Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Turkey finished second in Group C behind European champions Greece, but made heavy work of qualifying after a stirring start. Fatih Terim's team won their first three games without conceding a single goal, Hakan Şükür celebrating his 50th international goal when he struck four in the third of those wins, 5-0 win against Moldova. Things got even better when an under-strength Turkey side came from behind to beat Greece 4-1 in Athens in their first qualifier of 2007. They then lost their way, however, with a run of one win in six that included a 3-2 defeat in Bosnia-Herzegovina and then a humiliating 2-2 draw in Malta, where Turkey came from behind twice. Crisis talk intensified in October 2007 when a 1-1 draw in Moldova was followed by a 1-0 home defeat against Greece, which saw the European champions celebrate qualification in Istanbul. Having slipped to third in the section, Turkey reclaimed the initiative with a 2-1 win in Oslo in their penultimate qualifier. A 1-0 home victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in their final qualifier kept them a point above Norway in second place.
Best Euro Championship:
Turkey first participated in a UEFA European Championship final round at UEFA EURO '96, losing all three of their group matches, but they returned four years later and advanced as far as the quarter-finals, their best effort to date in the competition. Finishing second in their qualifying group, Turkey defeated the Republic of Ireland on away goals in their subsequent play-off to book their place at UEFA EURO 2000. Drawn in a group featuring Belgium, Italy and Sweden, Turkey took four points from their three games, defeating the tournament hosts 2-0 in their final game with two goals from Hakan Sükür (45, 70). Their reward was a quarter-final berth, but Turkey were defeated 2-0 by Portugal.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
With Group D settling quickly into a two-horse race between Germany and the Czech Republic, Karel Brückner's side never looked unlikely to qualify, but finished the job in some style. The two frontrunners met for the first time in Prague on 24 March 2007, when two goals from Kevin Kuranyi rendered Milan Baroš's 77th-minute effort redundant and sent Joachim Löw's side three points clear at the top of the section. The Czechs held their nerve in subsequent games, however, and spoiled Germany's qualification celebrations by beating their neighbours 3-0 in Munich on 17 October 2007 to seal their place in the finals with two games to spare. Victory was all the sweeter for having been achieved without a number of top players. Libor Sionko, Marek Matějovský and Jaroslav Plašil scored the goals that silenced the Bavarian crowd and centre-back David Rozehnal said: "Qualifying is nice but the way we did it is even better." They went on to win the group with a 2-0 triumph in Cyprus in their final qualifier.
Best Euro Championship:
The golden goal made its debut in senior international competition at UEFA EURO '96 and accounted for the Czech Republic in the final of the tournament when Oliver Bierhoff scored the winning goal five minutes into extra time after the sides remained deadlocked at 1-1 after 90 minutes. The Czechs had earlier defeated France and Portugal in the knockout phase of the competition after finishing second to Germany in the group stage at the expense of Italy and Russia. As part of the former state of Czechoslovakia, Czech players were involved in winning the 1976 UEFA European Championship against the Federal Republic of Germany. The final ended in a 2-2 stalemate in Belgrade before the Czechoslovak side won 5-3 on penalties with Antonín Panenka cheekily chipping in the final spot-kick for Václav Ježek's side.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Portugal lost only one game in Group A, the only section with eight teams, but had to endure a nervous finale before claiming their place in the finals as runners-up to Poland. After clinging on for a 1-1 draw with Finland with ten men in their opening game, Portugal won 3-0 against Azerbaijan but then lost 2-1 in Poland. Progress was to be sporadic thereafter, despite winger Cristiano Ronaldo contributing eight goals. Portugal dropped some unexpected points, drawing 1-1 home and away against Serbia, 2-2 at home against Poland and – worst of all – 1-1 away against a surprisingly troublesome Armenia. Incidents following the 1-1 home draw with Serbia led coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to be banned from the touchline for three games, but Portugal won all three matches with his assistant Flávio Teixeira on the bench, meaning they needed only to avoid defeat in their final game against Finland in Porto to progress. With Finland knowing a win would likely see them qualify in Portugal's place, it was a tense affair, but a 0-0 draw sufficed for the home side, with Scolari saying: "I know we have to improve for the finals."
