Many people consider the Euro 2000 to be one of the most entertaining major football competitions ever played. It is possible to become a member of 1xBet – place a bet Nigeria now on these European championships.
People could enjoy fantastic football, incredible players, and a great atmosphere overall. However, as it tends to happen with other tournaments, the Euro 2000 also had its more “ugly” side. There was a particularly nasty event that took place during a semi-final match between Portugal and France. It had the potential to even have the Portuguese disqualified from the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The 1xBet Nigeria site is a great platform to place a bet now on all the matches from the best national teams around the world.
A controversial golden goal
The Euro 2000 was still played with the now long defunct golden goal. This meant that teams mostly tried to defend rather than attack while playing extra times. Football fans can go and get the 1xBet download the app now, which can also be used to wager on extra times.
On the 28th of June 2000, the eventual champions France had a difficult semi-final match against Portugal. Nuno Gomes scored an early goal to put things 1-0. However, Thierry Henry scored in the second half to put things 1-1. The 90 minutes ended with this score, therefore, the golden goal came. It is possible to download the 1xBet app now, which allows in-play bets while extra times are being disputed.
Referee Günter Benkö awarded France a penalty during the second half of extra time. French legend Zinedine Zidane scored the 2-1 that sent his team to the final. However, that decision taken by the Austrian referee is still quite controversial.
A disputed handball
Obviously, penalty kicks are among the most controversial decisions in football. Punters can visit 1xbet.ng/en/live/football – only best football live wagers can be made also on these kinds of occurrences. There were three protagonists in the aforementioned handball that meant the penalty for France, they were:
- Abel Xavier;
- Nuno Gomes;
- and Paulo Bento.
The first of them was the footballer who allegedly made the handball. Once the referee decided to signal this, all the Portuguese squad jumped over him. Things became even worse after Zidane scored the goal which meant France’s win. Currently, only the best live football bets can be made on 1xBet, which also allows members to wager on penalties.
Xavier was accused of spitting on one of the assistant referees. At the same time, Nuno Gomes was accused of violently pushing the referee. Finally, Paulo Bento, was also accused of trying to steal the red card from the official. All of them received bans that lasted more than half a year on average.
