2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship facts for kids
The 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship was an exciting football tournament for young players in Europe. It took place in Denmark from June 23 to July 11, 2011. Eight national teams competed to find out who was the best under-21 team on the continent. The Netherlands won the championship, beating Switzerland in the final match. This tournament was also important because it helped decide which European teams would play in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
| UEFA U21-EM 2011 ' | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Denmark |
| Dates | June 23 – July 11 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Netherlands (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Switzerland |
| Third place |  Belarus |
| Fourth place |  Austria |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 36 (2.25 per match) |
| Attendance | 101,955 (6,372 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Adrián López (5 goals) |
| Best player | Juan Mata |
Host Cities and Stadiums
The tournament was held in four different cities across Denmark. Each city had a special stadium where the games were played. These stadiums were ready to welcome all the young football stars and their fans.
| Aarhus | Aalborg | Herning | Viborg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56°7′55″N 10°11′47″E / 56.13194°N 10.19639°E | 57°3′5.4″N 9°53′56.76″E / 57.051500°N 9.8991000°E | 56°7′1″N 8°57′6″E / 56.11694°N 8.95167°E | 56°27′21.23″N 9°24′7.43″E / 56.4558972°N 9.4020639°E |
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Quarter-Final Matches
The quarter-finals were the first knockout stage of the tournament. Teams played one match, and the winner moved on. The loser was out of the competition.
| How to read the table |
|---|
| This color means the team moved on to the Semi-Finals. |
| This color means the team did not move on. |
There was a special situation where Belarus, Iceland, and Denmark all had the same points. To decide which team would go through, they used a tie-breaker rule. Belarus won this tie-breaker and qualified for the next round.
Here are the results from the quarter-final matches:
| Date | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 June 2011 | ||
England  |
2 – 0 |  Ukraine |
Sweden  |
0 – 1 | Switzerland |
| 29 June 2011 | ||
| Austria |
2 – 0 | Spain |
| Netherlands |
2 – 1 |  Czech Republic |
Road to the Final
After the group stage, the best teams moved into the knockout rounds. This meant that if a team lost a match, they were out of the tournament. The teams played semi-finals, then the final, and also a match for third place.
| Semi-Round | Final Round | ||||||
| July 5 | |||||||
| Switzerland |
1 | ||||||
| England |
0 | ||||||
| July 13 | |||||||
| Switzerland |
0 | ||||||
| Netherlands |
2 | ||||||
| Third Play-Off Olympic Championsip U21 Round | |||||||
| July 9 | June 13 | ||||||
| Netherlands |
3 | Austria |
0 | ||||
| Austria |
1
|
England |
1 | ||||
In the semi-finals, Switzerland beat England 1-0. In the other semi-final, the Netherlands won against Austria with a score of 3-1.
The final match was played on July 13. The Netherlands faced Switzerland and won 2-0, becoming the champions! There was also a match for third place, where England beat Austria 1-0.
Images for kids
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A sign in Viborg welcoming people to the UEFA U21 Championship.
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Andy, the friendly mascot of the tournament.
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Czech players celebrating a goal during the tournament.
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See also
In Spanish: Eurocopa Sub-21 de 2011 para niños
