The UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It was the 16th staging of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
's
European Under-21 Championship
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial Association football, football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. ...
.
Summary
For the first time, a host nation was chosen ahead of the competition – the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, who were also the defending champions, were exempt from qualifying. The host nation was chosen on 15 December 2005.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
, and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
also submitted bids. Of UEFA's 52 member countries, only the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
did not compete in the
qualification round for the tournament. That left 50 nations attempting to qualify for the seven remaining spots at the finals.
This was the first time that the competition's final matches took place in an odd-numbered year.
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
took this decision with the will to give more visibility to the tournament, since during even-numbered years the competition was clouded by the approaching
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
or the
UEFA European Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
.
The tournament also served as the European qualifying tournament for the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
, with a place for the four semi-finalists of the tournament. However, as England is not an Olympic nation, their team was ineligible for the Olympics. Therefore, with the event of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
reaching the semi-finals, a
fifth-place playoff was necessary.
In this competition, a new UEFA penalty shootout record was established. The semi final between
The Netherlands U21 and
England U21
The England national under-21 football team, also known as England under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.
This team is for England players aged under 21 at the start of the calen ...
finished 1-1. No less than 32 penalties had to be taken before the tie was decided. The Netherlands U21 won 13-12, and went on to win the tournament by defeating
Serbia U21 4-1 in the final.
After the final, some commotion arose in the Netherlands because several Dutch internationals with
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
se roots carried the flag of Suriname with them during the ceremony of the European Champion in the
Euroborg
The Euroborg () is the stadium in Groningen, Netherlands. It is the home of football club FC Groningen, with a capacity of 22,525 seats. The stadium site houses a casino, movie theater, school, supermarket, and a fitness centre. A temporary railwa ...
. Dutch coach
Foppe de Haan
Foppe Geert de Haan (, born 26 June 1943) is a Dutch football coach. He is known for his long association with Frisian club SC Heerenveen. De Haan was the manager of the Tuvalu national football team during 2011 and then rejoined Heerenveen's ...
expressed the actions of these players as "inappropriate".
Qualification
In order to make the switch from even to odd-numbered years, the 2007 edition was a shortened version, condensed from a two-year campaign into a one-year campaign. Therefore, a completely new qualification format was devised to eliminate the weaker nations early, and saw a decrease in the size and duration of qualification groups.
Finals tournament
Draw
The draw for the finals took place in
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
on 24 November 2006, putting the eight qualifying nations into two groups. The provisional dates for the group games are 10 June to 17 June 2007, with
Heerenveen
Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...
and
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...
each staging a semi-final on 20 June. The final took place on Saturday 23 June at the
Euroborg stadium in
Groningen
Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...
.
The opening game was between the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
at 10 June.
Venues
Squads
Finals group stage
In the following tables:
Group A
----
----
Group B
----
----
Knockout stage
Semi-finals
----
Final
Awards
Golden player
*
Royston Drenthe
Royston Ricky Drenthe (born 8 April 1987) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Murcia. Although primarily a left winger, he has also played as a left-back.
Drenthe started his professional career with Eredivisie side Feyenoord i ...
Goal scorers
;4 goals
*
Maceo Rigters
Maceo Rigters (born 22 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a striker for SC Heerenveen, Dordrecht, NAC Breda and Willem II in the Netherlands, for Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and Barnsley in England, and fo ...
;3 goals
*
Leroy Lita
Leroy Halirou Bohari Lita (born 28 December 1984) is an English footballer who plays for Nuneaton Borough. Lita was a product of the Chelsea youth system but never made a first-team appearance for the club; in 2002, he moved to Bristol City and ...
;2 goals
*
Alberto Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani (; born 7 July 1984) is an Italian football manager and former player. Mainly a central midfielder, he usually operated as a deep-lying playmaker, but was also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder. He is the head coach o ...
*
Ryan Babel
Ryan may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
*Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
Places Australia
* Division of Ryan, an elector ...
*
Giorgio Chiellini
Giorgio Chiellini (; born 14 August 1984) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, Chiellini is known for his strengt ...
*
Kevin Mirallas
Kevin Antonio Joel Gislain Mirallas y Castillo (born 5 October 1987), known as Kevin Mirallas (), is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Cypriot side AEL Limassol.
Mirallas started his professional career in France wit ...
