2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

The 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship was the 20th edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, a biennial international football competition for men's under-21 national teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament was hosted for the first time in the Czech Republic from 15 to 30 June 2015, after their bid was selected by the UEFA Executive Committee on 20 March 2012 in Istanbul.[1]

2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Mistrovství Evropy ve fotbale hráčů do 21 let 2015
Tournament details
Host country Czech Republic
Dates17–30 June 2015
Teams8 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)4 (in 3 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Sweden (1st title)
Runners-up Portugal
Tournament statistics
Matches played15
Goals scored37 (2.47 per match)
Attendance162,994 (10,866 per match)
Top scorer(s) Jan Kliment (3 goals)
Best player(s) William Carvalho

Players born on or after 1 January 1992 were eligible to participate in the competition.[2] Fifty-two teams participated in a qualification tournament, taking place between March 2013 and October 2014, to determine the seven teams that would join the final tournament hosts. Holders Spain were not able to defend their title after being eliminated in the qualification play-offs by Serbia.

In the final, played at the Eden Arena in Prague, Sweden defeated Portugal 4–3 in a penalty shootout, after a goalless draw at the end of extra-time. In doing so, the Swedish team won their first title in this competition, having previously lost the 1992 final, and secured their first-ever title in UEFA youth competitions on the men's side.

By reaching the semi-finals, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Sweden also qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Brazil.[3]

Qualification
Main article: 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification

Qualification for the final tournament of the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship consisted of two rounds: a group stage and a play-off round. The group stage draw took place on 31 January 2013 in Nyon, Switzerland, and distributed 52 national teams into ten groups of five or six teams. Each group was contested in a double round-robin system, where teams played each other twice, at home and away. The ten group winners and the four best second-placed teams advanced to the play-off round, where they were paired by draw into seven two-legged ties. The play-off winners joined the Czech Republic in the final tournament.[4]

Qualified teams

The following teams qualified for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship final tournament:

Country Qualified as Previous appearances in tournament1
only U-21 era (since 1978)
 Czech RepublicHosts11 (19785, 19805, 19885, 19905, 19925, 19945, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2011)
 DenmarkPlayoff winner (against Iceland)5 (1978, 1986, 1992, 2006, 2011)
 EnglandPlayoff winner (against Croatia)12 (1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)
 GermanyPlayoff winner (against Ukraine)11 (19822, 19842, 19882, 19902, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013)
 ItalyPlayoff winner (against Slovakia)17 (1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013)
 PortugalPlayoff winner (against Netherlands)6 (1994, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007)
 SerbiaPlayoff winner (against Spain)8 (19783, 19803, 19843, 19903, 20044, 20064, 2007, 2009)
 SwedenPlayoff winner (against France)6 (1986, 1990, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2009)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.

Venues

The competition was played at four venues in three host cities: Eden Arena and Generali Arena (in Prague), Andrův stadion (in Olomouc), and Stadion Miroslava Valenty (in Uherské Hradiště).[5][6]

Prague
Olomouc Uherské Hradiště
Eden Arena Generali Arena Andrův stadion Stadion Miroslava Valenty
50°4′3″N 14°28′18″E 50°5′59.3″N 14°24′57.3″E 49°36′0″N 17°14′54″E 49°3′56″N 17°28′17.3″E
Capacity: 20,800 Capacity: 19,784 Capacity: 12,566 Capacity: 8,121

Match officials

Six refereeing teams took charge of matches at the final tournament:[7]

