Euro 2000's Golden Goal Magic: Reliving France’s Epic Triumph Over Italy

Euro 2000 was a spectacle that captivated the hearts of millions. The streets were overflowing with orange, but in the end, it was all about Les Bleus.

France won the tournament with a golden goal, beautifully thumped in by Juventus legend, David Trezeguet, to seal their victory against Italy.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) introduced the golden goal in 1993 in a bid to tackle play in extra time, per ESPN. Their logic was that if one goal could decide the outcome of a match, both teams would be forced to try it.

However, it was abolished in 2004, and although it is often referred to as a failed experiment, it provided some iconic moments in the beautiful game.

The most memorable golden goal moments came courtesy of France at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euros, tournaments which they both won.

France were outstanding at the 2000 European Championships, perhaps better than at the 1998 World Cup on home soil. So how did they win their second and last Euro trophy?

France's Euro 2000 qualification chaos

France's journey to European glory was in disarray as they almost missed out on automatic qualification.

They secured hard-fought wins against the lowly Iceland, Armenia, and Andorra, and suffered a home defeat to Russia. They also failed to beat Ukraine home and away.

They were an error away from having to qualify via the playoffs. But as they say, the rest is history.

France's Euro 2000 group stage

The 2018 World Cup winners boasted a Golden Generation coached by Roger Lemerre, a name which has faded over the years.

He was an assistant coach to Aime Jacquet in 1998, and despite making a name for himself as the only man to win two continental triumphs (also won 2004 AFCON with Tunisia), he is barely mentioned as one of the greats.

Since he had arguably the best squad in the world, he constructed an exciting team spearheaded by Zinedine Zidane.

Their defence included Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, Bixente Lizarazu, and Laurent Blanc. Their attacking talent included Christophe Dugarry, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord, Johan Micoud, and Youri Djorkaeff.

France were placed in Group D alongside co-hosts the Netherlands, Denmark, and dark horses, the Czech Republic, who reached the 1996 final.

Incidentally, the Czech Republic were beaten in the final by Germany via a golden goal by Oliver Bierhoff.

The French beat Denmark 3-0 in their first game, with goals from Laurent Blanc, Thierry Henry, and a late strike from Sylvain Wiltord sealing the result.

They followed it up with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic. The 1996 finalists had France on the ropes in the first half but failed to capitalise on their dominance.

The Netherlands then beat Zidane's team 3-2 in an epic encounter. France were up 2-1 in the first half after goals from Christophe Dugarry and Trezeguet. The Dutch scored through Patrick Kluivert, with Boudewijn Zenden and Frank de Boer scoring two more in the second half to hand the Dutch a big win.

France in Euro 2000 knockout stage

Zidane's star began to shine during the knockout stage. In the quarter-final against Spain, the Real Madrid legend scored a wonderful free kick to open the scoring in the 32nd minute. Gaizka Mendieta's penalty levelled matters six minutes later.

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Djorkaeff restored France's lead with a beautiful goal minutes before half-time. The 1984 European champions held on to the slender lead but nearly gave it away. Raul inexplicably missed a late penalty for Spain.

France faced Portugal in the semis, just like in 1984. The Portuguese, like France, were having an incredible tournament filled with famous comebacks and upset wins.

The 2016 European champions took the lead through Nuno Gomes in the 19th minute of a pulsating encounter at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

Nicolas Anelka found Henry with a sublime pass, and the Arsenal legend restored parity with a neat finish just after halftime. The match remained at 1-1 for the rest of normal time.

It seemed as though penalties would decide the clash, but a chaotic turn of events awaited. France was awarded a penalty with three minutes left and up stepped the maestro, Zidane.

He fired an unstoppable penalty into the top left corner, giving Portugal's goalie, Vítor Baía, no chance. That set up a mouth-watering showdown with Italy.

Euro 2000 final: France vs Italy

The final pitted France and another European giant, Italy. The Azzurri had survived a Dutch onslaught in the semi-final, thanks to an almighty display by goalkeeper, Francesco Toldo.

The final was expected to deliver after an entertaining tournament full of drama and tension. It did not.

The Azzurri went into the tournament with an almost impenetrable defence that had conceded twice all tournament. Dino Zoff's side were prepared for battle against the world champions.

The first half was unremarkable, but Italy's Marco Delvecchio was a problem for France's defence marshaled by Desailly and Blanc.

The game sprung to life in the second half when AS Roma icon, Francesco Totti, manufactured an audacious backheel to release Gianluca Pessotto on the right flank.

Pesssotto's cross evaded French defenders and was met by Delvecchio, who made no mistake to give Italy a 1-0 lead. Delvecchio started the match ahead of Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi. However, he repaid the faith.

The Italians had the French exactly where they wanted them. They were prepared to protect that lead for 35 minutes to lift their first European title since 1968.

Substitute, Sylvain Wiltord, finally broke their defence when he bagged a 94th-minute equaliser to send the game to extra time.

The moment of magic came in the 103rd minute. Italy's defence was caught dilly-dallying with the ball, and they paid dearly for it.

Robert Pires robbed them of the ball and dinked a cross into the box. David Trezeguet swivelled and fired a powerful shot into the top corner to seal the game for France and break the Italian hearts.

Trezeguet's goal etched Euro 2000 in the annals of history as one of the best football tournaments, ever.

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Euro 2000 stands out with France's golden goal wins in the semis and finals, while Greece's 2004 victory over Portugal remains a historic upset.

Michel Platini's nine-goal performance in the 1984 Euro, helping France to victory, also earns a spot on the list.