Best Euro Championship:
Portugal's best performance to date in the competition came in 2004 when they lost in the final to Greece. Prior to that, Portugal had appeared in two semi-finals where they lost on both occasions to France. The two sides met in 1984 where France won 3-2 in an extra-time thriller at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille before defeating Spain in the final. Sixteen years later, on this occasion at Brussels’ Roi Baudouin stadium, France prevailed 2-1 against Portugal, again after extra time, before defeating Italy in the final four days later.

Euro 2008 Preparations:
Having won their first three friendlies after the FIFA World Cup finals, a 2-1 defeat against Austria served as a wake-up call for Jakob Kuhn's side. Two more losses prompted Kuhn to get tough and drop captain Johann Vogel, while injuries to established stars Ricardo Cabanas and Alexander Frei in 2007 caused further disruption to his plans. There have been encouraging results, though, notably a 1-1 draw against Argentina in June 2007 and a 2-1 win against Holland – with Tranquillo Barnetta scoring twice – two months later. Before the latter match, Kuhn said of Switzerland's finals ambitions: "Success would be to reach the quarter-finals. Of course it won't be easy, but that has to be our goal. Four years ago, when we really hit a low point, I developed an internal strategy with the title 'European champions 2008'. That was being very optimistic but we have to strive towards big goals and go out there with the necessary confidence to deal with these challenges." Kuhn will retire as Switzerland coach after the finals, saying: "I have promised my wife that I'll call it a day after UEFA EURO 2008."
Best Euro Championship:
Switzerland have twice qualified for the finals of the UEFA European Championship, doing so for the first time at the ninth attempt at EURO '96. They then qualified again for UEFA EURO 2004. Both of their finals campaigns have started with draws - 1-1 against hosts England in 1996 and 0-0 with Croatia in Portugal - but ended with two subsequent defeats.

Euro 2008 Preparations:
With only friendly games to prepare themselves for co-hosting the finals, Austria have endured some tough times. Charged with the task of building a new Austria side for 2008, coach Josef Hickersberger knew the process was likely to be a painful one, saying: "It goes without saying that this process means facing and overcoming obstacles and setbacks." Hickersberger lost his first three games in charge before a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica in September 2006 helped ease the pressure. He finally earned a first win at the fifth attempt, 2-1 against Liechtenstein thanks to a late Thomas Prager goal, and followed that up with a 2-1 victory against fellow hosts Switzerland. René Aufhauser struck a hat-trick in a 4-1 success against Trinidad & Tobago in October 2006, but it was to be another year – and another ten games – before Austria won again, beating Ivory Coast 3-2 in Innsbruck. Hickersberger continues to blood young talent, and said: "I'm convinced we will see a very different national team at the European Championship. Both Austria and Switzerland will be excellent hosts. They will put on a sensational tournament and I am convinced that both teams will reach the quarter-finals."
Best Euro Championship:
Austria have never qualified for a UEFA European Championship final tournament, and so will be playing in the finals for the first time when they co-host UEFA EURO 2008. They came within one round of the four-team final tournament of the inaugural 1960 competition, but lost 9-4 on aggregate to France in the quarter-finals.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker led Poland to their first ever UEFA European Championship finals, with nine-goal striker Euzebiusz Smolarek securing their qualification with a game to spare when he struck both goals in a 2-0 home win over Belgium. A 3-1 home defeat by Finland in their opening game in Group A – the only section to contain eight teams, rather than seven – was a shock and when a 1-1 draw against Serbia followed, things looked grim. They found the perfect response, however, by embarking on six-game winning run that included a 2-1 victory over Portugal, Smolarek registering twice. A 1-0 defeat in Armenia threw a spanner in the works, but Poland recovered. A late Jacek Krzynówek goal earned them a 2-2 draw in Portugal and after taking another point in Finland, they completed the job with wins against Kazakhstan and Belgium. The Poles secured first place in Group A by holding Serbia to a 2-2 draw in their final qualifier in Belgrade – a result that ended their hosts' hopes of qualifying.
