EURO on this day: 28 June
Monday, June 28, 2021
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On this day: Zinédine Zidane capped a sublime individual display with a semi-final golden goal.
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France 2-1 Portugal (aet)
(Henry 51, Zidane 117pen; Nuno Gomes 19)
2000 semi-finals, Brussels
A Zinédine Zidane penalty three minutes from the end of extra time gave France a golden-goal victory over Portugal in Brussels after Abel Xavier was adjudged to have handled a Sylvain Wiltord shot.
Following a fractious opening, Portugal broke the deadlock with their first shot on goal, the off-balance Nuno Gomes steering past Fabien Barthez from 20 metres. France rose to the challenge, finally fashioning an equaliser through Thierry Henry.
"The ball wasn’t even for me," he recalls. "If you watch the replay, Nicholas Anelka is crossing the ball for Emmanuel Petit. When you look at Emmanuel Petit behind me, he’s actually complaining, 'You should’ve left it!'"
Still, had Xavier's added-time header been further away from Barthez it would have been Portugal, not Les Bleus, into the showpiece. Zidane ensured otherwise with the shoot-out looming.
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Other EURO fixtures on 28 June
2012 semi-finals: Germany 1-2 Italy