UEFA Euro 1996 final

UEFA Euro 1996 final
Exterior view of the twin towers of Wembley Stadium in 2002
The final took place at the old Wembley Stadium in London (pictured in 2002).
EventUEFA Euro 1996
After golden goal extra time
Date30 June 1996 (1996-06-30)
VenueWembley Stadium, London
Man of the MatchKarel Poborský (Czech Republic)
RefereePierluigi Pairetto (Italy)
Attendance73,611
1992
2000

The UEFA Euro 1996 final was the final match of UEFA Euro 1996, the tenth European Championship, UEFA's top football competition for national teams. The match was played at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on 30 June 1996, and was contested between the Czech Republic and Germany.

En route to the final, both sides had been drawn in Group C, alongside Italy and Russia; Germany would defeat the Czech Republic 2–0 in their opening game and then go on to win the group, with the Czech Republic finishing second. Germany then defeated Croatia in the quarter-finals, before progressing to the final following a penalty shoot-out victory over hosts England in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic beat Portugal in the quarter-finals, before overcoming France in the semi-finals, also via a penalty shoot-out.

The final took place in front of 73,611 spectators, and was refereed by Pierluigi Pairetto from Italy. The full-time score was 1–1, sending the match into extra time; in the 95th minute, Oliver Bierhoff scored the golden goal for Germany, his second of the match, ending the contest in a 2–1 German victory and securing their record third European Championship title.