Qualified teams
The top two placed teams from each of the four groups qualified for the knockout stage.
| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| A |  Portugal |  Turkey |
| B |  Croatia |  Germany |
| C |  Netherlands |  Italy |
| D |  Spain |  Russia |
The knockout phase of UEFA Euro 2008 began with the quarter-finals on 19 June 2008, and was completed on 29 June 2008 with the final at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.
All times Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
The knockout phase was different from that of past tournaments. Teams in groups A and B were separated from teams in groups C and D until the final. This increased the chance of a group fixture being replayed in the knockout phase, and rendered a final between two teams drawn in the same half of the tournament impossible. The reason for the format change this year was to equalise the rest periods during the knockout phase. [1] Also, in another major change, for the first time in a European Championship, only two venues (St. Jakob-Park, Basel and Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna) were used for the seven matches in the knockout phase of the tournament. [1] As with every tournament since UEFA Euro 1984, there was no third place play-off.
Another new rule forgave all single yellow cards received up to and including the quarter-finals. However, players that were booked both in group tournament and quarter-finals missed semi-finals through suspension, but could play in the final. It was thus not possible to be suspended for the final without a red card.
The top two placed teams from each of the four groups qualified for the knockout stage.
| Group | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| A | Portugal | Turkey |
| B | Croatia | Germany |
| C | Netherlands | Italy |
| D | Spain | Russia |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 19 June – Basel | ||||||||||
| Portugal | 2 | |||||||||
| 25 June – Basel | ||||||||||
| Germany | 3 | |||||||||
| Germany | 3 | |||||||||
| 20 June – Vienna | ||||||||||
| Turkey | 2 | |||||||||
| Croatia | 1 (1) | |||||||||
| 29 June – Vienna | ||||||||||
| Turkey (p) | 1 (3) | |||||||||
| Germany | 0 | |||||||||
| 21 June – Basel | ||||||||||
| Spain | 1 | |||||||||
| Netherlands | 1 | |||||||||
| 26 June – Vienna | ||||||||||
| Russia (a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||||||
| Russia | 0 | |||||||||
| 22 June – Vienna | ||||||||||
| Spain | 3 | |||||||||
| Spain (p) | 0 (4) | |||||||||
| Italy | 0 (2) | |||||||||
The first quarter-final saw Group A winners Portugal take on Germany, who finished as runners-up of Group B. Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the opener half-way through the first half, before Miroslav Klose doubled their lead four minutes later. Portugal pulled one back five minutes before half-time, but Germany restored their two-goal lead on the hour mark. Portugal now needed two goals to take the game to extra time; Hélder Postiga pulled one back, but Germany were able to hang on to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time since 1996.
The second quarter-final was between Croatia and Turkey, and was a less high scoring affair. No goals were scored in normal time, and it took 29 minutes of extra time before Ivan Klasnić put Croatia into the lead. However, two minutes into injury time at the end of extra time Turkey was awarded a free kick. Controversially referee Roberto Rosetti did not allow the Croatian coach to put on a substitute, after Turkey was awarded the free kick, which would have allowed for the Croatian defence to better settle. A long free kick from Turkey goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber found Semih Şentürk on the edge of the area; the striker turned and hit a shot into the top corner of the net to take the game to a penalty shootout. Croatia went first, but only managed to score one of their four penalties, while Turkey scored all three of theirs to win 3–1.
The Group C winners, the Netherlands, who had won all three of their group games, took on Group D runners-up Russia in quarter-final 3. The Netherlands' players wore black armbands in sympathy for the death of Anissa, Khalid Boulahrouz's premature baby daughter. Russia took the lead through Roman Pavlyuchenko just before the hour mark. Ruud van Nistelrooy equalised in the 86th minute. In the 90th minute, Ľuboš Micheľ sent the Russian defender Denis Kolodin off the field for his second yellow card, but reversed his decision. The reversal was based on a linesman's (mistaken) observation that the ball was out of play before the tackle. [2] Eugen Strigel, head of the German referee committee, later judged the reversal against regulations as well as based on a mistaken premise. [3] The Russians played on with 11 players and with two quick-fire goals in the last eight minutes of extra time from Dmitri Torbinski and Andrei Arshavin secured a remarkable win.
