Raymond Domenech may not be relishing a UEFA EURO 2008™ Group C rematch with 2006 FIFA World Cup conquerors Italy, but France actually boast an impressive record against the Azzurri. The Italians, in turn, seemingly have the Indian sign over the Netherlands, while Romanian victories against any of their three Group C rivals are rare. Here is a record of their past encounters.
Italy v France
The teams qualified together for the finals from Group B. Although Italy won the section, France had the better of the two meetings, winning 3-1 at home and drawing 0-0 away. Italy won the World Cup final in Berlin last year after a shoot-out in which they converted all five of their penalties. The only player to miss from the spot was David Trezeguet, the man whose golden goal had defeated Italy in extra time in the UEFA EURO 2000™ showpiece. The World Cup final will also be remembered for the red card received in extra time by Zinédine Zidane for his head butt on Italy defender Marco Materazzi. It was the last match of Zidane's career. Penalty shoot-outs aside, Les Bleus have not lost a match to Italy – competitive or friendly – since the 1978 World Cup, a run which includes a quarter-final in 1998.
Netherlands v France
The Netherlands were defeated on penalties by France at EURO '96™, the second of three successive shoot-out failures in the UEFA European Championship. The Dutch defeated France 3-2 on home soil four years later but both teams had already booked their places in the quarter-finals. UEFA President Michel Platini was on target when France defeated the Netherlands 2-0 at the Parc des Princes to qualify for the 1982 World Cup. Didier Six scored the other. The two teams last met on 31 March 2004 in Rotterdam. The friendly finished goalless. Netherlands v Italy
Italy defeated the Netherlands on penalties in the UEFA EURO 2000™ semi-finals. The Dutch became the fourth successive EURO host nation to exit in the last four. The meeting in Amsterdam was the first between the two countries in a major tournament since the 1978 World Cup. The Oranje won that encounter in Buenos Aires to reach the final thanks to long-range goals from Ernie Brandts and Arie Haan. Brandts had earlier scored an own goal to give Italy the lead. The Netherlands have not beaten Italy in eight matches since. The two coaches, Marco van Basten and Roberto Donadoni, played together for several years at AC Milan.
Netherlands v Romania
The nations qualified for 2008 in tandem from the same group. The Romanians finished top, having claimed the first win in their history over the Dutch in October. Dorin Goian scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory in rainswept Constanta. The earlier encounter, in Rotterdam, ended goalless. Conversely, the Netherlands did the double over Romania en route to qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. Romania failed to score in the first five fixtures between the two countries and have managed just two in total in ten games.
Italy v Romania
Italy have won the last four meetings, a sequence beginning with a 2-0 victory in Brussels in the UEFA EURO 2000™ quarter-finals. Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi scored the goals while Romanian legend Gheorghe Hagi was sent off on his 125th and last appearance for his country. Inzaghi also scored in each of Italy's two wins in the 2002 World Cup qualifying competition.
France v Romania
EURO '96™ brought France and Romania into competitive combat for the first and only time – they met both in qualifying and at the finals, where a Christophe Dugarry goal won the group game in Newcastle and gave Les Bleus a tenth successive victory under coach Aimé Jacquet. Just one friendly has been played since them, France winning 2-1 in Paris on 13 February 2002 with goals from Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit. The teams have been drawn against each other in the qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup.©uefa.com
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