GO FIGURE
28 June 2000 - London
by Pete Gill
THE numbers that mattered in Euro 2000
this week...
0 The number of players who have scored
four goals in a European Championship
finals match. That remains the case only
because UEFA rightly stripped Netherlands
striker Patrick Kluivert of one of the four
goals he claimed against Yugoslavia on
Sunday (it was an own goal by Dejan
Govedarica).
1 The number of Englishmen (David
Beckham) named in UEFA's top 50 players
at the halfway stage of Euro 2000. One is
also the number of minutes left on the
clock when Spanish golden boy Raul fired a
penalty high and wide against France - a
successful conversion would have taken
the match into extra time.
2 The number of players who have scored
goals direct from a free-kick at the
championship so far: Frank de Boer
(Holland) and Zinedine Zidane (France).
3 The number of countries who reached
the last eight of Euro 2000 who can be
said to be 'Northern European' on the basis
of the majority of their land mass being
north of the 45 degrees longtitude mark:
Netherlands, Romania and France. As both
Romania and France are considered
'Southern European' it is clear that a new
North-South divide may have been formed
at Euro 2000.
4 The number of yellow cards Romanian
captain Gheorge Hagi received during his
three matches at Euro 2000. The first two
saw him suspended for the final group
match with England, two more against
Italy in the quarter-final saw him sent off
in what will almost certainly be his last
international.
5 The number of goals both Kluivert
(Netherlands) and Savo Milosevic
(Yugoslavia) have netted at Euro 2000 to
head the scoring charts. Yes, that's the
same player who was known as 'Savo
Missalot' after a less than distinguished
spell in English football with Aston Villa.
6 The number of goals the Netherlands put
past Yugoslavia (who only offered
Milosevic's effort in reply) to create a new
scoring record in a European Championship
finals match and record their sixth win in
as many matches.
7 The number of goals scored in each of
Yugoslavia's last two matches at Euro
2000: the aforementioned 6-1 hammering
by the Netherlands and a 4-3 defeat to
Spain.
8 The number of players who are walking a
disciplinary tight-rope in their country's
semi-final as just one more yellow card
would rule them out of the final: Didier
Deschamps (France), Paul Bosvelt
(Netherlands), Demetrio Albertini (Italy),
Joao Pinto, Paulo Sousa, Rui Costa,
Fernando Couto, Costinha (all Portugal).
9 The number of years it is since Portugal's
'Golden Generation' won the World Youth
Cup. On present form, though, few are
willing to bet against Figo, Costa and Pinto
finally living up to their potential.
10 The number of men Turkey finished
their 2-0 quarter-final defeat against the
Portuguese with after Ozalan was
dismissed.
11 The number of men Yugoslavia had on
the pitch for the entire 90 minutes against
the Netherlands. Nothing remarkable about
that you might think; except for the fact it
was the first time in the tournament that a
Yugoslav player wasn't sent off during one
of their matches. And they still got
thrashed 6-1!
13 The number of goals Yugoslavia
conceded in just over two and a half
matches when Sinisa Mihajlovic played as
sweeper: three against Slovenia, four
against Spain and six against the
Netherlands. Without him, their ten men
recovered to snatch a 3-3 draw against
Slovenia and Yugoslavia also defeated
Norway 1-0 while he was suspended, but
then it all went Pete Tong. Perhaps they
would have been better off if the Lazio
man had seen red in Rotterdam on Sunday!
15 The number of consecutive games
Italy's Filipo Inzaghi had gone without
scoring before he netted against Romania
to wrap up the Azzurri's place in the last
four.
24 The number of times Lilian Thuram,
Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc and Bixente
Lizarazu have played together for France
and the number of times the world
champions have avoided defeat in those
games. 'Nuff said.
96 The number of random drug tests
carried out during the group stages by
UEFA. Not a single test found any illegal
substances, so either football's drug free
or UEFA's tests are crap.
34,113 The average attendance at Euro
2000 matches so far.
45,000,000 The number of pounds both
Barcelona and Real Madrid are said to be
willing to spend on bringing England and
Manchester United star David Beckham to
Spain.
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