The final quarter-final pitted Spain against Italy. In 120 minutes of football, neither team managed to produce a goal, sending the game to penalties. Spain went first and scored three of their first four penalties, Gianluigi Buffon saving the other from Dani Güiza, while Iker Casillas saved two of Italy's four penalties. This left Cesc Fàbregas having to score to send Spain through. He converted, meaning that Spain had won their first competitive match against Italy since the 1920 Summer Olympics and that Spain had qualified for the semi-finals for the first time since 1984.
| Portugal | 2–3 | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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      Portugal [5] |      Germany [5] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [5] [6] |
 Croatia [8] |  Turkey [8] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [8] [6] |
| Netherlands | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | Russia |
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| Report |
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 Netherlands [10] |  Russia [10] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [10] [6] |
     Spain [12] |  Italy [12] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [12] [6] |
The first semi-final saw Group B runner-up and three-time champions Germany face Group A runner-up and first time semi-finalists Turkey. Turkey scored first as Uğur Boral converted a rebound from the crossbar. Schweinsteiger and Germany equalised four minutes later. In the 79th minute Klose headed Germany into the lead with his second goal of the tournament. Turkey managed to get back seven minutes later when Semih flicked the ball past Lehmann. The match was headed for extra time when defender Philipp Lahm in the 90th minute scored the final goal and sent Germany into their sixth European Championship final. The TV broadcast of the match experienced technical difficulties caused by severe thunderstorms in Vienna, Austria, from where the television broadcast was transmitted. Television pictures in several countries were interrupted on three occasions, including at the time of Klose and Semih's goals. The entire match was recorded and distributed to all countries.
The second semi-final was a replay of the opening match of Group D, Spain in their first semi-final since 1984 faced Russia who had not been in a semi-final since 1988 as the Soviet Union. The first half was scoreless, but five minutes into the second half Xavi opened the scoring. Güiza replaced Torres in the 69th minute and four minutes later he had scored the second goal for Spain. David Silva rounded up the scoring with Spain's third of the night, sending Spain into their third European Championship final.
Germany [14] | Turkey [14] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [14] [6] |
Russia [16] |    Spain [16] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [16] [6] |
The final match was played between Germany and Spain on 29 June 2008 at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna, Austria. Spain won the match 1–0, the winning goal scored by Fernando Torres.
 Germany [17] | Spain [17] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [19] [20] |
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA. It took place in Austria and Switzerland from 7 to 29 June 2008.
Ernst-Happel-Stadion, known as Praterstadion until 1992, sometimes also called Wiener-Stadion, is a football stadium in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna. With 50,865 seats, it is the largest stadium in Austria. It was built between 1929 and 1931 for the second Workers' Olympiad to the design of German architect Otto Ernst Schweizer. The stadium was renamed in honour of Austrian footballer Ernst Happel following his death in 1992. The stadium hosted seven games in UEFA Euro 2008, including the final which saw Spain triumph over Germany.
Group A of UEFA Euro 2008 was played from 7 to 15 June 2008. All six group matches were played at venues in Switzerland, in Basel and Geneva. The group consisted of co-hosts Switzerland, UEFA Euro 2004 hosts and finalists Portugal, as well as the Czech Republic and Turkey.
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Group D of UEFA Euro 2008 was played from 10 to 18 June 2008. All six group matches were played at venues in Austria, in Innsbruck and Salzburg. The group was composed of UEFA Euro 2004 winners and reigning champions Greece, as well as Sweden, Spain and Russia. Greece, Spain and Russia had all been drawn together in the same group in the previous European Championship as well.