*
Dragan Mrđa
Dragan Mrđa ( sr-Cyrl, Драган Мрђа; born 23 January 1984) is a former Serbian footballer who played as a forward. At international level he has represented Serbia.
Club career
Early career
After spending many years of his youth playi ...
*
Miguel Veloso
Miguel Luís Pinto Veloso (; born 11 May 1986) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for and captains Italian club Hellas Verona. Mainly a defensive midfielder, he can also operate as an attacking left-back.
He started his career wi ...
;1 goal
*
Otman Bakkal
Otman Bakkal (born 27 February 1985) is a Dutch retired international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
He began his career at PSV, and was loaned to Den Bosch, Eindhoven, Twente and Feyenoord. After making a permanent move to ...
*
Luigi Bruins
Luigi Bruins (born 9 March 1987) is a Dutch professional association football, footballer who plays as an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder for VV Smitshoek.
After being declined by Feyenoord at the age of six, the Rotterdam ...
*
Matt Derbyshire
Matthew Anthony Derbyshire (born 14 April 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club NorthEast United.
He played for Blackburn Rovers for five years, and had loan spells with Plymouth Argy ...
*
Royston Drenthe
Royston Ricky Drenthe (born 8 April 1987) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Murcia. Although primarily a left winger, he has also played as a left-back.
Drenthe started his professional career with Eredivisie side Feyenoord i ...
*
Manuel Fernandes
*
Boško Janković
Boško Janković ( sr-Cyrl, Бошко Јанковић; born 1 March 1984) is a Serbian former footballer who played as a winger for the Serbia national football team. He is an attacking minded player, with the tendency to take long shots and ...
*
Aleksandar Kolarov
Aleksandar Kolarov (; born 10 November 1985) is a Serbian former professional footballer. Although primarily a left-back, Kolarov could also operate as a centre-back and anywhere along the left flank and was known for his overlapping attacking ru ...
*
Hedwiges Maduro
Hedwiges Eduard Martinus Maduro (born 13 February 1985) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player who is the assistant coach of Eerste Divisie club Almere City. Mainly a defensive midfielder during his playing career, he could als ...
*
Dejan Milovanović
Dejan Milovanović ( sr-Cyrl, Дејан Миловановић; born 21 January 1984) is a Serbian retired professional footballer.
Personal
He is the son of Đorđe Milovanović, a member of Red Star Belgrade in the late 1970s and early to mid ...
*
Nani
*
David Nugent
David James Nugent (born 2 May 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker and is currently a free agent after leaving Preston North End.
He started his career in 2002 when he signed his first professional contract with ...
*
Michal Papadopulos
Michal Papadopulos (born 14 April 1985) is a Czech professional footballer who most recently played as a forward for Czech club MFK Karviná.
Career
Papadopulos started his football career in his native Ostrava at NH Ostrava, and then Baník Os ...
*
Sébastien Pocognoli
Sébastien Pocognoli (born 1 August 1987) is a Belgian football manager and former player who played as a left-back. He is the head coach of the Under-21 squad of Union SG. Between 2008 and 2014, he made 13 appearances for the Belgium national ...
*
Giuseppe Rossi
Giuseppe Rossi (; born 1 February 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward. Born in the United States, Rossi spent most of his career in Europe with Villarreal and Fiorentina, in addition to spells with other clubs in England, It ...
*
Ricardo Vaz Tê
Ricardo Jorge Vaz Tê (born 1 October 1986) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Vaz Tê has previously played for English clubs Bolton Wanderers, Hull City, Barnsley and West Ham United, Greek club Panionios, Scottis ...
Medal table and Olympic qualifiers
* Netherlands, Serbia, Belgium and Italy qualify for the Olympic games finals.
See
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 team ...
Olympic Qualifying Play-Off
The 2007 European Under-21 Championship also served as the European qualifying round for the
2008 Olympic football tournament. Europe's four places at the Olympic tournament were to be filled by the four semi-finalists. However, because England, one of the semi-finalists, do not compete independently at the Olympics, following the group stage a play-off between Portugal and Italy, the two third-placed teams in each group, was arranged to identify the fourth European qualifier. Italy defeated Portugal through a penalty shoot-out booking their Olympic place in Beijing.
References
External links
Draw and Fixturesat uefa.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the compe ...
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
International association football competitions hosted by the Netherlands
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
June 2007 sports events in Europe
2007 in youth association football