UEFA Euro 1996 Group C
# UEFA Euro 1996 Group C

Group C of UEFA Euro 1996 was one of four groups in the final tournament's initial group stage. It began on 9 June and was completed on 19 June. The group consisted of Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and Russia.

Using FIFA World Rankings as a measure of the strength of the teams, The Guardian calculated in 2007 that the strongest "Group of Death" of all time was the Euro 1996 Group C. The teams (and world rankings) were Germany (2), Russia (3), Italy (7) and the Czech Republic (10). This record was surpassed by the May 2012 rankings for Euro 2012 Group B, with Germany (2), the Netherlands (4), Portugal (5) and Denmark (10), but not the June rankings immediately before the tournament (3, 4, 10 and 9 respectively).

Germany won the group and advanced to the quarter-finals, along with the Czech Republic. Italy and Russia failed to advance.

## Teams

| Draw position | Team | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA Rankings May 1996 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C1 (seed) | Germany | Group 7 winner | 15 November 1995 | 7th | 1992 | Winners (1972, 1980) | 2 |
| C2 | Czech Republic | Group 5 winner | 15 November 1995 | 4th | 1980 | Winners (1976) | 10 |
| C3 | Italy | Group 4 runner-up (1st best runner-up) | 15 November 1995 | 4th | 1988 | Winners (1968) | 7 |
| C4 | Russia | Group 8 winner | 15 November 1995 | 7th | 1992 | Winners (1960) | 3 |

Notes

* ↑ From 1972 to 1988, Germany competed as West Germany.
* ↑ From 1960 to 1980, the Czech Republic competed as Czechoslovakia.
* ↑ From 1960 to 1988, Russia competed as the Soviet Union, and in 1992 as CIS.

## Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Germany | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Russia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 1 | |

* 1 2 Head-to-head result: Czech Republic 2–1 Italy.

In the quarter-finals,

* The winner of Group C, Germany, advanced to play the runner-up of Group D, Croatia.
* The runner-up of Group C, Czech Republic, advanced to play the winner of Group D, Portugal.

## Matches

### Germany vs Czech Republic

| Germany | Czech Republic |
| - | - |
| GK | 1 | Andreas Köpke |
| SW | 6 | Matthias Sammer |
| CB | 5 | Thomas Helmer |
| CB | 15 | Jürgen Kohler (c) | | 14' |
| RWB | 2 | Stefan Reuter | 69' |
| LWB | 17 | Christian Ziege | 28' |
| CM | 21 | Dieter Eilts |
| CM | 10 | Thomas Häßler | 77' |
| AM | 7 | Andreas Möller | 58' |
| CF | 9 | Fredi Bobic | | 65' |
| CF | 11 | Stefan Kuntz | 52' | 83' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 14 | Markus Babbel | 59' | 14' |
| MF | 19 | Thomas Strunz | | 65' |
| FW | 20 | Oliver Bierhoff | | 83' |
| Manager: ||
| Berti Vogts ||
| GK | 1 | Petr Kouba |
| RB | 15 | Michal Horňák |
| CB | 5 | Miroslav Kadlec (c) | 67' |
| LB | 3 | Jan Suchopárek |
| RM | 2 | Radoslav Látal |
| CM | 7 | Jiří Němec |
| CM | 13 | Radek Bejbl | 19' |
| LM | 4 | Pavel Nedvěd | 45' |
| AM | 11 | Martin Frýdek | | 46' |
| CF | 8 | Karel Poborský | | 46' |
| CF | 9 | Pavel Kuka |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 14 | Patrik Berger | | 46' |
| FW | 10 | Radek Drulák | 67' | 46' |
| Manager: ||
| Dušan Uhrin ||

* Man of the Match:
* Matthias Sammer (Germany)
* Assistant referees:
* Anthony Bates (England)
* Peter Walton (England)
* Fourth official:
* Stephen Lodge (England)

