EURO Cup Shockers: 5 Major Upsets Through the Years

Over the years, the UEFA EURO Cup has become one of the most beloved football tournaments for fans because of its thrilling matches and a storied history filled with unexpected twists and turns. After every four years, the fans get to witness some of the best football action and with this, the fans have also seen several shocking upsets that have left them stunned. Being an unpredictable game, every team has the chance to stun everyone and the same story has been seen in many matches played during the last 16 editions of the EURO Cup. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at five of the most stunning upsets in Euro Cup history, moments that left spectators in disbelief.

1. England vs Iceland in Euro 2016 Round of 16

The first match that has been included in the list of major upsets was between England and Iceland during the EURO Cup 2016.  The match between tiny Iceland and traditional powerhouse England took place on June 27th in Nice, France. England, a regular at major tournaments for decades, took on tournament debutants Iceland. Most expected a routine England win when star striker Wayne Rooney scored a penalty after just 4 minutes. However, the unthinkable happened as Iceland equalized just two minutes later through Ragnar Sigurdsson’s goal.

The huge underdogs then incredibly took the lead in the 19th minute when Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s shot squeezed past England’s goalkeeper. Stunningly, Iceland’s committed and disciplined team held that 2-1 lead until the final whistle, earning one of the biggest upsets in European Championship history. As the match ended, the Iceland team along with their fans celebrated well as they defeated one of the best teams of the tournament. Although Iceland exited in the quarterfinals, their shocking conquest of England will forever be remembered as one of the Euro’s greatest underdog tales.

2. Romania vs England in Euro 2000 League Stage

Appearing on the list for the second time, the England team faced one of the biggest heartbreaks in the 2000 EURO Cup when a defeat against Romania ended their hopes of making it to the Quarter-Finals of the tournament. England went into Euro 2000 with high hopes after their semi-final run four years earlier. However, an unfancied Romanian side dramatically crushed their dreams in the group stage. After losing their opener to Portugal and then beating Germany, England needed a win against Romania to advance.

An early goal from Cristian Chivu gave the Romanians a surprise lead. Alan Shearer’s penalty levelled it before half-time and Michael Owen put England ahead after the break. But the resilient Romanians refused to lie down. Dorinel Munteanu equalized just three minutes after Owen’s strike to make it 2-2. As the clock ticked down, Romania incredibly earned a penalty in the 89th minute. Substitute Ionel Ganea stepped up and calmly converted from the spot to give his side an epic 3-2 victory. It was a massive upset that no one saw coming against the much-fancied English.

3. Republic of Ireland vs Italy in Euro 2016 League Stage

Taking the third spot in the list of the major upsets in the EURO Cup is the match between the Republic of Ireland and Italy which ended up being a major upset for Italy fans. In the 2016 EURO Cup, the Republic of Ireland and Italy were in the same group, and on 22nd June 2016, both teams were scheduled to play against each other. The Ireland team still needed a win to make it to the Round of 16 while on the other hand, Italy needed a win to stay at the top of the table and they were the clear favourites to do that. For most of the game on June 22nd, it looked like the match would end in a tie.

Italy had the ball most of the time and had many chances to score a goal, but they could not put the ball in the net. Ireland defended very well and got a bit lucky at times. However, in the 85th minute, something amazing happened for Ireland. They started attacking and when the ball went into Italy’s penalty area, Robbie Brady jumped up and headed the ball powerfully into the goal! Italy desperately tried to score an equalizing goal by sending all their players forward. But Ireland’s defence stayed strong to win the match 1-0. No one could have predicted this small nation would beat a football giant like Italy on such a big stage. 

4. Czech Republic vs Netherlands in Euro 2020 Round of 16

The fourth major upset that shocked everyone during the EURO 2020 was in the Round of 16 where the Czech Republic knocked out the winners of the 1988 EURO Cup and ended their hopes of winning the 2nd Title in 2020. The Netherlands was the favourite, being one of the traditional powerhouses of European football. However, the Czechs had other ideas and pulled off a massive underdog victory on June 27, 2021, in Budapest. For most of the match, it was an even contest with both sides creating decent chances but failing to score.

Then in the 68th minute, the Czechs took a surprise lead. They were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position, and Tomas Holes stepped up to head it powerfully into the Dutch net. It was a huge blow to the Netherlands. Things got even worse for the Dutch 12 minutes from time. A defensive mistake allowed the Czechs to counter-attack, and star striker Patrik Schick made it 2-0 with a composed finish. Against all pre-match expectations, the Czech Republic had beaten one of the continent’s top teams 2-0 to book a quarter-final spot.

5. Turkey vs Croatia in Euro 2008 Quarter-Finals

The last entry on the list of major upsets in the EURO Cup goes to the match between Turkey and Croatia that took place on 20th June 2008 at Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna. Being a Quarter-Finals, the stakes were high for this match and the fans were expecting Croatia to seal a place in the Semi-Finals of the tournament. In the match, both the teams started off well and created chances but none of them were able to score a goal for the first 90 minutes and hence the game went to the extra time.

After a tense 0-0 draw over 120 minutes, with both sides creating chances but failing to score, the match went to the dreaded penalty shootout in Vienna.  This was Croatia’s chance to finally break Turkish resistance. However, the pressure proved too much for Croatia’s penalty-takers. Out of their four kicks, they incredibly only managed to score once as the Turkish goalkeeper pulled off three superb saves. In contrast, Turkey held their nerves superbly. Their first three penalty-takers all found the back of the net with cool finishes. When Croatia’s fourth kick was missed, pandemonium erupted as the underdog Turks had prevailed 3-1 on penalties.