The
Euro Cup 1968 was held in Italy and was one of the most important sporting events of the year. It was in this year that the European Nations’ Cup was renamed as the Euro Cup or the UEFA European Football Championship. The tournament was held for the first
time in italy. The 1968 European Championships also experienced some changes in the structure of the tournament. The preliminary rounds also included the quarter finals, which were played in different countries in home and away basis. The hosts were chosen from the countries that had qualified for the finals.
The final round of the Euro Cup 1968 featured only four teams. As a result, the tournament had only the semi finals and the final played in Italy. The tournament started on the 5th of June and continued till 10th June. The matches were played in three cities-Rome, Florence and Naples. The Stadio Comunale in Florence hosted one of the semifinals, which involved England and Yugoslavia. The other semifinal was played in Stadio San Paolo in Naples and had Italy edging out USSR. England defeated USSR in the third place play-off in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on the 8th of June, 1960.
The final between Italy and Yugoslavia at the same stadium in Rome ended in a draw on 8th June. The replay of the final on 10th June saw host Italy emerging as champions by defeating Yugoslavia by two goals to nil. The tournament was low scoring one as a whole with an average of 1.4 goals per game. Dragan Dzajic of Yugoslavia was the top scorer with two goals to his name.
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