UEFA Euro 1968 Final

Italy commenced their UEFA Euro 1968 campaign in Qualifying Group 6 where they faced three other teams in a home-and-away round robin tournament. Their first fixture was against Romania at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples on 26 November 1966, where two goals from Sandro Mazzola and one from Virginio De Paoli secured a 3–1 victory.[10] Their next opponents were Cyprus who they faced at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia on 22 March 1967. Angelo Domenghini scored midway through the second half before Giacinto Facchetti doubled Italy's lead for a 2–0 win.[11] Italy's return match against Romania was played on 25 June 1967 at the Stadionul 23. August in Bucharest. Mario Bertini scored with nine minutes of the game remaining to give Italy a 1–0 victory.[12] Next, Italy faced Cyprus at the Stadio San Vito-Gigi Marulla in Cosenza where they won 5–0 with two goals from Mazzola and a hat-trick from Gigi Riva.[13] Italy's final opponents in the group were Switzerland, the first match against whom was played at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern on 18 November 1967. René-Pierre Quentin gave the home side the lead eleven minutes before half-time but Riva equalised midway through the second half. Fritz Künzli restored Switzerland's lead two minutes later but a penalty from Riva five minutes before the end of the match resulted in a 2–2 draw.[14] The return fixture was held on 23 December 1967 at the Stadio Amsicora in Cagliari where goals from Mazzola, Riva and Domenghini gave Italy a 3–0 half-time lead. Domenghini scored his second midway through the second half to secure a 4–0 win and assured Italy's qualification for the quarter-finals with them finishing at the top of the qualifying group.[15][16]

There they faced Bulgaria in a two-legged tie, the first match of which was held at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia on 6 April 1968.[17] After eleven minutes, Nikola Kotkov was tripped and struck the subsequent penalty past Enrico Albertosi in the Italy goal to give Bulgaria the lead. Italy's Armando Picchi was injured after a collision with Dimitar Yakimov but made to continue by Ferruccio Valcareggi, his manager.[18] Fifteen minutes into the second half, Stancho Bonchev saved from Rivera but Dimitar Penev scored an own goal from the rebound to level the score. Dinko Dermendzhiev then scored from a corner during which Albertosi was injured and had to be replaced by Lido Vieri. Petar Zhekov then gave Bulgaria a two-goal lead when he chipped the ball over Vieri in the 73rd minute before Pierino Prati scored on his debut for Italy and the match ended 3–2.[19] The second leg was played on 20 April 1968 at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples in front of 95,000 spectators. Prati put Italy ahead in the 14th minute with a diving header before Domenghini scored with a free kick that deflected in off the post. The match ended 2–0 and Italy progressed to the finals that they themselves would host with a 4–3 aggregate victory.[20][21]

Italy's semi-final opponents were the Soviet Union, the 1960 European Nations' Cup champions, with the match taking place at the Stadio San Paolo in Naples on 5 June 1968 in heavy rain. The Soviet Union were denied a penalty after the ball struck Antonio Juliano's hand, before Prati's shot was close. Albert Shesternyov's strike was then saved by Italy's goalkeeper Dino Zoff. Early in the second half, Anatoliy Banishevskiy struck Anatoliy Byshovets' low cross wide of the Italy goal. Mazzola was then brought down by Volodymyr Kaplychnyi but no penalty was awarded before Zoff made a late save from Aleksandr Lenyov, and regular time ended 0–0, sending the match into extra time. The Soviet Union goalkeeper Yuri Pshenichnikov saved from Facchetti and Prati, while Domenghini's strike hit the inside of the Soviet Union goalpost. The referee blew the final whistle and the result was determined via a coin toss in the dressing room: Facchetti called tails and won, and returned to the pitch to celebrate Italy's progression to the final with his supporters.[22]

Yugoslavia were in the three-team UEFA Euro 1968 qualifying Group 4 and played their first match against West Germany on 3 May 1967 at the Crvrna Zvezda in Belgrade. After a goalless first half, Josip Skoblar scored to give Yugoslavia a 1–0 win.[23] Eleven days later they faced Albania at the Qemal Stafa Stadium in Tirana. One goal in each half from Yugoslavia's Slaven Zambata secured a 2–0 victory.[24] They then travelled to the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg where they faced West Germany on 7 October 1967. Hannes Löhr gave West Germany an early lead before Zambata equalised just after half-time. Second-half goals from Gerd Müller and Uwe Seeler resulted in a 3–1 defeat for Yugoslavia.[25] The final group match saw Yugoslavia face Albania at Stadion JNA in Belgrade on 12 November 1967. Edin Sprečo scored late in the first half for Yugoslavia before Ivan Osim added two goals and Vojin Lazarević one to give their side a 4–0.[26] They finished as winners of Group 4 and progressed to the quarter-finals.[16]

