Group A opened with a shock as Greece, ranked outsiders from start, defeated the hosts 2–1.
Giorgos Karagounis put the Greeks ahead after only seven minutes and
Angelos Basinas made it 2–0 from the penalty spot on 51 minutes. A stoppage-time goal by
Cristiano Ronaldo proved no more than a consolation. Greece then drew with Spain before losing to Russia in their last group stage game. Portugal recovered from their opening defeat by defeating Russia 2–0, who had their keeper
Sergei Ovchinnikov sent off.
Nuno Gomes scored the winning goal against Spain, which ensured Portugal finished top of Group A. Greece advanced to the quarter-finals as runners-up, ahead of Spain on goals scored. in Porto Defending champions France scored twice in stoppage time to go from 1–0 down to beat England 2–1.
Zinedine Zidane scored both goals; the second from the penalty spot. England's other two games were memorable for the performances of their young star
Wayne Rooney. Only 18 at the time, Rooney's goal-scoring ability proved instrumental in victories over Switzerland (3–0) and Croatia (4–2). France and England qualified from the group as winners and runners-up respectively. Group C featured a three-way tie between Sweden, Denmark and Italy. All matches between the three sides had ended in draws and all three had beaten Bulgaria. Italy were ultimately eliminated on the number of goals scored after Sweden and Denmark drew 2–2 and qualified as group winners and runners-up. The Italians accused Sweden and Denmark of fixing their match, as both sides knew that a 2–2 result would advance them both over Italy, but UEFA dismissed the complaint. The Czech Republic won Group D as the only team to win all three of their group matches. They defeated Latvia 2–1, the Netherlands 3–2, and Germany 2–1. It was another disappointing European campaign for the Germans, who failed to advance from the group stage for the second consecutive time. The Netherlands claimed a quarter-final berth as runners-up. taking a free kick against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals In the first quarter-final between England and Portugal, the English opened the score after only two minutes through
Michael Owen. Portugal's constant attacking pressure from then on resulted in
Hélder Postiga's 83rd-minute equaliser. In the dying minutes, Owen hit the Portuguese crossbar and
Sol Campbell headed in the rebound, but the goal was ruled out by referee
Urs Meier for a foul on the Portuguese goalkeeper
Ricardo. The sides exchanged goals in extra-time, sending the match to a penalty shoot-out. Portugal won 6–5, as Ricardo saved from
Darius Vassell and then scored the winning goal himself. The Greeks, meanwhile, continued to stun everybody. Firm defensive play and an
Angelos Charisteas goal on 65 minutes helped Greece defeat France 1–0 and progress to the semi-finals. This victory made Greece the first team to defeat both the hosts and defending champions in the same tournament. Sweden and the Netherlands played out an exciting but goalless encounter, even after a dramatic period of extra-time in which
Freddie Ljungberg hit the inside of the Dutch goalpost. The Dutch progressed after winning the penalty shoot-out 5–4, their first victory on penalties in a major tournament. The last quarter-final match saw the Czechs dispatch Denmark, as a two-goal effort from
Milan Baroš helped seal a 3–0 win. (first from left with white shirt), scoring Greece's winner against Portugal in the final. Portugal and the Netherlands faced each other in the first semi-final. Cristiano Ronaldo put the hosts in the lead from a corner kick midway through the first half, and just before the hour mark
Maniche made it 2–0 with a spectacular goal from the corner of the penalty area. An own goal from
Jorge Andrade gave the Netherlands a glimmer of hope. The game ended 2–1 to Portugal and the hosts, after their opening day failure, were through to the final of the European Championship for the first time. The Czech Republic looked likely candidates to face the hosts in the final. They were favourites to take the trophy, having won all four of their games. However, they would have to see off the upstart Greeks to do so. The Czechs had several chances, including a shot from
Tomáš Rosický that struck the bar. The game remained goalless until the dying moments of the first half of extra time, when
Traianos Dellas headed home the winner, the first and only
silver goal in a European Championship. The final was a repeat of the opening game of the tournament and Portugal were hoping to avenge their defeat. Portugal attacked and dominated possession but once again, sturdy defending and goalkeeping from Greece kept the hosts off the scoreboard. Just before the hour mark, Greece earned a corner kick from which
Angelos Charisteas scored. Portugal continued to press after the goal but even with five minutes of stoppage time, they could not find an equaliser. Greece won the match 1–0 and were crowned European champions, a title that they were given odds as long as 150–1 of winning before the tournament. All of Greece's wins in the knockout stage came in an identical manner: a 1–0 win, with the goal being a header off a cross from the right wing. Portugal became the first host nation to lose in a European Championship final. ==Qualification==