With a new format at Euro 2016, smaller nations have a great chance to spring a surprise by following in the footsteps of these dark horses...
The draw for Euro 2016 took place in Paris on Saturday, as all 24 qualified teams discovered the identities of their group-stage opponents at next summer’s tournament in France.
Having each been selected from the bottom pot of seeds, Republic of Ireland, Wales and Northern Ireland all face tasks of varying difficulty if they are to make it through to the next round.
Yet with a newly-expanded format allowing for 16 sides to qualify for the knock-out stages for the very first time, never has there been so much opportunity for the lesser nations to progress.
After all, the European Championship has certainly seen plenty of famous underdog stories in the past.
Here are our top five:
5. Turkey and Russia reach the semi-finals at Euro 2008
Due to Switzerland and Austria’s status as hosts, Turkey and Russia were ranked 15th and 16th respectively heading into Euro 2008, yet both still went on a remarkable run to the semi-finals.
Their achievement was even more impressive considering each lost their opening matches at the tournament – with Turkey being defeated 2-0 by Portugal and Russia going down 4-1 to eventual winners Spain.
However, successive wins in their final two group games – Turkey overcoming Switzerland and Czech Republic and Russia defeating Greece and Sweden – was enough for each side to claim second spot and a place in the quarter-finals.
There, a last-minute equaliser from Semih Senturk allowed Turkey to knock out highly-rated Croatia on penalties, while Russia produced the biggest shock of the tournament by overcoming the excellent Netherlands to win 3-1 extra time thanks to goals from Dmitri Torbinski and Andrey Arshavin.
Both teams were eventually stopped by Germany and Spain in the last four, but their incredible efforts proved that even bottom seeds are capable of going deep into the tournament.
4. Czechoslovakia seal Euro 1976 glory with cheeky chip
Given that 1976 was the last Euros to feature just four teams – all of whom only secured their place after playing eight matches during an extensive qualification process featuring 32 teams – it may seem strange to include Czechoslovakia’s triumph in our list of greatest ever upsets.
Indeed, there was so little to choose between the teams that did eventually compete for the title that, for the first time in history, all four games of the tournament proper were either decided in extra time or on penalties.
However, if anything, the condensed nature of the tournament helped to make the achievements of the Czechs – who had no household names to call upon – even more remarkable given the esteemed opposition they faced.
First up, they dispatched the Netherlands – who were in the middle of a Total Football-inspired revolution that had seen them finish as World Cup runners-up two years earlier – in the semi-finals with two goals in the second half of extra-time securing a 3-1 win.
Then, in the final, they beat West Germany – widely regarded as one of the greatest international sides of all time after winning both Euro 1972 and World Cup 1974.
Having led 2-0, the Czechs recovered from the setback of conceding an equaliser in the 89th minute to eventually win the first ever penalty shoot-out to decide a major international tournament – with Antonin Panenka’s decisive dink from 12 yards providing an iconic moment that still endures to this day.
3. Czech Republic make Euro 1996 final in tournament debut
If Czechoslovakia’s triumph in the last championship to feature four sides was notable, then the performance of the Czech Republic – competing for the first time since gaining independence four years earlier – in 1996 in the first to comprise 16 teams was even more impressive.
They made the worst possible start after losing to Germany in their first game, but punished Arrigo Sacchi’s decision to field a weakened team with a surprise 2-1 win over Italy – meaning that a 3-3 draw with Russia was enough to knock the Azzurri out at the group stages.
It did not get any easier for the Czechs, who overcame Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals thanks to Karol Poborsky’s seemingly impossible lob, before edging past France in the semis following a penalty shoot-out that went to sudden death.
Facing Germany once again in the final, the Czech Republic took a second-half lead but were eventually defeated by an Oliver Bierhoff brace.
Their squad may not have featured any star names ahead of the tournament, but the performances of their young talents in Pavel Nedved, Karol Poborsky and Patrik Berger earned them moves to some of the biggest clubs in Europe and cult-hero status.
And even more importantly, they ensured their newly-independent nation immediately re-established itself as a credible footballing outfit.
2. Denmark make the most of late call-up to win Euro 1992
Incredibly, eventual winners Denmark did not even officially qualify for Euro 1992, and were only asked to fill in after Yugoslavia – who they had finished second behind in the group – were disqualified due to the civil war engulfing the country amid the break-up of the Balkan state.
Despite only being given a week’s notice to prepare for the eight-team tournament, the Danes – whose side featured a total of 10 players from the Brondby side who had reached the semi-finals of the Uefa Cup the year before – needed no time to settle.
A 0-0 draw against England and 2-1 victory over France either side of a 1-0 loss to hosts and fierce rivals Sweden was enough to secure a semi-final against the Netherlands who had topped the other group.
Denmark twice took the lead in their last-four encounter, but after Frank Rijkaard scored an 86th minute equaliserhad Peter Schmeichel to thank for saving Marco van Basten’s penalty in the resulting shoot-out.
The goalkeeper proved to be the hero once again in the final with a string of saves to keep a dominant Germany at bay during the early stages.
John Jensen – who had scored just one goal in his previous 48 internationals – then fired home for the Danes from the edge of the box to give them an 18th–minute lead before Kim Vilfort grabbed a second with 12 minutes left to give the most unlikely of stories the perfect ending.
1. Greece twice spoil the party to pip Portugal to Euro 2004
Sharing a group with both hosts Portugal and Spain, Greece – who had only qualified for two major tournaments before in their history – were given little chance of making it through to the knock-out stages of Euro 2004, let alone going all the way.
Indeed, only Latvia were given longer odds of lifting the trophy than the team ranked 19th in the world going into the tournament.
Yet the Greeks, coached by the pragmatic former German international Otto Rehhagel, soon gave a glimpse of what they were capable of by stealing the show in the opening game with a 2-1 victory over Portugal.
An impressive 1-1 draw with Spain then proved enough to earn a quarter-final spot with four points, with a 2-1 loss to Russia in their final group game mattering little as La Roja were beaten by their Iberian neighbours.
Greece then dispatched defending champions France in the quarter-finals, before a set-piece goal by Traianos Dellas in extra time sealed a narrow victory over Czech Republic in the semis.
The pattern was continued in the final, with a headed goal from a corner by Angelos Charisteas in the second half enough to secure a third consecutive 1-0 win in the knock-outs to end the tournament as they had begun by beating the hosts.
Their style may have been more efficient than exciting, but in terms of underdog stories to capture the imagination, there are none better.
READ: Euro 2016 group-stage draw: The best and worst-case scenarios