### Italy vs Russia

| Italy | Russia |
| - | - |
| GK | 1 | Angelo Peruzzi |
| RB | 8 | Roberto Mussi |
| CB | 5 | Alessandro Costacurta |
| CB | 2 | Luigi Apolloni |
| LB | 3 | Paolo Maldini (c) |
| RM | 15 | Angelo Di Livio | | 62' |
| CM | 16 | Roberto Di Matteo |
| CM | 10 | Demetrio Albertini | 14' |
| LM | 14 | Alessandro Del Piero | | 46' |
| CF | 21 | Gianfranco Zola |
| CF | 18 | Pierluigi Casiraghi | | 80' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 7 | Roberto Donadoni | 83' | 46' |
| MF | 17 | Diego Fuser | | 62' |
| FW | 20 | Fabrizio Ravanelli | | 80' |
| Manager: ||
| Arrigo Sacchi ||
| GK | 12 | Stanislav Cherchesov |
| RB | 2 | Omari Tetradze |
| CB | 7 | Viktor Onopko (c) | 8' |
| CB | 5 | Yuri Kovtun | 82' |
| LB | 13 | Yevgeni Bushmanov | | 46' |
| RM | 8 | Andrei Kanchelskis |
| CM | 6 | Valery Karpin | | 63' |
| CM | 19 | Vladislav Radimov |
| LM | 4 | Ilya Tsymbalar | | 71' |
| SS | 10 | Aleksandr Mostovoi |
| CF | 9 | Igor Kolyvanov | 31' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 18 | Igor Yanovski | | 46' |
| FW | 11 | Sergei Kiriakov | | 63' |
| MF | 14 | Igor Dobrovolski | | 71' |
| Manager: ||
| Oleg Romantsev ||

* Man of the Match:
* Pierluigi Casiraghi (Italy)
* Assistant referees:
* Robert Orr (Scotland)
* John Fleming (Scotland)
* Fourth official:
* Hugh Dallas (Scotland)

### Czech Republic vs Italy

| Czech Republic | Italy |
| - | - |
| GK | 1 | Petr Kouba |
| RB | 3 | Jan Suchopárek | 20' |
| CB | 5 | Miroslav Kadlec (c) | 90' |
| LB | 15 | Michal Horňák |
| RM | 2 | Radoslav Látal | 50' | 88' |
| CM | 13 | Radek Bejbl |
| CM | 7 | Jiří Němec |
| LM | 4 | Pavel Nedvěd |
| AM | 8 | Karel Poborský |
| AM | 14 | Patrik Berger | | 64' |
| CF | 9 | Pavel Kuka | 59' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 17 | Vladimír Šmicer | | 64' |
| MF | 6 | Václav Němeček | | 88' |
| Manager: ||
| Dušan Uhrin ||
| GK | 1 | Angelo Peruzzi |
| RB | 8 | Roberto Mussi |
| CB | 5 | Alessandro Costacurta |
| CB | 2 | Luigi Apolloni | 29' |
| LB | 3 | Paolo Maldini (c) |
| RM | 7 | Roberto Donadoni |
| CM | 10 | Demetrio Albertini |
| CM | 11 | Dino Baggio | | 39' |
| LM | 17 | Diego Fuser | 90' |
| CF | 19 | Enrico Chiesa | | 78' |
| CF | 20 | Fabrizio Ravanelli | | 58' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 4 | Amedeo Carboni | | 39' |
| FW | 18 | Pierluigi Casiraghi | | 58' |
| FW | 21 | Gianfranco Zola | | 78' |
| Manager: ||
| Arrigo Sacchi ||

* Man of the Match:
* Radek Bejbl (Czech Republic)
* Assistant referees:
* Victoriano Giráldez Carrasco (Spain)
* Manuel López Fernández (Spain)
* Fourth official:
* Juan Ansuátegui Roca (Spain)

### Russia vs Germany

| Russia | Germany |
| - | - |
| GK | 1 | Dmitri Kharine |
| RB | 2 | Omari Tetradze |
| CB | 7 | Viktor Onopko (c) | 30' |
| CB | 3 | Yuri Nikiforov |
| LB | 5 | Yuri Kovtun | 70' |
| RM | 8 | Andrei Kanchelskis | 13' |
| CM | 19 | Vladislav Radimov | | 46' |
| CM | 21 | Dmitri Khokhlov | | 66' |
| LM | 4 | Ilya Tsymbalar |
| SS | 10 | Aleksandr Mostovoi |
| CF | 9 | Igor Kolyvanov |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 6 | Valeri Karpin | | 46' |
| MF | 16 | Igor Simutenkov | | 66' |
| Manager: ||
| Oleg Romantsev ||
| GK | 1 | Andreas Köpke |
| SW | 6 | Matthias Sammer |
| CB | 14 | Markus Babbel | 16' |
| CB | 5 | Thomas Helmer |
| RWB | 2 | Stefan Reuter |
| LWB | 17 | Christian Ziege |
| CM | 10 | Thomas Häßler | | 67' |
| CM | 21 | Dieter Eilts |
| AM | 7 | Andreas Möller | | 87' |
| CF | 18 | Jürgen Klinsmann (c) |
| CF | 20 | Oliver Bierhoff | 31' | 85' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 4 | Steffen Freund | | 67' |
| FW | 11 | Stefan Kuntz | | 85' |
| MF | 19 | Thomas Strunz | | 87' |
| Manager: ||
| Berti Vogts ||