Yugoslavia's opponents in the last eight were France with the first match of the two-legged tie being held on 6 April 1968 at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille.[27] Yugoslavia were without several players who had moved abroad to play domestic football, rendering them ineligible for the national side. France's Fleury Di Nallo came closest to scoring in the first half but his shot struck the Yugoslavia crossbar. Midway through the second half, Dragan Džajić was fouled by Jean Baeza and took the subsequent free kick himself which Vahidin Musemić headed in to give Yugoslavia the lead. Di Nallo then ran through the Yugoslavia defence with the ball and lifted it over Ilija Pantelić in the Yugoslavia goal, and the match ended 1–1.[19] The return leg took place 18 days later at the Crvena Zvezda Stadium in Belgrade.[28] Three minutes into the game, Džajić's cross when met by Ilija Petković with a diving header to make it 1–0 to Yugoslavia. Musemić then doubled the lead with a deflected shot in the 13th minute before Džajić made it 3–0 a minute later. Petković dribbled past two France players before scoring and although Di Nallo scored for France, Musemić made it 5–1 from a Džajić cross, and Yugoslavia progressed to the semi-final with a 6–2 aggregate victory.[29]

The semi-final saw Yugoslavia drawn against the 1966 FIFA World Cup champions England with the one-off match being played on 5 June 1968 at the Stadio Comunale in Florence.[30] The game was marred by ill-discipline with the referee awarding 49 fouls over its course. Norman Hunter injured Osim early in the first half before Džajić was fouled from behind by Alan Mullery. Alan Ball Jr. struck the first attempt to score of the game over the Yugoslavia crossbar after half an hour, while Bobby Charlton's volley also went high just before half time. The second half continued in a similar way with few chances to score being created but numerous fouls being made. With two minutes remaining, Yugoslavia took the lead when Džajić lifted the ball over Gordon Banks. Mullery then kicked Dobrivoje Trivić and was sent off becoming the first player to be expelled in a European Championship finals game and the first England international ever to be dismissed. Yugoslavia won the match 1–0 and progressed to their second European Championship tournament final.[31]

The referee for the match was Gottfried Dienst from Switzerland.[32] He had also officiated over the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final.[33] Italy were without the injured Rivera and Mazzola was rested. The Yugoslavia team had an average age of 23.[34]

The final was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 8 June 1968 in front of a crowd of 68,817.[32] Giorgio Ferrini's long-range shot was fumbled by Pantelić but cleared by his defence before Ferrini dropped a cross and was forced to make a close-range save from Facchetti. Prati then made a run down the left side of the pitch before striking a shot off-target. Domenghini struck the ball with his thigh and went wide of the Yugoslavia goal.[34] Six minutes before half-time, Džajić gave his side the lead.[32] Trivić made a run down the right wing and crossed for Džajić whose control was initially poor but was still able to get a shot away into the Italy net.[34] Five minutes after half-time, Džajić struck a shot but it was saved by Zoff at the near post.[35] Juliano then headed Giovanni Lodetti's corner down but the ball was stuck under Pietro Anastasi's feet before being cleared by Mirsad Fazlagić. Zoff pushed out a low cross from Džajić and the ball fell to Musemić who opted to pass instead of shoot into an empty net. With ten minutes of the match remaining, Lodetti was fouled on the edge of the Yugoslavia penalty area by Blagoje Paunović. Domenghini's subsequent right-footed free kick went through the wall and past Pantelić who did not move, and levelled the score at 1–1. Extra time brought no change to the scoreline and the match ended in a draw, the result of the final would need to be determined in a replay.[36]

The referee for the replay was José María Ortiz de Mendíbil who had also officiated over Yugoslavia's semi-final victory over England.[38] Osim and Ilija Petković were unavailable for Yugoslavia, while Italy replaced Ferrini with Sandro Salvadore, Roberto Rosato and Giancarlo De Sisti came in to the midfield and Mazzola was recalled. Gigi Riva was also selected having been out for an extended period with a broken leg.[36]

The replay was played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 10 June 1968 in front of a crowd of 32,866.[32] Riva took possession of a loose ball in the 12th minute and struck a low shot with his left foot which Pantelić pushed round the Yugoslavia goalpost.[36] From the resulting corner, Domenghini's shot struck Riva's legs and he hit the ball on the turn to open the scoring for Italy in the 13th minute.[39] Roberto Rosato then fouled Idriz Hošić and from Džajić's subsequent free kick, Musemić headed wide. In the 31st minute, Domenghini passed to De Sisti who kicked the ball to Anastasi. He flicked the ball up and volleyed it into the corner of the Yugoslavia goal to double his side's lead. In the second half, Riva headed wide from around 6 yards (5.5 m). His close-range shot blocked after Pantelić dropped Mazzola's cross and although Anastasi scored from the rebound, he and Riva were deemed to have been offside and the goal was disallowed. Pantelić then fumbled another cross from Mazzola but Riva's shot was high over the crossbar. The match ended 2–0 and Italy claimed their first European title.[40]

• Glanville, Brian (1993) [1973]. The story of the World Cup. Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN 978-0-571-16979-5.
• O'Brien, Jonathan (2021). Euro Summits: The Story of the UEFA European Championship. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78531-849-8.