1960 European Nations' Cup
The 1960 European Nations' Cup was the inaugural tournament of the UEFA European Championship, held every four years and organised by UEFA. The first tournament was held in France. It was won by the Soviet Union, who beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in Paris after extra time.
| Coupe d'Europe des nations de football France 1960 (in French) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | France |
| Dates | 6–10 July |
| Teams | 4 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Soviet Union (1st title) |
| Runners-up | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Yugoslavia |
| Third place |  Czechoslovakia |
| Fourth place |  France |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Goals scored | 17 (4.25 per match) |
| Attendance | 78,958 (19,740 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | François Heutte Valentin Ivanov Viktor Ponedelnik Milan Galić Dražan Jerković (2 goals each) |
The tournament was a knockout competition; just 17 teams entered with some notable absences, West Germany, Italy and England among those missing. The teams would play home-and-away matches until the semi-finals; the final four teams would then move on to the final tournament, whose host was selected after the teams became known.
In the quarter-finals, Spain, who were under Francoist rule, refused to travel to the Soviet Union for political reasons. After a proposal to play the tie over one leg at a neutral venue were rejected by the Soviets,[1][2] Spain were disqualified: accordingly, three of the final four teams were from communist countries: the USSR, Czechoslovakia, and SFR Yugoslavia, to go with hosts France.
In the semi-finals, the Soviets made easy work of the Czechoslovaks in Marseille, beating them 3–0. The other match saw a nine-goal thriller as Yugoslavia came on top 5–4 after coming back from a two-goal deficit twice. Czechoslovakia beat the demoralised French 2–0 for third place.
In the final, Yugoslavia scored first, but the Soviet Union, led by legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, equalised in the 49th minute. After 90 minutes the score was 1–1, and Viktor Ponedelnik scored with seven minutes left in extra time to give the Soviets the inaugural European Championship.[3]
Qualification
Quarterfinal Play Offs
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France |
9–4 |  Austria |
5–2 | 4–2 |
Portugal  |
3–6 | Yugoslavia |
2–1 | 1–5 |
Romania .svg.png.webp){kind=small} |
0–5 | Czechoslovakia |
0–2 | 0–3 |
| Soviet Union |
6–0 [note 1] | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Spain |
3–0 | 3–0 |
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on |
|---|---|---|
| France (host) | Quarter-finals winner | 27 March 1960 |
| Yugoslavia | Quarter-finals winner | 22 May 1960 |
| Soviet Union | Quarter-finals winner[upper-alpha 1] | 28 May 1960 |
| Czechoslovakia | Quarter-finals winner | 29 May 1960 |
- These quarter-final matches were scratched and the Soviet Union qualified for the main tournament after Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union for the first leg: UEFA disqualified Spain, and awarded the Soviet Union a 3–0 victory for both legs.[4]
Venues
| Paris | Marseille | |
|---|---|---|
| Parc des Princes | Stade Vélodrome | |
| Capacity: 40,000 | Capacity: 40,000 | |
 |
 |
Squads
Match officials
| Country | Referee |
|---|---|
 England |
Arthur Ellis |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Belgium |
Gaston Grandain |
 Italy |
Cesare Jonni |
Final tournament
In all matches but the final, extra time and a coin toss were used to decide the winner if necessary. If the final remained level after extra time, a replay would be used to determine the winner.
All times are local, CET (UTC+1).
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 6 July – Marseille | ||||||
| Czechoslovakia | 0 | |||||
| 10 July – Paris | ||||||
| Soviet Union | 3 | |||||
| Soviet Union (a.e.t.) | 2 | |||||
| 6 July – Paris | ||||||
| Yugoslavia | 1 | |||||
| France | 4 | |||||
| Yugoslavia | 5 | |||||
| Third place play-off | ||||||
| 9 July – Marseille | ||||||
| Czechoslovakia | 2 | |||||
| France | 0 | |||||
Semi-finals
| France | 4–5 | Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Czechoslovakia | 0–3 | Soviet Union |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Third place play-off
Final
| Soviet Union | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Yugoslavia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Statistics
Goalscorers
There were 17 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 4.25 goals per match.
2 goals
1 goal
Awards
- UEFA Team of the Tournament[5]
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lev Yashin |
Ladislav Novák Vladimir Durković |
Josef Masopust Valentin Ivanov Igor Netto |
Slava Metreveli Viktor Ponedelnik Milan Galić Bora Kostić Dragoslav Šekularac |
Notes
- The matches were scratched and the Soviet Union qualified after Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union for their quarter-final: UEFA disqualified Spain, and awarded the Soviet Union a 3–0 victory for both legs.
References
- Муртазин, Салават (10 July 2020). "Первая и последняя победа сборной СССР на Евро. Как это было". Championat.com (in Russian). Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- Malone, Emmet (21 April 2016). "Euro Moments: General Franco pulls Spain from 1960 tournament". The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- Rostance, Tom (21 May 2012). "BBC Sport - Euro 1960: Lev Yashin leads Soviets to glory in France". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- "European Cup Committee – Meeting of May 28th, 1960, Francfort". Bulletin officiel de l'UEFA. No. 15. Union of European Football Associations. November 1960.
In connection with the withdrawal of Spain (v. USSR) the Committee decided to apply Article 7 of the Regulations, namely, to qualify Russia for the Final Tournament.
- "1960 team of the tournament". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
External links
- 1960 European Nations' Cup at UEFA.com