* Man of the Match:
* Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany)
* Assistant referees:
* Carl-Johan Christensen Meyer (Denmark)
* Torben Siersen (Denmark)
* Fourth official:
* Lars Gerner (Denmark)

### Russia vs Czech Republic

| Russia | Czech Republic |
| - | - |
| GK | 12 | Stanislav Cherchesov |
| RB | 2 | Omari Tetradze |
| CB | 3 | Yuri Nikiforov | 5' |
| CB | 20 | Sergei Gorlukovich |
| LB | 18 | Igor Yanovski | 61' |
| CM | 6 | Valeri Karpin (c) |
| CM | 21 | Dmitri Khokhlov |
| RW | 19 | Vladislav Radimov | 26' |
| LW | 4 | Ilya Tsymbalar | 28' | 67' |
| CF | 9 | Igor Kolyvanov | | 46' |
| CF | 16 | Igor Simutenkov | | 46' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 10 | Aleksandr Mostovoi | | 46' |
| FW | 17 | Vladimir Beschastnykh | | 46' |
| MF | 15 | Igor Shalimov | | 67' |
| Manager: ||
| Oleg Romantsev ||
| GK | 1 | Petr Kouba |
| RB | 15 | Michal Horňák |
| CB | 12 | Luboš Kubík (c) |
| LB | 3 | Jan Suchopárek |
| RM | 2 | Radoslav Látal |
| CM | 13 | Radek Bejbl |
| CM | 7 | Jiří Němec | 77' |
| LM | 4 | Pavel Nedvěd | 60' |
| AM | 8 | Karel Poborský |
| AM | 14 | Patrik Berger | | 90' |
| CF | 9 | Pavel Kuka | | 69' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 17 | Vladimír Šmicer | | 69' |
| MF | 6 | Václav Němeček | | 90' |
| Manager: ||
| Dušan Uhrin ||

* Man of the Match:
* Karel Poborský (Czech Republic)
* Assistant referees:
* Mikael Nilsson (Sweden)
* Sten Samuelsson (Sweden)
* Fourth official:
* Morgan Norman (Sweden)

### Italy vs Germany

| Italy | Germany |
| - | - |
| GK | 1 | Angelo Peruzzi |
| RB | 8 | Roberto Mussi |
| CB | 5 | Alessandro Costacurta |
| CB | 3 | Paolo Maldini (c) |
| LB | 4 | Amedeo Carboni | | 76' |
| RM | 17 | Diego Fuser | | 81' |
| CM | 10 | Demetrio Albertini |
| CM | 16 | Roberto Di Matteo | | 67' |
| LM | 7 | Roberto Donadoni |
| CF | 21 | Gianfranco Zola |
| CF | 18 | Pierluigi Casiraghi | 18' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 19 | Enrico Chiesa | | 67' |
| DF | 9 | Moreno Torricelli | | 76' |
| MF | 15 | Angelo Di Livio | | 81' |
| Manager: ||
| Arrigo Sacchi ||
| GK | 1 | Andreas Köpke |
| SW | 6 | Matthias Sammer |
| RB | 19 | Thomas Strunz | 59' |
| CB | 5 | Thomas Helmer |
| CB | 4 | Steffen Freund |
| LB | 17 | Christian Ziege |
| CM | 10 | Thomas Häßler |
| CM | 21 | Dieter Eilts |
| CM | 7 | Andreas Möller | | 89' |
| CF | 18 | Jürgen Klinsmann (c) |
| CF | 9 | Fredi Bobic |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 3 | Marco Bode | | 89' |
| Manager: ||
| Berti Vogts ||

* Man of the Match:
* Andreas Köpke (Germany)
* Assistant referees:
* Marc Van den Broeck (Belgium)
* Stany Op de Beeck (Belgium)
* Fourth official:
* Michel Piraux (Belgium)