Best Euro Championship:
Prior to securing their first qualification this time around, Poland's best campaign saw them come close to qualifying for the 1980 UEFA European Championship final round in Italy, finishing one point behind Holland in their qualifying round group.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Germany were the first side to secure qualification for the finals with a 0-0 draw in the Republic of Ireland on 13 October 2007, although a couple of aberrations took some of the gloss off a generally impressive campaign by Joachim Löw’s side. Germany broke the record for the biggest ever UEFA European Championship win, beating San Marino 13-0 away on 6 September 2006, with Lukas Podolski scoring four goals – only the second German player after Gerd Müller put four past Albania in 1967 to manage that feat. They were held to a surprising 1-1 draw by Cyprus in Nicosia on 15 November, but made amends in their next game, beating Czech Republic, the eventual Group D winners, 2-1 in Prague through two Kevin Kuranyi goals. They met the Czechs again after they had secured qualification, but left the pitch to catcalls after losing 3-0 in Munich – a result which saw Karel Brückner’s visitors through to the finals. They finished second in their group after a 0-0 draw against Wales in their final qualifier.
Best Euro Championship:
Germany have won the competition once since reunification (1996) but three times overall having earlier won the competition in 1972 and 1980 as West Germany. The Czech Republic were defeated in the 1996 final at Wembley, Oliver Bierhoff scoring the golden goal winner five minutes into extra-time after having earlier scored their equaliser 17 minutes from time. Patrik Berger had given the Czechs a 59th-minute lead from the penalty spot. Germany advanced from the group stage with defeats of the Czech Republic (2-0) and Russia (3-0) before holding Italy to a scoreless draw. Their reward was a quarter-final match against Croatia which Germany won 2-1 before they defeated England in the semis on penalties after the match ended 1-1 after extra-time.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
The most consistent performers in a competitive Group E, Croatia qualified with a game to spare thanks to Russia's defeat in Israel – news of which filtered through to the team halfway through their 2-0 defeat in F.Y.R. Macedonia. It was the only defeat suffered by Croatia during an impressive first campaign under former international defender Slaven Bilić. They began with a useful 0-0 draw in Russia and took off the next month with a 7-0 win against Andorra, Mladen Petrić's four goals helping Croatia equal their previous record win,7-0 against Australia in 1998. Four days later, on 11 October 2006, Croatia got an even better result, 2-0 at home against England. Having scored against England, Brazilian-born striker Eduardo da Silva netted a hat-trick as Croatia won 4-3 in Israel in their next game. With ten goals overall, Eduardo finished as the second top scorer in qualifying behind Northern Ireland’s David Healy. Croatia saved the best for last, their 3-2 win against England at Wembley on 21 November 2007 confirming first place in the section and ending their hosts’ hopes of qualifying.
