Zinédine Zidane’s return to King Baudouin rekindles Euro 2000 masterclass memories | OneFootball

Zinédine Zidane returns to Brussels on Monday for France’s Nations League match against Belgium at 20:45. He revisits King Baudouin Stadium, site of his Euro 2000 semi-final, a 2-1 win over Portugal.

According to L'Équipe, that second half and extra time carried a rare intensity he would echo only against Brazil in 2006, and debate still lingers over which display was greater.

He won the 1998 Ballon d'Or for his World Cup final brace, yet nothing at France 98 matched Euro 2000. A Champions League headbutt on 24 October 2000 cost him a second, but he dominated the Euros.

On 28 June 2000, France laboured early yet ended with an 18-5 shot edge. Nuno Gomes struck on 19 minutes, Thierry Henry levelled on 51 from a Nicolas Anelka cross, and at 90 Fabien Barthez denied Abel Xavier’s header.

In the 114th minute, Abel Xavier handled Sylvain Wiltord’s centre, and assistant Igor Srmaka, a Bratislava tax consultant, became the first to flag a penalty. With Youri Djorkaeff on the bench, Zidane had never scored one for France in 58 caps despite three shootout conversions.

After prolonged protests, he sent Vitor Baia the wrong way on 117 minutes, the golden goal that took France through. He had decided how to take it the moment he seized the ball.

On 23 June 1984, his 12th birthday, he watched Michel Platini beat Portugal 3-2 at the Vélodrome with a 119th-minute winner. At 28 in Brussels, Zidane’s authority and whirring changes of direction overwhelmed opponents.

Source: L'Équipe

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