Euro 2000 final - France 2 Italy 1

France won Euro 2000 with a stunning fight back in Rotterdam that saw David Trezeguet score a 103rd minute golden goal to destroy an Italy side who conceded a late equaliser.

Italy's world collapsed into despair in thirteen mad minutes.

With the fourth official somehow finding four minutes of injury time and the end of a stoppage-free second half Italy were defending a 1-0 lead.

France had not hit a shot on target in the second session but their possession advantage was enough to put the Italian defence under real pressure.

It cracked as Italian players wondered where the time was coming from for France to keep attacking. They could see their team mates preparing to leap onto the pitch to celebrate but substitute Sylvain Wiltord controlled the ball on the left hand side and ran forward. He hit a last desperate shot past defender Alessandro Nesta at an angle across goal and wheeled away screaming his joy after Francesco Toldo had failed to stop the shot from going under his hand and into the far corner of the net.

Italy were defeated at that point.

With momentum and renewed self belief behind them France were all set to take control of extra time against the grieving Italians because by this stage France were fielding five in attack.

The major incident of the extra time was ugly though and striker Trezeguet escaped a red card for a late and high challenge of Toldo in the 4th minute.

From a wide position substitute Robert Pires crossed at an angle and Toldo gathered the ball low but Trezeguet ran through on a challenge and struck the goalkeeper in the face with his boot.

There followed along injury delay and Toldo was bleeding from his nose and looking dazed but he carried on.

France were ready to deliver the killer blow against the bleary eyed and punch drunk goalkeeper.

Robert Pires attacked down the left and crossed to the centre of goal where Trezeguet turned and shot into the roof of the night in one movement that was agony for Italy and the stuff of French fantasy. No fight back like it had been seen since the 1999 European Cup final and it even eclipsed the Spanish effort eleven days ago against Yugoslavia.

With a championship on the line France had found the will and the time to keep going and hand Italy their first and most crucial loss at the Euro finals.

Roger Lemerre's side has now made football history as no team has held the European title and World Cup at the same time.

Italy will wonder forever where the extra time that took away their title came from and their players were in tears at the end of the game. Only captain Paolo Maldini tried to rouse them and he well remembers a similar final defeat in 1994 at Pasadena.

The tactics of coach Dino Zoff appeared to carry the game with Francesco Totti and Marco Delvecchio starting the match as the front pair as the coach ignored Filippo Inzaghi for this match as Lemerre ignored Nicolas Anelka.

Italy came out and played in the first twenty minutes before both defences adjusted and started to shut down attacks. Zinedine Zidane struggled to get free of Italian tackling until the last few minutes while Totti was outstanding as he covered the ground between midfield and attack.

The physical presence of Delvecchio added another dimension to the Italian game and he as able to unsettle the French defenders.

It was Delvecchio who took Italy to the brink of the title.

A sublime back heel by Totti on the right wing sent Pessotto clear into space and he crossed to the middle of goal from Delvecchio to volley into the net.

At that stage France were blocked out of the game completely. Clever touches and movement could make no impression on the Italian goal and when they could get close Toldo defied Henry and Wiltord from a narrow angle on the left. Italy were able to play on the break and twice substitute Alessandro Del Piero was put clear on goal but he dragged a 57th minute effort wide of goal and then hit an 84th minute shot against the legs of Fabien Barthez as France were showing increasing desperation.

This desperation produced no clear chances until Wiltord altered destiny with his hopeful shot.

The first half had also seen few French chances. but Thierry Henry managed to hit the post after Toldo failed to reach a snap shot of his from the right win in only the fourth minute. Youri Djorkaeff had trapped an Henry shot in the penalty area to turn and hit a weak low shot which Toldo saved in the 38th minute but Toldo saved easily and the only other notable incident came in the 43rd minute in an ugly incident that could have seen Marcel Desailly repeat his trick of a red card in the World Cup final.

Neither referee Anders Frisk or his assistants saw Desailly send an elbow into the face of Fabio Cannavaro as Zidane curled a free kick over the bar. If it had been seen then Desailly was a certainty to be sent off but in the end Italy were forced to realise that luck had the French team in its sights for Euro 2000 and never more so in their entire sporting history than those last 13 minutes at the Feyenoord stadium.