CountryRefereeAssistant refereesAdditional assistant referees
FranceClément TurpinFrédéric Cano
Nicolas Danos		Fredy Fautrel
Nicolas Rainville
GreeceAnastasios SidiropoulosDamianos Efthymiadis
Polychronis Kostaras		Michael Koukoulakis
Stavros Tritsonis
NetherlandsDanny MakkelieMario Diks
Hessel Steegstra		Kevin Blom
Jochem Kamphuis
PolandSzymon MarciniakPaweł Sokolnicki
Tomasz Listkiewicz		Paweł Raczkowski
Tomasz Musiał
RussiaSergei KarasevAnton Averyanov
Tikhon Kalugin		Sergey Lapochkin
Sergei Ivanov
SpainJavier Estrada FernándezMiguel Martínez Munuera
Teodoro Sobrino Magán		Alejandro Hernández Hernández
Jesús Gil Manzano
CountryFourth officials
Czech RepublicJan Paták
Ondrej Pelikan

Seeding

The draw for the final tournament took place at 18:00 CET on 6 November 2014, at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Prague. England, the highest-ranked team according to the competition coefficient rankings, and the host team, Czech Republic, were seeded and automatically assigned to separate groups. The second and third-ranked teams in the coefficient rankings, Italy and Germany, were also seeded and drawn into separate groups, while the four unseeded teams were drawn into the remaining positions of the two groups.[2][8]

Top seeds Second seeds Unseeded

Squads
Main article: 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads

Each national team had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of whom had to be goalkeepers. If a player was injured or ill severely enough to prevent his participation in the tournament before his team's first match, he could be replaced by another player.[2]

Format of competitions
2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finalist teams

The eight finalists were drawn into two groups of four teams. As hosts, Czech Republic were seeded in group A, while England, the best-ranked team in the UEFA coefficient ranking, were seeded in group B. In each group, teams played matches against each other in a round-robin system, and the top two teams advanced to the semi-finals.[9][10]

The provisional schedule was released by UEFA on 10 November 2014,[11] and confirmed on 2 December 2014.[12][13] All times are in Central European Summer Time (UTC+02:00).

After the conclusion of the group stage, the following four teams from UEFA qualified for the Olympic football tournament.

Tie-breaking

If two or more teams were equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied:[2]

  1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question;
  2. Superior goal difference resulting from the matches played between the teams in question;
  3. Higher number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;

If, after having applied criteria 1 to 3, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 were reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 4 to 6 were applied.

  1. Superior goal difference in all group matches;
  2. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
  3. Position in the UEFA under-21 coefficient ranking used for the final draw.

If only two teams were tied (according to criteria 1–5) after having met in the last match of the group stage, their ranking would have been determined by a penalty shoot-out.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Denmark 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 6 Advance to knockout stage and 2016 Summer Olympics
2  Germany 3 1 2 0 5 2 +3 5
3  Czech Republic (H) 3 1 1 1 6 3 +3 4
4  Serbia 3 0 1 2 1 7 −6 1
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: tie-breaking
(H) Host.
Czech Republic 1–2 Denmark
Kadeřábek  35' Report Vestergaard  56'
Sisto  84'
Attendance: 15,987[14]
Germany 1–1 Serbia
Can  17' Report Đuričić  8'
Attendance: 5,490[14]
Serbia 0–4 Czech Republic
Report Kliment  7', 21', 56'
Frýdek  59'
Attendance: 16,253[14]
Germany 3–0 Denmark
Volland  32', 48'
Ginter  53'		 Report
Attendance: 13,268[14]
Czech Republic 1–1 Germany
Krejčí  66' Report Schulz  55'
Attendance: 18,068[14]
Denmark 2–0 Serbia
Falk  21'
Fischer  47'		 Report
Attendance: 4,297[14]

Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Group stage result
1  Portugal 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage and 2016 Summer Olympics
2  Sweden 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
3  Italy 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
4  England 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: tie-breaking
Italy 1–2 Sweden
Berardi  29' (pen.) Report Guidetti  56'
Kiese Thelin  86' (pen.)
Attendance: 6,719[14]
England 0–1 Portugal
Report João Mário  57'
Attendance: 7,167[15]
Sweden 0–1 England
Report Lingard  85'
Attendance: 11,257[16]
Italy 0–0 Portugal
Report
Attendance: 7,085[14]
England 1–3 Italy
Redmond  90+3' Report Belotti  25'
Benassi  27', 72'
Attendance: 11,563[14]
Portugal 1–1 Sweden
Paciência  82' Report Tibbling  89'
Attendance: 7,263[14]

