UEFA Euro 1968 facts for kids
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Italy |
| Dates | 5 June – 10 June |
| Teams | 4 |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Italy (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Yugoslavia |
| Third place |  England |
| Fourth place |  Soviet Union |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 5 |
| Goals scored | 7 (1.4 per match) |
| Attendance | 260,916 (52,183 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Dragan Džajić (2 goals) |
The UEFA Euro 1968 was a major football tournament for national teams in Europe. It was the third time the UEFA European Football Championship was held. The official name for the event was the 1968 UEFA European Football Championship.
This exciting tournament took place in Italy from June 5 to June 10, 1968. Many European football teams wanted to play. However, only four teams made it to the final stage of the competition. Italy won the tournament, beating Yugoslavia in the final match.
Contents
How the Tournament Worked
The UEFA Euro 1968 was a knockout tournament. This means teams played against each other, and the loser was out. Only the winner moved on to the next round.
Semifinal Matches
The tournament started with two semifinal games on June 5.
In the first semifinal, Italy played against the Soviet Union in Naples. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, even after extra time. Since there were no penalty shootouts back then, Italy won by a coin toss!
In the second semifinal, England played against Yugoslavia in Florence. Yugoslavia won this match 1-0, which meant they would play in the final.
| Semifinals | Final | ||||||
| 5 June – Naples | |||||||
| Soviet Union |
0 | ||||||
| Italy (ct) |
0 | ||||||
| 8 June – Rome(replayed 10 June) | |||||||
| Italy |
2 (1) | ||||||
| Yugoslavia |
0 (1)
|
||||||
| Third place | |||||||
| 5 June – Florence | 8 June – Rome | ||||||
| England |
0 | England |
2 | ||||
| Yugoslavia |
1
|
Soviet Union |
0 | ||||
The Third Place Game
The teams that lost in the semifinals played a match to decide who would finish third.
| 8 June 1968 18:45 |
England |
2 – 0 | Soviet Union |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 68,817 Referee: István Zsolt (Hungary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlton  39'Hurst 63' |
England played against the Soviet Union in Rome on June 8. England won this match 2-0. Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst scored the goals for England. This meant England finished in third place.
The Big Final
The final match was between Italy and Yugoslavia. It was played on June 8 in Rome.
| 8 June 1968 21:15 |
Italy |
1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Yugoslavia |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 68,817 Referee: Gottfried Dienst (Switzerland) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domenghini 80' |
Džajić 32' |
The game was very close and exciting! Yugoslavia scored first with a goal from Dragan Džajić. Italy managed to tie the game with a goal from Angelo Domenghini late in the match. After extra time, the score was still 1-1.
Why Was There a Replay?
Because the final ended in a tie and there were no penalty shootouts, the rules said they had to play the game again! This was called a replay.
| 10 June 1968 21:15 |
Italy |
2 – 0 | Yugoslavia |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 32,866 Referee: José María Ortiz de Mendíbil (Spain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riva 12' Anastasi 31' |
The replay happened two days later, on June 10, also in Rome. This time, Italy played much better. They scored two goals in the first half, one by Luigi Riva and another by Pietro Anastasi. Yugoslavia couldn't score, and Italy won the replay 2-0. This made Italy the champions of Euro 1968!
| UEFA Euro 1968 Winners |
|---|
 Italy 1st title |
Top Scorers
Only a few goals were scored in the final stage of the tournament. Here are the players who scored:
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
Images for kids
-
1968 UEFA European Football Championship finalists.
See also
In Spanish: Eurocopa 1968 para niños