Best Euro Championship:
Croatia's best performance to date came in their first involvement in the competition. Having topped their qualification round group for UEFA EURO '96 with 23 points from ten games, the Croatians were pitched against Denmark, Portugal and Turkey in the final tournament group phase. Opening with two victories against Turkey (1-0) and Denmark (3-0), the Croatians qualification for the knockout phase was guaranteed prior to their 3-0 defeat against Portugal in their last match. Facing eventual winners, Germany, in the quarter-final phase, the Croatians exited following a 2-1 defeat.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
France's Group B campaign proved more of an ordeal than many would have anticipated although Italy's 2-1 win in Scotland did them a big favour by making their final game in Ukraine a formality. A rematch with Italy, the team who had denied them the 2006 FIFA World Cup, was the big treat for the neutrals and France took first blood at the Stade de France in their second qualifier with goals from Sidney Govou (2) and Thierry Henry earning a 3-1 win. However, Raymond Domenech’s team lost 1-0 to Scotland in Glasgow in their next game to put a surprising complexion on the section. France settled themselves with a run of four wins and then drew 0-0 with Italy in Milan. However, once more a good result against Italy was followed by a shock against the Scots as James McFadden's strike in Paris consigned the French to a second 1-0 loss against the group's surprise contenders. Henry subsequently broke Michel Platini's record of 41 goals for France in the 2-0 win against Lithuania and fears that France might need a result in Ukraine in their final game were to prove unfounded. Les Bleus finished second in the section behind Italy.
Best Euro Championship:
France are the only other country apart from three-time winners Germans to have won the competition more than once following successes in 1984 and 2000. The victory in 1984 came on home soil as hosts with Spain defeated 2-0 in the final at Parc des Princes in Paris. The French won all their matches in the competition, defeating Denmark (1-0), Belgium (5-0) and Yugoslavia (3-2) in the group phase before Portugal (3-2 after extra-time) were accounted for in the semi-finals at Marseille's Stade Vélodrome. France edged out Ukraine and Russia by one and two points respectively to book an automatic spot at the UEFA EURO 2000 finals which were co-hosted by Belgium and the Hollands. Roger Lemerre's side were second to the Dutch through the three-match group phase, but they overcame Spain (2-1) and Portugal (2-1 after extra-time) in the knockout phase before defeating Italy in the final. The endgame also went to extra-time with Marco Delvecchio putting the Italians ahead after 55 minutes only for Sylvain Wiltord to equalise in stoppage time. France went on to win the game thanks to David Trezeguet's goal after 103 minutes.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Holland rarely looked in trouble in Group G and qualified with a game to spare. Romania proved to be the Hollands' most serious rivals, holding them to a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam and then progressing to the finals with a 1-0 win against Marco van Basten's side in challenging conditions in Constanta. Qualification was assured with a 1-0 home win against Luxembourg. The minnows withstood a Dutch onslaught but went down to a solitary Danny Koevermans goal. They finished second in the section after an unexpected 2-1 defeat in Belarus in their final qualifier. Besides qualification for Austria and Switzerland, another major positive from the Dutch campaign was the opportunity given the stars of their 2006 and 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship winning squads to impress at senior level.
Best Euro Championship:
Holland won the competition in 1988, their only appearance in the final to date. They defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 at Munich’s Olympiastadion on 25 June 1988 thanks to goals from Ruud Gullit (32 minutes) and current coach Marco van Basten (54). The Dutch have also appeared in four additional semi-finals (2004, 2000, 1992 and 1976) and one additional quarter-final (1996).

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Replacing Marcello Lippi after Italy’s success at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, coach Roberto Donadoni made a shaky start in qualifying but his team eventually did enough qualify as Group B winners. A 1-1 home draw with Lithuania in their opening tie in Naples was a shock, but perhaps not as big a setback as the 3-1 defeat in France in their second qualifier, when Raymond Domenech's side avenged their defeat on penalties in the World Cup final. That would prove the only reverse the Azzurri suffered and Luca Toni’s two goals in a 2-0 win at home against Scotland in March 2007 provided an important reminder of the world champions' credentials. Italy won nine of their last ten qualifiers but were denied revenge against France with a goalless draw in Milan. They eventually secured qualification both for themselves and France by beating Scotland 2-1 in Glasgow thanks to another goal from Toni and an added-time winner from defender Christian Panucci. A 3-1 win against the Faroe Islands in their final fixture earned them top spot in the section at France's expense.
