The first European tournament for national teams was held in 1960 in France. Then it was called the European Cup. "Golden" was the finish for the USSR national team. The triumphant in its composition was a brilliant midfielder of Dynamo Kyiv Yuri Voynov.
European CupAt that time, the USSR and Yugoslavia met in the final. 90 minutes on the pitch of the famous Parc de Prins stadium did not determine the strongest - 1-1. Milan Galich (43) and Slava Metreveli (49) scored. In extra time (113 minutes), Viktor Monday, a striker of Rostov SKA, scored the champion's goal in a diving header.
The next day our players were presented with medals on the Eiffel Tower. And before returning home they received a silver amphora (cup) and its miniature copy.
The final stage of the second European Cup was held in 1964 in Spain. And at this tournament our team was not left without awards - they won "silver". In the final at the "Santiago Bernabeu" in Madrid, they minimally lost to the Spaniards - 1:2.
In 1965, UEFA renamed the European Cup into a championship. The third continental tournament was held in 1968 in the stadiums of Italy.
The USSR national team played the semi-final in Naples against the hosts of the tournament. Our team included Anatoly Byshovets, a Dynamo player from Kiev.
The main and extra time ended without scoring - 0:0. The winner was decided by lot. The referee from Germany, Kurt Cencher, simply flipped a coin and the Italians reached the final.
In the decisive match met Italy and Yugoslavia. And in this meeting, the main and extra time did not name the strongest - 1:1. This time the regulations foresaw a second meeting. It was won by Italian footballers - 2:0.
VIII European Championship was held in 1988 in Germany. Our national team was led by Valery Lobanovsky. Eleven of his charges from the Dynamo club of the capital of Ukraine made the main contribution to winning silver medals. Here is that list: Viktor Chanov, Anatoliy Demyanenko, Volodymyr Bessonov, Serhiy Baltacha, Vasyl Rats, Oleksandr Zavarov, Oleksiy Mykhailichenko, Serhiy Kuznetsov, Gennadiy Litovchenko, Oleh Protasov, Igor Belanov.
At the group stage our team defeated the Netherlands - 1:0. However, in the final we lost to this team - 0:2.
European Championship 2012 was held in the arenas of Ukraine and Poland. This tournament was the debut for the national team of our independent country.
The winner was Spain, which defeated its rival from Italy 4:0 at the NSC Olimpiyskiy in Kyiv.
Euro-2024 is the fourth championship for the Ukrainian team. The final part, as you know, will be held from 14 June to 14 July in Germany. In the opening match in Munich at the Allianz Arena will meet Germany and Scotland. The "golden" team will be determined at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
The 24 national teams - participants of the final stage - will make up six groups.
Ukraine (Group "E") will play Romania on 17 June in Munich. On 22 June (Dsseldorf) Sergey Rebrov's wards will compete with Slovakia. And the third match our guys will play against Belgium in Stuttgart on 26 June.
We wish the Ukraine national team to successfully pass this stage.
Oleksandr LIPENKO for Dynamo.kiev.ua
