Group B
Italy and France were sure of their place at UEFA EURO 2008™ with a game to spare in Group B, but the 2006 FIFA World Cup finalists were hounded all the way by a dogged Scotland side.
Italy top
Italy won the section in Roberto Donadoni's first campaign since replacing Marcello Lippi, but while Christian Panucci declared himself to be "as happy as a child" after scoring the late goal in a 2-1 win against Scotland in Glasgow that secured qualification for both the world champions and France, the Azzurri rarely sparkled.
Worrying start
After two games, they had just one point, with a 1-1 draw at home against Lithuania preceding a 3-1 defeat in France as Raymond Domenech's side avenged their shoot-out defeat in the World Cup final 59 days earlier. However, they were to drop just two more points in the rest of the campaign, drawing 0-0 at home against France.
Scottish surprises
While defeat against Italy eventually stamped out Scotland's fire, they emerged as the heroes of the section with two sensational 1-0 wins against France – the first at home under Walter Smith, and the second in Paris under Alex McLeish, who took the helm after the veteran manager chose to move back into club football with Rangers FC.
McFadden glee
"I took a touch, saw the goalkeeper scrambling a bit and thought I'd have a go," forward James McFadden told uefa.com as he reflected on the winner in Paris. "Thankfully it went in and we've got the win from it. To score a goal like that against a team like France is hard to beat. Obviously, it's a great night, one of the best of my career."
Domenech motivated
There was panic in some quarters in France, but Domenech seemed to enjoy the pressure, saying: "We have a gun pointed to our heads. That's good – it's going to motivate us. It's like playing cup matches – if we lose a game, we're out. We know that. We have to fight and play much faster. If we want to qualify, we need to win our three remaining matches."
Georgia result
As it turned out, they could afford a draw in their final game in Ukraine, with Scotland's defeat against Italy confirming their place in the finals, although the history books may show that a 2-0 defeat in Georgia in their previous fixture was even more costly for Scotland.
Matches
- Key:
Group - Top scorers
| 6 | Henry - France |
| 5 | Arveladze - Georgia |
| 5 | Shevchenko - Ukraine |
| 5 | Toni - Italy |
| 4 | Anelka - France |
| 4 | Boyd - Scotland |
| 4 | Danilevicius - Lithuania |
| 4 | Gusev - Ukraine |
| 4 | McFadden - Scotland |
| 4 | Róg. Jacobsen - Faroe Islands |
| 3 | Govou - France |
| 3 | Iashvili - Georgia |
| 3 | Inzaghi - Italy |
| 3 | K. Miller - Scotland |
| 3 | Siradze - Georgia |
| 2 | Benzema - France |
| 2 | Di Natale - Italy |
| 2 | Kalynychenko - Ukraine |
| 2 | Ksanavicius - Lithuania |
| 2 | O'Connor - Scotland |
| 2 | Quagliarella - Italy |
| 2 | Saha - France |
| 2 | Trezeguet - France |
| 1 | Beattie - Scotland |
| 1 | Ben Arfa - France |
| 1 | Camoranesi - Italy |
| 1 | Chiellini - Italy |
| 1 | Dailly - Scotland |
| 1 | De Rossi - Italy |
| 1 | Demetradze - Georgia |
| 1 | Ferguson - Scotland |
| 1 | Fletcher - Scotland |
| 1 | G. Caldwell - Scotland |
| 1 | Gilardino - Italy |
| 1 | Grosso - Italy |
| 1 | Jankauskas - Lithuania |
| 1 | Kobiashvili - Georgia |
| 1 | Kucher - Ukraine |
| 1 | Maloney - Scotland |
| 1 | Malouda - France |
| 1 | McCulloch - Scotland |
| 1 | Mchedlidze - Georgia |
| 1 | McManus - Scotland |
| 1 | Miceika - Lithuania |
| 1 | Mikoliunas - Lithuania |
| 1 | Mujiri - Georgia |
| 1 | Nasri - France |
| 1 | Oddo - Italy |
| 1 | Panucci - Italy |
| 1 | Perrotta - Italy |
| 1 | Pirlo - Italy |
| 1 | Ribéry - France |
| 1 | Rotan - Ukraine |
| 1 | Rothen - France |
| 1 | Rusol - Ukraine |
| 1 | Savenas - Lithuania |
| 1 | Shashiashvili - Georgia |
| 1 | Shelayev - Ukraine |
| 1 | Skerla - Lithuania |
| 1 | Vorobey - Ukraine |
| 1 | Voronin - Ukraine |
| 1 | Yezerskiy - Ukraine |