Knockout stage

In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.[2]

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
27 June – Prague
 
 
 Denmark1
 
30 June – Prague
 
 Sweden4
 
 Sweden (p)0 (4)
 
27 June – Olomouc
 
 Portugal0 (3)
 
 Portugal5
 
 
 Germany0
 

Semi-finals
Portugal 5–0 Germany
B. Silva  25'
Ricardo  33'
Cavaleiro  45+1'
João Mário  46'
Horta  71'		 Report
Attendance: 9,876[14]
Denmark 1–4 Sweden
Bech  63' Report Guidetti  23' (pen.)
Tibbling  26'
Quaison  83'
Hiljemark  90+5'
Attendance: 9,834[14]

Final
Main article: 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Final
Sweden 0–0 (a.e.t.) Portugal
Report
Penalties
Guidetti
Kiese Thelin
Augustinsson
Khalili
Lindelöf 		4–3 Paciência
Tozé
Esgaio
João Mário
Carvalho
Attendance: 18,867[14]

Goalscorers
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal

Source: UEFA.com[17]

Awards

Golden Boot

The Golden Boot is given to the player who scored the most goals during the tournament.[18]

Golden Boot Silver Boot Bronze Boot
Jan Kliment
(3 goals)
Kevin Volland
(2 goals, 1 assist)
John Guidetti
(2 goals, 1 assist)

Note: Assists and then minutes played (with the player boasting the better goals to minutes on the pitch ratio taking precedence) are used to separate players with the same goal tallies.

Player of the tournament

After the tournament the U21 EURO Player of the Tournament is selected by the UEFA Technical Observers.[19]

Player of the tournament
William Carvalho

Team of the tournament

After the tournament the Under-21 Team of the Tournament is selected by the UEFA Technical Observers.[20]

Position Player
Goalkeeper José Sá
Defenders Victor Lindelöf
Filip Helander
Jannik Vestergaard
Raphaël Guerreiro
Midfielders William Carvalho
Oscar Lewicki
Nathan Redmond
Bernardo Silva
Ivan Cavaleiro
Forward Kevin Volland

Medal table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final result
 Sweden 5 2 2 1 7 4 +3 8 Gold Medal
 Portugal 5 2 3 0 7 1 +6 9 Silver Medal
 Denmark 4 2 0 2 5 8 −3 6 Eliminated in
semi-finals
 Germany 4 1 2 1 5 7 −2 5
5  Czech Republic (H) 3 1 1 1 6 3 +3 4 Eliminated in
group stage
6  Italy 3 1 1 1 4 3 +1 4
7  England 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
8  Serbia 3 0 1 2 1 7 −6 1
Source: [ ]
(H) Host.

Qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics

Same as previous Under-21 Championships that were held one year prior to the Olympics, UEFA used the tournament to determine which men's under-23 national teams from Europe qualify for the Olympic football tournament. The four teams which advanced to the semi-finals qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.[21] However, England are ineligible for the Olympics and they are not an Olympic nation. Had England reached the semi-finals, the last Olympic spot would go to the winner of an Olympic play-off match between the two group third-placed teams, which was scheduled to be played on 28 June 2015, 18:00, at Stadion Miroslava Valenty, Uherské Hradiště.[11][22] However, when England failed to advance out of the group stage, this was cancelled.[n 1]

Team Qualified on Previous appearances in tournament1
 Denmark23 June 20158 (1908, 1912, 1920, 1948, 1952, 1960, 1972, 1992)
 Germany23 June 20158 (1912, 1928, 1936, 1952, 19562, 19722, 19842, 19882)
 Portugal24 June 20153 (1928, 1996, 2004)
 Sweden24 June 20159 (1908, 1912, 1920, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1988, 1992)
1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year. Statistics include all Olympic format (current Olympic under-23 format started in 1992).
2 The team represented the United Team of Germany in 1956, and the Federal Republic of Germany (i.e., West Germany) in 1972, 1984 and 1988.