Best Euro Championship:
Italy won the 1968 UEFA European Championship, defeating Yugoslavia 2-0 in a final replay after the two sides had shared a 1-1 draw at Rome's Stadio Olimpico. Italy forced a replay when Angelo Domenghini's 80th-minute goal cancelled out Dragan Dzajić's opener after 39 minutes. The tournament hosts made no mistake in the replay played two days later as first-half goals from Luigi Riva (12) and Pietro Anastasi (31) sealed a 2-0 win.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Romania confirmed their progress to their first finals tournament since UEFA EURO 2000 with two games to go, with a 2-0 win in Luxembourg completing a run of ten unbeaten games in Group G. It was vindication for coach Victor Piţurcă, who had also led Romania through qualifying for UEFA EURO 2000 but was no longer in the post when the finals came round. Romania got their campaign off to a shaky start when they conceded two late goals in a 2-2 home draw with Bulgaria but that was to be their biggest setback. A 0-0 draw in Holland in their fourth game sparked a run of six straight wins, with Dorin Goian scoring the only goal in the return against the Dutch in Constanta to leave Romania on the threshold of the finals. They took the final step by winning 2-0 in Luxembourg through goals from Florentin Petre and Ciprian Marica. Although Piţurcă's side let their unbeaten record slip in their next game, losing 1-0 in Bulgaria, they finished the campaign with a 6-1 victory over nine-man Albania to confirm their place as group winners.
Best Euro Championship:
Romania topped their qualification round group for UEFA EURO 2000 with 24 points from their ten matches. Their reward was to be drawn against England, Germany and Portugal in the group stage of the final tournament. Romanian hopes were receding following one point from their opening two games, but a 3-2 defeat of England, with Ioan Ganea scoring the winner in the 89th minute, provided them with a place in the knockout stage. Italy ended their involvement in the competition, running out 2-0 winners following their quarter-final meeting with goals from Francesco Totti (33) and Filippo Inzaghi (43).

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Sweden qualified in second place in Group F behind Spain, completing the job on the last night of qualifying when they beat Latvia 2-1 and Northern Ireland lost in Spain. Lars Lagerbäck's side made a bright start, winning their opening four games – including a 2-0 success over section favourites Spain courtesy of goals from Johan Elmander and Marcus Allbäck. They then suffered a setback when beaten 2-1 by Northern Ireland in Belfast in March 2007, with two goals from David Healy cancelling out Elmander's opener. Sweden were awarded a 3-0 win against Denmark in their next game after the qualifier in Copenhagen was abandoned after a Danish spectator attacked the match referee, who had just awarded Sweden a late penalty with the scores level at 3-3. Sweden would have qualified with two games to spare only to draw 1-1 at home against Northern Ireland. The champagne remained on ice after they lost their penultimate qualifier 3-0 in Spain. The victory over Latvia on 21 November 2007 – Kim Källström getting the winner - ensured qualification for a fifth successive major finals tournament. "We did what we had to do and that's all that matters," said Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Best Euro Championship:
As tournament hosts, Sweden advanced to the semi-finals of the 1992 UEFA European Championship, a competition that was the last to feature eight teams in the final round. The Swedes topped their group following victories against Denmark (1-0) and England (2-1) after opening the competition with a 1-1 draw against France at the Råsunda stadium. But Sweden found Germany too stern an opponent in the semis, making their exit following a 3-2 defeat.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
The European champions were winners of Group C, qualifying with two games to spare thanks to Ioannis Amanatidis’s strike in a 1-0 win against Turkey in Istanbul. They finished the campaign with 31 points – more than any other team in qualifying. Otto Rehhagel broke new ground as Greece's longest-serving coach, overseeing his 75th match in the final qualifier in Hungary. Greece’s great start – three wins without conceding a goal – came to a shocking end as they went down 4-1 to Turkey in Athens, despite taking a fifth-minute lead through Sotirios Kyrgiakos. "Although we got an early goal, we couldn't keep up with Turkey's tempo and they got better by the minute," said Rehhagel. Greek heads did not drop, however, and they duly won seven out of their next eight qualifiers, the only dropped points coming in the credit-worthy 2-2 draw in Norway, where Kyrgiakos scored twice. Kyrgiakos played in all 1,080 minutes of Greece’s 12-game qualifying campaign.
