Spain v France

By the time they came up against the world champions, Spain were still looking to produce a performance of sustained quality and in this game they finally did it . . . the pity for them was that the French were still too good for them. In a terrifically quick game filled with breathtaking movement and outstanding individual skills, Zinedine Zidane gave his side the lead with a superb free-kick from just outside the area before Gaizka Mendieta cancelled the goal out from the penalty spot. Just before the break, Youri Djorkaeff restored France's lead and Raul's late penalty miss, after Mendieta had been replaced, kept Roger Lemerre's side on course for last night's final.

Spain v Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia had already been involved in one cracker, the 3-3 draw with Slovenia, and were subsequently hammered in another by the Dutch, but they were also involved in the finish of the tournament. Spain, 3-2 down just a couple of minutes short of the final whistle, faced elimination at the group stage. With their opponents down to 10 men, they threw everything forward over the closing minutes and after Mendieta levelled things up with a rather dubious penalty, Alfonso grabbed a fine winner in injury-time to put his side through.

England v Portugal

Many pundits questioned Kevin Keegan's grip on reality when he repeatedly told the media that his side could win these championships and you can't help thinking that when his side led 2-0 in Eindhoven he was already thinking of the giant-sized "I told you so" post-match press conference. Early on, England certainly looked strong and the goals from Paul Scholes and Steve McManaman were no more than they deserved. But their attempt to defend the lead was entirely inept and Portugal swept them aside with a memorable display of attacking football. Luis Figo, Joao Pinto and Nuno Gomes produced the goals.

And games to forget . . .

In a tournament that has already gone down as one of the best for its open, attacking football, there were, of course, a few games that are best forgotten. Possibly the worst of the lot was the Group B meeting of Turkey and

Sweden, a match which neither side could afford to lose after losses in their first matches. Neither team showed any intention of even trying to win. It was awful. A lack of ambition was clearly the problem in the meeting between Romania and Portugal, too. Portugal, their heroics against England still fresh in the mind, decided that a draw would do them. As it happened Costinho headed home a Figo free in the sixth minute of injury-time to give Humberto Coelho's team all three points.

Heroes and villians

Zlatko Zahovic (Slovenia)

His team turned out to be better than anybody expected and the Olympiakos midfielder/striker was undoubtedly the star of their show. Quite brilliant against Yugoslavia, his pace, vision and technical ability ensured that he was an influence on just about everything his team did. The goals were pretty impressive, too.

Francesco Toldo (Italy)

A month before the championships, Toldo wasn't expected to even start a game, but injuries to others handed him an opportunity which he grabbed with both hands. Exceptionally strong and commanding through the group stages and quarter-final, the 28-year-old Fiorentina player will be long remembered for his penalty heroics against the Dutch.

Ioan Ganea (Romania)

Inexperienced at this level, the 26-year-old striker came on as a substitute against England and when Phil Neville conceded a late penalty, it was on his shoulders that the spot-kick fell. His cool finish gave Romania their first ever win in a European finals, as well as a place in the quarter-finals.

And villians . . .

Phil Neville's late blunder and Gheorghe Hagi's terribly disappointing exit from international football make them candidates for the list but then the competition is strong. Goalkeeper Filip De Wilde (Belgium), who had a fairly dreadful tournament, has to top it. In the first game, against the Swedes, the Anderlecht man almost spoiled the party when his side were 2-0 up, making a match of it again by bungling his attempt to control a back pass and presented a simple goal to Johan Mjallby. In the final group match with Turkey, though, things got much, much worse. De Wilde was at fault for both goals and then got sent off with seven minutes remaining.

Departing coaches

Humberto Coelho (Portugal)

The amiable 50-year-old inherited his team from Artur Jorge, but he stamped his own personality on the way they played and took chances when he felt it was necessary - the replacement of Sa Pinto with the unproven Nuno Gomes for a start. With penalties in sight in the semi-final against France, it seemed that Portugal's day might finally have come, but Abel Xavier's handball ended their hopes and Coelho's international reign.

Erich Ribbeck (Germany)

With very little by way of talented young bloods to bring in, Ribbeck stuck with the old guard and, most controversially, with 39-year-old Lothar Matthaus. Expectations were low beforehand, with 44 per cent of supporters polled predicting a first round exit. The defeats by England and Portugal ensured that both the coach and the players, whose international careers he had prolonged, would go.

Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands)

Quietspoken and businesslike throughout the tournament, Rijkaard had to put up with consistently negative press at home where the feeling persisted, prior to the demolition of Yugoslavia, that his tactics were not right. After that 6-1 win he seemed to finally win his critics over. It made the humiliation suffered in the semi-final even harder to take. Resigned immediately afterwards, although the suspicion is that, like Coelho, the 37-year-old who previously spent some time away from the game developing an underwear business, has a job lined up.

And players . . .

Gheorghe Hagi (Romania)

Despite his own claims and those of his supporters that his most recent season at Galatassaray was amongst the very best of his career, the veteran midfielder was very disappointing over the last few weeks. Still had the touch, but was less inclined to use it. Having been suspended for the England game (Romania's best of the tournament), he was sent off for two yellow cards - a terrible tackle on Italy's Conte and a dive - in the quarterfinal.

Lothar Matthaus (Germany)

Offered to go before and during the tournament and after the appalling 90 minutes against Portugal (from which he was one of the very few Germans to emerge with any credit), he must have wished that his coach had agreed. His presence was the subject of an ongoing dispute within the squad and the main topic of every German press conference. After such an astonishing career at this level it was an embarrassing finale.

Alan Shearer (England)

Top scorer at Euro '96, the Newcastle striker was one of the stronger performers in a poor English side. Scored two goals and troubled opposing defenders more than Michael Owen, but still looked to be past his best. The booking for diving in the Romania game was also a blemish on his last major championships.

Best goals from play

Stefano Fiore (Italy)

In the 2-0 defeat of Belgium - A neat move finished with an outstanding strike by the 25-year-old who played a one-two with Filippo Inzaghi before letting fly towards the top right corner with his right foot from 25 yards out on the right.

Alfonso (Spain)

In the 4-3 defeat of Yugoslavia - The long ball into the area had an air of desperation about it but then, given the Yugoslav's fairly hopeless defending through much of the game, you could see the logic of it all. Sure enough the attempt to clear the danger was bungled and Alfonso managed to strike the ball brilliantly from what looked like an impossible angle.

Mehmet Scholl (Germany)

In the 1-1 draw with Romania - Germany appeared to have played themselves into a cul de sac down the right-hand side, but a quick interchange of passes got them out of trouble before Paolo Rink played it short to the Bayern Munich midfielder, who promptly sent the ball sailing over Bogdan Stelea and into the top corner.

Best from set-pieces

Frank de Boer (Netherlands)

Free-kick against France - Quickly taken from some 35 yards out, the shot was within Fabian Barthez's range, but such was its power the Frenchman could only touch in on to the underside of the crossbar as it went in.

Zinedine Zidane (France)

Penalty against Portugal - The wrangling that followed Abel Xavier's handball might have put a lesser player off, but when the time finally came to take the spot-kick, the Juventus midfielder drove the ball decisively towards the top left corner. It was, quite simply, unstoppable.

Zidane

Free-kick against Spain - The maestro again. This time his free-kick from just over 20 yards out curved mercilessly in mid-air as it cleared the wall and ended up going in a couple of feet to the right of the left-hand post

And four to forget . . .

Frank de Boer's penalties against Italy - Hard to tell which of them was worse really, with neither leaving Toldo much to do. Both kicks lacked power and were within a couple of feet of the Italian, scarcely a recipe for success. Patrick Kluivert's penalty against Italy - With Italy down to 10 men, the Dutch still would have made the final if the former Ajax striker had scored this, but to look at him as he stood there trying to steady himself, you knew he wasn't going to score. In the end he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way, but the shot came back off the foot of the post.

Raul's penalty against France - The 23-yearold has a reputation for arrogance, some of which may well have been knocked out of him by what was a fairly terrible miss. Mendieta had successfully converted Spain's previous two spot-kicks, but with the midfielder already substituted Raul blasted well over.

Best fans

The Slovenians

Around 4,000 travelled for the game against Yugoslavia, but many more arrived in Amsterdam for the weekend of the Spain match. Good natured and upbeat throughout, they were comfortably the most popular of the visitors to the Low Countries.

The Dutch

The fact that just about every one of them wore orange to their games added to the spectacle, while the quality of the stadiums helped to make the Dutch games so memorable. But the enthusiasm of the local supporters inside and outside the grounds gave the whole championship a momentum and sense of occasion in Holland that was sadly lacking across the border in Belgium.

Worst fans

The English

Once again they let themselves down and in the process made it very easy indeed for FIFA to kill off their hopes of hosting the 2006 World Cup. Hundreds were arrested and deported, many more went unpunished for their racism and violence. And as usual the majority - from England as well as from the other competing nations - were forced to take a share of the consequences.