UEFA Euro 1984 - France Football Championship

The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship ( Euro 84 ) was one the finest European Championships of all time. The seventh Euro 84 was prominent for two weeks of scintillating football. It was hosted by France and took place from 12 June to 27 June 1984. Peno, a rooster which represent the symbolic of the host nation, France, as a cockerel was the official mascot of Euro 1984. It has number 84 on the left side chest and its outfit is the same as the French national team, blue shirt, white short and red socks. In this UEFA European Football Championship, a total of 8 teams participated, seven of which had to come through the qualifying stage, joining the French team which qualified automatically for hosting the tournament:

For the 1984 tournament UEFA developed the new format that would serve for all subsequent eight-team European Championships. The eight total teams were divided into two groups of 4. Teams had to play each other once.The top two teams of each group advanced to semi-finals and then the winners advanced to the final. The third-place game became unnecessary and was dropped. The point system was different from today. As usual at the time, a win was worth with two points only, a draw meant 1 point. The teams on equal points were ranked by goal difference instead of head-to-head results, and the sudden-death rule in extra time did not apply.

Group A consisted of Yugoslavia, Belgium, Denmark and France. The French delighted their home supporters by registering three wins out of three games, scoring nine goals and conceding only two. Thus, the French topped Group A. They were followed by Denmark which won two games and lost once (against France). Group B consisted of holders West Germany, Portugal, Romania and Spain. Both Spain and Portugal earned the same number of points (4 points), winning one game and drawing twice. They also had the same goal difference. The ranking was therefore decided on the goals scored. Spain scored 3 goals while the Portuguese scored 2. Spain ranked first, while the Portuguese occupied the runner-up position.

1984 UEFA European Football Championship was based on seven stadia:

• Parc des Princes (Paris)
• Stade Vélodrome (Marseille)
• Lyon 's Stade de Gerland (Lyon)
• Stade Geoffroy-Guichard (Saint-Étienne)
• Stade Félix-Bollaert (Lens)
• Stade de la Beaujoire (Nantes)
• Stade de la Meinau (Strasbourg)

The match of the first semi-final between France and Portugal was played in the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on the 23 rd June. The 90 minutes of the game resulted in 1-1 score. The result of the match was decided with a help of the extra time. In the 98 th minute Portugal opened the score due to the Rui Jordao's second personal goal on the day. In the 114 th French player Domergue equalised the score. He also scored his second personal goal in this match. The winning goal belonged to the current UEFA President Michel Platini. Thus, due to the 119 th minute France qualified for the Final.

The second semi-final game took place in the Stade de Gerland in Lyon. The match between Spain and Denmark was played on the 24 th June. In the seventh minute Soren Lerby scored first goal against Spain. while Spain equalised in the 67 th through Antonio Maceda. Extra time was not enough to decide this match, and a penalty shootout was required to decide who would make it to the final. Spain scored all their five penalties, while Denmark missed only their last penalty. This meant that Spain joined France in the Final match of Euro 1984.

The final was played on the 27 th June in the Parc des Princes in Paris, with 47,368 fans in attendance. In the 57 th minute France scored first due to Michel Platini. In the 90 th minute Bruno Bellone scored another one for the French. The final score was 2-0 for France. France were crowned champions at home, going unbeaten in the competition all the way to the Final, the first time that France won the European Championship.

The entire competition was marked by exceptionally fine weather which, along with the high quality of play throughout the tournamen and the absence of hooligans, contributed to a very positive and enjoyable experience for teams and fans alike.