EURO 2004: All you need to know
Sunday, January 1, 2023
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Otto Rehhagel's Greece pulled off one of the great EURO shocks; UEFA.com looks back.
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Who won EURO 2004?
Greece began UEFA EURO 2004 as 80-1 outsiders but caused a global sensation by beating hosts Portugal 1-0 in the Lisbon final on 4 July, Angelos Charisteas connecting with an Angelos Basinas corner to score the only goal. Otto Rehhagel's men kept their discipline in the face of waves of Portuguese attacks at the Estádio da Luz and somehow won through, captain Theodoros Zagorakis remembering: "When the referee ended the match, it was as if the lights went out – another blank spot in my memory – the constant smile of an idiot on my face for I don't know how many minutes. Unbelievable moments."
Who were the top scorers at EURO 2004?
The Czech Republic's Milan Baroš was top scorer at EURO 2004, hitting five goals. The only match he failed to register in was the only one the Czech Republic did not win – their semi-final against Greece. It was a fabulous tournament for the striker, recently recovered from a broken leg, and more glory followed a year later when he helped Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League.
Slovenia's Ermin Šiljak was the star man in the qualifying competition, scoring nine in as many games – Spain's Raúl González was his closest challenger with seven goals. The Ljubljana-born forward played club football in France, Switzerland, Sweden and Greece, but was based in China during the EURO qualifiers. He struck eight in the group stage and another as Slovenia lost 2-1 to neighbours Croatia in the play-offs.
Where was EURO 2004 held?
EURO 2004 was the first major finals hosted by Portugal, with ten stadiums either built or extensively renovated for the tournament. Lisbon (Estádio da Luz, Estádio José Alvalade) and Porto (Estádio do Dragão, Estádio do Bessa) both had two venues, with other games being played in Aveiro (Estádio Municipal de Aveiro), Braga (Estádio Municipal de Braga), Coimbra (Estádio Cidade de Coimbra), Faro/Loulé (Estádio Algarve), Guimarães (Estádio D. Afonso Henriques) and Leiria (Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa).
Who managed the winning team at EURO 2004?
German Otto Rehhagel became the first foreign coach to lead a team to EURO glory, and the former Werder Bremen boss is credited with transforming an average side into continental champions. 'King Otto' also guided Greece to UEFA EURO 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup before stepping down after elimination in South Africa. He was six weeks short of his 72nd birthday, and his decade as Greece boss had overshadowed his huge achievements at home – he is the only man with over 1,000 Bundesliga games under his belt as player and coach.
Who was the winning captain at EURO 2004?
Greece's Theodoros Zagorakis was voted the UEFA Player of the Tournament after the captain steered his side to the Henri Delaunay Trophy. The 32-year-old AEK Athens midfielder did not score at the finals – his first Greece goal did not arrive until his 101st cap against Denmark seven months later – but he embodied the team's spirit, explaining: "Whoever got to play fought tooth and nail for the team."
What was the format for EURO 2004?
Sixteen teams competed at the final tournament in Portugal, which took place from 12 June to 4 July. As was customary by this time, those sides were divided into four groups of four for the group stage (three points for a win) with the group winners drawn against runners-up from other groups in the quarter-finals as the competition was settled by a series of one-off matches.
How many teams featured in EURO 2004?
Sixteen teams took part in EURO 2004, while 50 teams had entered qualifying (all of UEFA's members excluding Portugal, who qualified automatically as hosts).
How did EURO 2004 qualifying work?
The 50 teams were drawn into ten qualifying groups, with sides playing each other home and away from September 2002 to November 2003 (three points for a win). The group winners advanced automatically to the finals, while the ten group runners-up faced each other in two-legged play-offs for the remaining tickets to Portugal. Finals debutants Latvia made it through the play-offs (beating Turkey) along with Spain, Netherlands, Croatia and Russia.
Who was in EURO 2004 team of the tournament?
GK: Petr Čech
DF: Traianos Dellas
DF: Ricardo Carvalho
DF: Giourkas Seitaridis
DF: Gianluca Zambrotta
MF: Maniche
MF: Pavel Nedvěd
MF: Theodoros Zagorakis
FW: Milan Baroš
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo
FW: Wayne Rooney
Who scored the first goal at EURO 2004?
Giorgios Karagounis scored the first goal of EURO 2004 to help Greece to a 2-1 victory over hosts Portugal. Intercepting Paulo Ferreira's loose clearance, the Inter midfielder strode forward and planted a low right-footed shot from 25 metres past the despairing dive of Ricardo to put the underdogs in front. In the second half, Angelos Basinas doubled from the spot and Cristiano Ronaldo could only manage a late consolation.
Faroe Islands' John Petersen glanced home after seven minutes against Scotland on 7 September 2002 to score the first goal of the EURO 2004 qualification phase. Six minutes later, the striker put the hosts 2-0 up in Toftir, but a late Scottish comeback – goals from Paul Lambert and Barry Ferguson – foiled the Faroes as a see-saw game ended 2-2. Petersen also played international handball for the Faroes.
Five top facts about EURO 2004
• Portugal were the first hosts to reach the UEFA European Championship final since France in 1984 – and (until France in 2016) the only home nation ever to lose at that climactic stage.
• Greece won all their knockout games at the finals by the same 1-0 scoreline; they had overhauled Spain in qualifying by concluding their campaign with four 1-0 wins.
• At 18 years and 237 days, Wayne Rooney became the youngest finals goalscorer when he struck against Switzerland – he held the record for four days until Switzerland’s Johan Vonlanthen (18 years and 141 days) supplanted him.
• Greece's 1-0 win against Portugal in the final made them the ninth different team to etch their name into the trophy in 12 editions of the UEFA European Championship.
• Dmitri Kirichenko's goal for already-eliminated Russia after 68 seconds of their group game against Greece in Faro/Loulé was the fastest in any EURO.