Best Euro Championship:
Proved to be the surprise package of the UEFA EURO 2004 finals in Portugal by ending the competition as winners. Qualified for the competition for the second time in their history by winning their group with six wins and two losses from their eight outings to finish ahead of Spain and Ukraine. Won their last six matches in the qualifying round by a total margin of eight goals scored and none conceded – the last four games all ending 1-0. Finished second behind Portugal in the group stage of the final tournament despite defeating the hosts 2-1 in the opening game. Continued to put faith in their defence as 1-0 results proved in the remainder of the competition. Greece overcame France at the quarter-final stage with Angelos Charisteas on target after 65 minutes. Then beat the Czech Republic in the semis thanks to Trianios Dellas’ silver goal after 105 minutes. Greece then defeated Portugal in the final at the Estádio da Luz with Charisteas’ 57th-minute goal separating the sides. Ended the competition without conceding a goal in their final 358 minutes of competitive play.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
A bad start was put behind them as Luis Aragonés's side beat Sweden 3-0 at home in their penultimate qualifier to confirm their place in the finals. Spain had ended 2006 as a team in crisis, a shock 3-2 defeat against Northern Ireland in Belfast being followed by a 2-0 loss in Sweden to leave them with just three points from their first three Group F games. Results improved in 2007 with a 1-1 draw against Iceland in Reykjavik – earned with a late Andrés Iniesta strike – the only blip during a run of eight wins in nine. Aragonés's team underlined their quality by following up a 3-1 victory in Denmark with the all-important 3-0 success against Sweden. A 1-0 win against Northern Ireland in their last qualifier secured top spot in the section, but Aragonés said: "Spain have been qualifying for finals tournaments for many years so this isn't a success but simply doing our duty."
Best Euro Championship:
Spain's greatest UEFA European Championship moment came on 21 June 1964 when they won the competition in Madrid, defeating the Soviet Union 2-1. The Spaniards defeated Romania, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the qualifying rounds before overcoming Hungary (2-1) in the semi-finals.

Euro 2008 Qualifying:
Guus Hiddink's maiden campaign as coach could hardly have had a more dramatic ending as Russia snatched second place in Group E at the death. After opening with home draws against Croatia and Israel, Russia won five of their next six games. Aleksandr Kerzhakov struck a hat-trick in a 4-0 home victory against Andorra and the only game of that sequence they did not win was a goalless draw in Croatia. Russia played back-to-back games against England in autumn 2007, losing 3-0 at Wembley but then staging a dramatic recovery in Moscow, where substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko scored twice in five second-half minutes – the first a penalty – to cancel out Wayne Rooney's opener. That result left Russia second in the section, needing six points from their final games in Israel and Andorra to be sure of qualifying. Hiddink said it was "simply impossible" to lose in Israel, against opponents already out of the running, but lose they did, their 2-1 defeat putting England back in pole position to qualify. However, the drama continued on the final day, with England unexpectedly losing 3-2 at home against group winners Croatia, allowing a ten-man Russia to seal their progress with a 1-0 win in Andorra, earned by Dmitri Sychev's goal.
Best Euro Championship:
Russia's best performance since competing as an independent state came at UEFA EURO 2004 although their best qualification round came in the run up to EURO ‘96. From ten matches, Russia collected 26 points to claim first position from a group featuring Finland, Greece, Scotland, the Faroe Islands and San Marino. Their involvement in the UEFA EURO '96 was less memorable with one point from three games, a 3-3 draw against the Czech Republic after earlier losing their opening two games to Italy (2-1) and Germany (3-0).