'I was on the pitch for Portugal's infamous Euros meltdown – they wanted to fight'
As major tournament meltdowns go, Portugal’s implosion at Euro 2000 takes some topping.
Portugal, in the Euros before a certain Cristiano Ronaldo burst onto the scene, had impressed in Belgium and the Netherlands, topping a group containing admittedly awful Germany and England sides and then brushing Turkey aside in the quarter-finals.
The true acid test of their credentials came against world champions France in the semi-finals in Brussels. The Portuguese led at half-time with France pulling level early through Thierry Henry in the second half. The match went to extra-time.
Crucially, as it turned out, this was in the days of the Golden Goal, where a goal in extra-time would end the contest in an instant. In the second period, with the minutes ticking down, France fashioned a gilt-edged chance as Sylvain Wiltord’s effort from an acute angle was blocked on the line by Abel Xavier, then of Everton.
The referee gave a corner, but the linesman had spotted a handball by Xavier – quite an obvious one as replays showed – and a penalty was given. Portugal weren’t having it though, collectively losing their minds by ranting at and even getting physical with the officials.
After almost five minutes of bedlam, enough order was restored for Zinedine Zidane to bury the penalty and send France through to the final. Cue more chaos as Portugal resumed their ballistic protests, with security having to intervene to protect the officials.
Portugal’s scorer, Nuno Gomes, got a red card while Xavier was hit with a nine-match ban, later reduced to six, from UEFA competitions. Gomes and Paulo Bento also received lengthy bans.
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Abel Xavier rages at referee Gunter Benko during the Euro 2000 semi-final between Portugal and France
One of the French players on the pitch that night 24 years ago was Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit, who was left bewildered by the shocking scenes. Ahead of Portugal's opener against Czech Republic at Euro 2024, he told the Mirror: “They went so nuts, the Portuguese, they went crazy on the pitch. They lost their composure and concentration.
“It was a fair decision from the referee. I can understand the frustrations of the Portuguese but, if they are honest, they will tell you the same thing.
“The players on the pitch were very upset, they were complaining to the referee. But on the bench, they were ready to fight. Against who, I don’t know. Maybe us, but that was not our decision, it was the decision of the referee.”
Emmanuel Petit's France had to see off Luis Figo and Portugal in the semi-finals of Euro 2000
Many of the players at this year’s tournament weren’t even born when those ugly scenes unfolded. However, they should serve as a timely reminder of how important it is for players to keep their cool amid high-pressure moments, according to Petit.
“You cannot do that,” he said. “It won’t be easy during the games. Sometimes you want to fight everything on the pitch, the referee for bad decisions or even your own team-mates if they don’t play well.
“But you have to be focused and keep your calm. Emotions and nerves are important in the big competitions and if you lose that, it’s almost certain you will lose the game. Keep your concentration, keep your emotions because it’s very important.”
Emmanuel Petit was speaking on behalf of BetMGM. Play the new £2million Golden Goals game by predicting Euro 2024 scores at betmgm.co.uk . BeGambleAware 18+
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