lothar Matthaus’ spot-kick. But with 16 minutes to go, Ronald Koeman kept his cool from 12 yards and then two minutes from the end the irrepressible Marco van Basten slid the ball home to send the Oranje fans into raptures. Netherlands, with that memorable Van Basten volley, beat Soviet Union in the final to win their first major trophy.

    NETHERLANDS 2-2 DENMARK (Denmark win 5-4 on penalties) – 1992

    Both semi-finals were hugely entertaining affairs with Germany beating hosts Sweden 3-2 in the other but this was the most significant given that it ended with the reigning champions losing to the eventual champions. Denmark were not even supposed to be at the tournament but stepped in late after Yugoslavia were excluded, and they played with freedom throughout the finals.

    Henrik Larsen twice gave Denmark the lead but they were pegged back by Denis Bergkamp and then Frank Rijkaard’s 86th-minute equaliser. The game was to be decided on penalties and with Denmark scoring all five of theirs it was a miss by 1988 hero Van Basten that proved costly for the Dutch. Denmark knocked the holders out and then completed their fairytale by beating reigning world champions Germany in the final.

    ENGLAND 1-1 GERMANY (Germany win 6-5 on penalties) – 1996

    Having played some excellent football to make it to the semi-finals, hosts England were confident of beating Germany in a competitive fixture for the first time since the 1966 World Cup final. That optimism reached fever pitch when tournament top scorer Alan Shearer headed home an early goal, but it was dampened by Stefan Kuntz’s equaliser before half-time.

    What followed was a thrilling, end-to-end contest that saw both sides squander opportunities to win, Paul Gascoigne coming agonizingly close to diverting Shearer’s cross home for a golden goal in extra-time. It went to penalties and, just as in the 1990 World Cup semi-finals, it was Germany who emerged victorious, successfully converting each of their six penalties – Andreas Moller crashing home the decisive strike after Gareth Southgate’s tame effort had been saved by Andreas Kopke.

    TURKEY 2-3 GERMANY (2008)

    In the Euro 2008 knockout stages, Germany were certainly the great entertainers. Having beaten Portugal 3-2 in the quarter-finals they repeated the trick in the last-four, coming from behind to defeat a highly unpredictable Turkey side who had scored in the 122nd minute against Croatia in their previous game before triumphing on penalties.

    A howler from Jens Lehmann gifted Turkey an early lead as Uğur Boral’s shot crept under his body, but Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose put Germany 2-1 up. Two minutes from time, Semih Şentürk looked to have salvaged another late result for Turkey but there was to be one more twist as, in stoppage time, left-back Philipp Lahm advanced forward and kept his cool to secure a dramatic victory for Germany.

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