Group C of UEFA Euro 2012 began on 10 June 2012 and ended on 18 June 2012. The pool consisted of defending (and eventual) champion Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland and Croatia. The group was jokingly dubbed the "group of debt" by multiple media outlets, in reference to the European sovereign debt crisis facing some of its members. [1] [2] Spain and Italy progressed to the quarter-finals, while Croatia and Republic of Ireland were eliminated from the tournament. Republic of Ireland equalled the worst performance by a team in the group stage of the European Championships, finishing with no points and a goal difference of −8. [3] Both Spain and Italy made it through the quarter-finals and semi-finals to reach the final for a second meeting in the tournament.
In their final match, the Republic of Ireland wore black armbands to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the Loughinisland massacre. This was criticised by some unionists and members of the UVF. [4] However, the victims' families fully supported the gesture. [4]
Spain, Italy, and Croatia were later drawn in Group B of the UEFA Euro 2024; coincidentally, Croatia would be eliminated in the group while Spain would also go on to win the tournament as well.
Draw position | Team | Pot | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | UEFA Rankings November 2011 [nb 1] | FIFA Rankings June 2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C1 | Spain | 1 | Group I winner | 6 September 2011 | 9th | 2008 | Winners (1964, 2008) | 1 | 1 |
C2 | Italy | 2 | Group C winner | 6 September 2011 | 8th | 2008 | Winners (1968) | 4 | 12 |
C3 | Republic of Ireland | 4 | Play-off winner | 15 November 2011 | 2nd | 1988 | Group stage (1988) | 14 | 18 |
C4 | Croatia | 3 | Play-off winner | 15 November 2011 | 4th | 2008 | Quarter-finals (1996, 2008) | 7 | 8 |
Notes
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Spain | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 5 | |
3 | Croatia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | |
4 | Republic of Ireland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 0 |
In the quarter-finals,
Spain [6] | Italy [6] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [7] |
Republic of Ireland | 1–3 | Croatia |
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| Report |
Republic of Ireland [9] | Croatia [9] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [10] |
Italy [12] | Croatia [12] |
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|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [13] |
Spain [15] | Republic of Ireland [15] |
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|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [16] |
Croatia [18] | Spain [18] |
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|
Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [19] |
Italy [21] | Republic of Ireland [21] |
|
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees: [22] |
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.
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 July 2012, was co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, and was won by Spain, who beat Italy in the final at the Olympic Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine.
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe organised by UEFA. It was held in France from 10 June to 10 July 2016. Spain were the two-time defending champions, having won the 2008 and 2012 tournaments, but were eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy, whom they had beaten in the 2012 final. Portugal won the tournament for the first time, following a 1–0 victory after extra time over the host team, France, in the final played at the Stade de France.
Group A of UEFA Euro 2012 was played from 8 to 16 June 2012. The pool was made up of co-host Poland, Czech Republic, Greece and Russia. The top two finishing teams, Czech Republic and Greece, progressed to the quarter-finals, while Russia and Poland were eliminated from the tournament.
The knockout stage of UEFA Euro 2012 began with the quarter-finals on 21 June 2012, and was completed on 1 July 2012 with the final at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, won by Spain. After the completion of the group stage on 19 June 2012, eight teams qualified for the quarter-finals, which were played from 21 to 24 June 2012. Host nations Poland and Ukraine failed to qualify for the quarter-finals, making it only the third time in European Championship history that the host nation(s) failed to make it out of the group stage; at Euro 2000, co-host Belgium were eliminated at the group stage, and at Euro 2008, co-hosts Austria and Switzerland also failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Group B of UEFA Euro 2012 began on 9 June 2012 and ended on 17 June 2012. The pool was made up of the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Portugal. Germany and Portugal progressed to the quarter-finals, while Denmark and the Netherlands were eliminated from the tournament.
Group D of UEFA Euro 2012 began on 11 June 2012 and ended on 19 June 2012. The pool was made up of Ukraine, Sweden, France and England. The top two teams, England and France, progressed to the quarter-finals to play Italy and Spain respectively, while Ukraine and Sweden were eliminated from the tournament.
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 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.
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). To celebrate the diamond jubilee of the European Championship competition, UEFA president Michel Platini declared that the tournament would be hosted in several nations as a "romantic" one-off event, with 11 cities in 11 UEFA countries each providing venues for the tournament, making it the second senior international tournament in history after the 2007 AFC Asian Cup to have more than two nations co-hosting it.
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.
Italy have participated in eleven UEFA European Championships, and reached the final on four occasions. They became champions as hosts 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.
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As the Czech Republic along with Slovakia are considered to be the successor team of Czechoslovakia by FIFA and UEFA, they have participated in eleven UEFA European Championships; three as Czechoslovakia and eight as the Czech Republic. As Czechoslovakia, they became European champions in 1976. As the Czech Republic, they have qualified for every European Championship that they have played qualifiers for and were runners-up at Euro 1996.
Group E of UEFA Euro 2016 contained Belgium, Italy, Republic of Ireland and Sweden. Italy was the only former European champion in this group, having won in 1968. Matches were played from 13 to 22 June 2016.
Group D of UEFA Euro 2016 contained defending European champion Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia. This Euro 2016 group was the only with two former European champions – Spain and Czech Republic. Matches were played from 12 to 21 June 2016.
The knockout stage of UEFA Euro 2016 began on 25 June 2016 and ended on 10 July 2016 with the final in Saint-Denis, France, near Paris.
Group D of UEFA Euro 2020 took place from 13 to 22 June 2021 in Glasgow's Hampden Park and London's Wembley Stadium. The group contained host nations England and Scotland, as well as Croatia and the Czech Republic. The head-to-head match between the hosts took place at England's Wembly Stadium.
Group E of UEFA Euro 2020 took place from 14 to 23 June 2021 in Saint Petersburg's Krestovsky Stadium and Seville's La Cartuja. The group contained host nation Spain, Sweden, Poland and Slovakia.
The knockout stage of UEFA Euro 2020 began on 26 June 2021 with the round of 16 and ended on 11 July 2021 with the final at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
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