The UEFA Euro 2008 Final was the final match of Euro 2008, the thirteenth edition of the European Football Championship, UEFA's competition for national football teams. The match was played at Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria, on 29 June 2008, and was contested by Germany and Spain. The sixteen-team tournament consisted of a group stage, from which eight teams qualified for the knockout phase. En route to the final, Germany finished second in Group B, with a defeat to Croatia and wins over Poland and Austria, after which they defeated Portugal and Turkey in the knockouts. Spain finished top of Group D with three wins, against Russia, Sweden and Greece, before defeating Italy on penalties in the quarter-final and a second victory over Russia in the semi-final.
The knockout stage of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League began on 1 March 1995 and ended with the final at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on 24 May 1995. The top two teams from each of the four groups in the group stage competed in the knockout stage. For the quarter-finals, each group winner was randomly drawn against the runner-up from another group. The four quarter-final winners were then drawn together for the semi-finals, the winners of which contested the final.
Russia have participated in twelve UEFA European Championships, the second-most among all participants of the Euro after Germany, five of which were as the Soviet Union and one of which was representing the CIS. As the Soviet Union, their best performance was becoming champions in the inaugural 1960 edition in France, while their best performance as Russia came in the 2008 tournament held in Austria and Switzerland, when they reached the semi-finals.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group C was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.
The UEFA European Championship is one of the major competitive international football tournaments, first played in 1960, whose finals stage has been held every four years. The Croatia national football team has contested this tournament since 1996, having been part of Yugoslavia up until the qualifying stages for the 1992 edition. Croatia has qualified for every Euro competition except for the 2000 edition, played in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team's best performances have been reaching the quarter-finals twice — in 1996 and 2008, losing to Germany and Turkey, respectively.
The UEFA European Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between FIFA World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations' Cup, changing to the current name in 1968.
The UEFA European Championship is the main football competition of the men's national teams governed by UEFA. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations' Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Starting with the 1996 tournament, specific championships are often referred to in the form "Euro 2008" or whichever year is appropriate. Prior to entering the tournament, all teams other than the host nations compete in a qualifying process.
Greece have qualified for only four out of sixteen UEFA European Championships, but crowned themselves European champions in 2004. At Euro 2004 they beat hosts Portugal in the final, resulting in their first major tournament win.
Italy have participated in ten UEFA European Championships, and reached the final on four occasions. They became European champions at home in 1968, the first European Championship they qualified for, and finished as runners-up in 2000 and 2012, before winning their second continental championship at Euro 2020.
Poland have participated in four UEFA European Championships so far, all consecutively: Euro 2008, Euro 2012, Euro 2016 and Euro 2020.
Turkey have participated at five UEFA European Championships so far; the first finals they qualified for was Euro 1996. Their best European performance to date was reaching the semi-finals in 2008, after winning their quarter-final match against Croatia on penalties.
As the Czech Republic is considered to be the successor team of Czechoslovakia by FIFA and UEFA, they have participated in ten UEFA European Championships; three of which were as Czechoslovakia and seven of which were as the Czech Republic. As Czechoslovakia, they became European champions in 1976. As Czech Republic, they qualified for every European Championship that they have played qualifiers for, and were runners-up at Euro 1996.
Austria have appeared in three UEFA European Championships: Euro 2008, Euro 2016, and Euro 2020.
The Italy–Spain football rivalry sometimes referred to as the Mediterranean derby, is a football rivalry between the national football teams of Italy and Spain, the two countries have won five FIFA World Cups and five UEFA European Championship between them. Italy has won four FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships while Spain have won one FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships. They have played against each other three times in the World Cup and six times in the European Championship, including each of the previous four Euros from 2008 to 2020 editions. Most notably, the two met at the UEFA Euro 2012 Final, which Spain won 4–0. They also met at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League semi-finals.
Group G of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying was one of the ten groups to decide which teams would qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 finals tournament. Group G consisted of six teams: Austria, Israel, Latvia, North Macedonia, Poland and Slovenia, where they played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format.