Broadcasting

Countries who are not covered by a local broadcaster had the matches broadcast on YouTube.[25]

Ambassador

Former Czech Republic midfielder Pavel Nedvěd was the ambassador for the tournament.[34]

Notes
  1. The Football Association had originally declared on 2 March 2015 its intention to enter and run teams on behalf of the British Olympic Association at the 2016 Olympics should England qualify.[23] However, following objections from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations, as well as a commitment from FIFA that they would not allow entry of a British team unless all four Home Nations were in agreement, the Football Association announced on 30 March 2015 that they would not seek entry into the Olympic tournament.[24] Great Britain had competed in the Olympics prior to the 1970s, and also in 2012 as the host nation.

References
  1. "Czech Republic to host 2015 Under-21 finals" (Press release). UEFA.com. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  2. "Regulations of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2013–15" (PDF). UEFA.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  3. "European foursome bound for Brazil". FIFA.com. 24 June 2015.
  4. "Spain learn fate in U21 qualifying draw" (Press release). UEFA. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  5. "Česko v roce 2015 uspořádá šampionát fotbalistů do 21 let". Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech). 20 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  6. "Venue guide". UEFA.com.
  7. "Match officials". UEFA.com.
  8. "Final tournament draw". UEFA. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  9. "Competition format". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  10. "Czechs paired with Germany, Denmark and Serbia". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  11. "Provisional schedule for Under-21 finals". UEFA.com. 10 November 2014.
  12. "Confirmed schedule for Under-21 finals". UEFA.com. 2 December 2014.
  13. "Confirmed U21 2015 finals match schedule" (PDF). UEFA.com.
  14. Euro U-21 Livescore
  15. England 0 Portugal 1, U21 match report: Sloppy defending costs young Lions The Telegraph, 18 June 2015
  16. "Sweden U21 vs. England U21". Soccerway. 21 June 2015.
  17. "Statistics – Tournament phase – Player statistics – Goals". UEFA.com. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  18. "Czech striker Kliment wins Golden Boot award". UEFA.com. 30 June 2015.
  19. "William named U21 EURO player of the tournament". UEFA.com. 1 July 2015.
  20. "The official Under-21 Team of the Tournament". UEFA.com. 1 July 2015.
  21. "QUALIFICATION SYSTEM – GAMES OF THE XXXI OLYMPIAD – RIO 2016 – Football" (PDF). Rio 2016 Official Website. 23 April 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  22. "Sverige närmare OS-fotbollen" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  23. "Football Association wants Great Britain sides at Rio Olympics". BBC Sport. 2 March 2015.
  24. "Rio 2016: FA scraps plans for Great Britain football teams". BBC Sport. 30 March 2015.
  25. "Watch Wednesday's U21 games live!". UEFA.com. UEFA. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  26. "Media rights sales: UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2015" (PDF). UEFA.org. UEFA. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  27. Dohrmann, Jan (30 April 2015). "EM-kampe med U21-landsholdet kan ses på DR1". dr.dk (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  28. "Finland's Elisa signs Uefa media rights deal". Sportcal. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  29. "Ma Chaîne Sports picks up Uefa Euro U21 rights". Sportcal. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  30. "ARD and ZDF set to follow Germany's progress at European Under-21 Championship". Sportcal. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  31. Sousa, Carlos (27 April 2015). "RTP volta a levar a melhor e ganha mais uma competição à TVI". Zapping TV. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  32. "Alla TV-tider – så sänds U21-EM i Tjeckien". Fotbollskanalen.se (in Swedish). Fotbollskanalen. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  33. "BT Sport to show exclusive coverage of Euro 2015 U21 Championship". BT Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  34. "The ambassador: Pavel Nedvěd". UEFA.com.
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