What are the dams at EURO 2020?
Over six days in March, 16 teams will compete for the remaining four UEFA EURO 2020 spots in the competition’s play-off matches. Eight semi-finals will be held on Thursday, March 26, the four finals five days later. Thus, by Tuesday 31 March, we will know the 24 qualified and the full euro programme.
Semifinals
Thursday, March 26
Way A : Iceland – Romania, Bulgaria – Hungary
Way B : Bosnia and Herzegovina – Northern Ireland, Slovakia – Republic of Ireland
Way C In: Scotland – Israel, Norway – Serbia (6pm)
Way D : Georgia – Belarus (18 hours), Northern Macedonia – Kosovo
Final
Tuesday, March 31
Way A : Bulgaria/Hungary – Iceland/Romania
Way B : Bosnia and Herzegovina/Northern Ireland – Slovakia/Republic of Ireland
Way C In: Norway/Serbia – Scotland/Israel
Way D : Georgia/Belarus – Northern Macedonia/Kosovo (6 p.m.)
All kick-offs at 8:45 p.m. except mention
Are the dams new?
There have been play-off matches for five of the last six EURO, starting with a neutral match between the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland at Anfield for EURO 96. However, UEFA EURO 2020 play-off matches have a very different format. For the first time, teams must go through more than one round and, unlike all previous editions, teams have qualified to participate via the UEFA Nations League rather than the European qualifiers.
How do dams work?
The 16 UEFA Nations League group winners were guaranteed play-off places before the European play-offs. If they qualified through the playoffs, their place would be the next highest ranked team in their league. When a league did not have four teams (such as the A-League), the remaining slots were allocated to teams from another league, according to the UEFA Nations League general classification).
Do barragists know their potential opponents at the EURO?
The B and C teams know them:
The winner of The Way B will be in Group E (Spain, Sweden, Poland)
The winner of The C Way will play in Group D against England, Croatia and the Czech Republic
If Romania wins LaNe A:
She will play in Group C with the Netherlands, Ukraine and Austria
The winner of the Way D would then play in Group F with Portugal, France and Germany
If Bulgaria, Hungary or Iceland qualify as the winner of The A Way:
The winner of the Way A would play in Group F with Portugal, France and Germany
The winner of the Way D would play in Group C against the Netherlands, Ukraine and Austria
All dams
1996: Republic of Ireland 0-2 Netherlands, Anfield
2000: Scotland 1/2 England (0-2 1-0)
2000: Israel 0-8 Denmark (0-5 0-3)
2000: Slovenia 3-2 Ukraine (2-1 1-1)
2000: Republic of Ireland 1-1 Turkey (1-1 0-0, Turkey on goal away)
2004: Scotland 1-6 Netherlands (1-0 0-6)
2004: Croatia 2-1 Slovenia (1-1 1-0)
2004: Russia 1-0 Wales (0-0 1-0)
2004: Latvia 3-2 Turkey (1-0 2-2)
2004: Spain 5-1 Norway (2-1 3-0)
2012: Turkey 0-3 Croatia (0-3 0-0)
2012: Estonia 1-5 Republic of Ireland (0-4 1-1)
2012: Czech Republic 3-0 Montenegro (2-0 1-0)
2012: Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-6 Portugal (0-0 2-6)
2016: Ukraine 3-1 Slovenia (2-0 1-1)
2016: Sweden 4-3 Denmark (2-1 2-2)
2016: Bosnia and Herzegovina 1/3 Republic of Ireland (1-1 0-2)
2016: Norway 1/3 Hungary (0-1 1-2)
Records and statistics
Top scorers
3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
3 Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland)
3 Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark)
3 Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands)
3 Jon Walters (Republic of Ireland)
Largest win (over two matches)
Denmark 8-0 Israel, 1999
Largest win (over a match)
Netherlands 6-0 Scotland, 2003
Most prolific dams (2 matches)
Denmark 8-0 Israel, 1999
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-6 Portugal, 2011
Most prolific dams (1 game)
Portugal 6-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2011
If we score the first goal…
The team that scored the first goal has qualified 14 times out of 18 and has not been eliminated since 2004.
Exceptions:
2000: Slovenia 3-2 Ukraine (2-1 1-1)
2000: Republic of Ireland 1-1 Turkey (1-1 0-0, Qualified Turkey)
2004: Scotland 1-6 Netherlands (1-0 0-6)
2004: Spain 5-1 Norway (2-1 3-0)
Defeat on the go
Only one team managed to qualify after losing the first game. The Netherlands playscotland in 2003 against Scotland. After a one-goal away loss, they won six goals to zero at home.
Triples in dams
The only player to score a hat-trick in the play-offs was Ruud van Nistelrooy, against Scotland, in 2003.
Fates of the barragists in the final phase
Semi-finals: Netherlands (2004), Portugal (2012)
Quarter-finals: Netherlands (1996), Turkey (2000), Czech Republic (2012)
Round of 16: Hungary (2016), Republic of Ireland (2016)
The other 11 countries that went through the dams were eliminated after the groups.
Country by country
England: 1 qualification, 0 elimination
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 0, 2
Croatia: 2, 0
Denmark: 1, 1
Scotland: 0, 2
Spain: 1, 0
Estonia: 0, 1
Hungary: 1, 0
Israel: 0, 1
Latvia: 1, 0
Montenegro: 0, 1
Norway: 0, 2
Netherlands: 2, 0
Wales: 0, 1
Portugal: 1, 0
Republic of Ireland: 2, 2
Czech Republic: 1, 0
Russia: 1, 0
Slovenia: 1, 2
Sweden: 1, 0
Turkey: 1, 2
Ukraine: 1, 1
Play in 2020
Stats and anecdotes about the EURO dams
There has never been a goalless barrage.
Patrick Kluivert scored the first goal in the play-offs for the Netherlands on 13 December 1995. He also scored the second!
EURO 96: first play-off with the two worst second-half-onset on neutral ground at Anfield.
EURO 2000: first round-robin play-offs (4) between the eight worst second-half.
EURO 2004: round-trip roadblocks with the 10 second groups
EURO 2008: no dams.
EURO 2012 and 2016: return to the format of EURO 2000.
EURO 2020: new play-offs based on performances in the UEFA Nations League 2018/19.