Wikipedia:Good topics/UEFA European Championship finals
The UEFA European Championship is a quadrennial association football competition contested since 1960 by the men's national teams of the member countries of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The European Championship final is the last match of the competition, played by the only two teams remaining in contention, and the result determines which country is declared the European champion. It is a one-off match decided in regulation time; in case of a tie, extra time is used, followed if needed by a penalty shoot-out under the current rules. Until 1972, finals still level after extra time would be replayed, as was the case with the 1968 final. The golden goal rule applied during extra time in 1996 and 2000, while the similar silver goal rule would have applied in 2004 but was not put in practice. The winners are awarded a replica of the trophy (pictured) (the original remains with UEFA), while the losing finalists and semi-finalists are presented with a plaque. Gold and silver medals are awarded to the players of the winning and losing finalists respectively.
