Winning an international competition of the calibre of the Euro is not for everyone, and does not depend solely on the intrinsic talent of a team or an individual. To have any hope of becoming champions, every team - and the favourites even more so - needs to have that extra spirit and fighting spirit that other nations, more often regarded as outsiders, can offer.

However, sometimes the stakes and the tension take precedence over the game, and some matches almost degenerate. This situation inevitably forces referees to crack down and try to calm things down by dishing out some punishment. But this is not always enough. This article lists the 11 dirtiest matches in the history of the European Championship, with it being ranked by the total number of yellow and red cards given.

12 England - Slovakia (Euro 2024, Round of 16)

Nine yellow cards

The Slovaks almost played a nasty trick on England in the last 16 of Euro 2024. Gareth Southgate's men were far from flamboyant, as was the case at the start of the tournament, and came very close to disaster.

Trailing as early as the 25th minute, the Three Lions took advantage of Jude Bellingham's heroics to snatch extra time in the dying seconds of the match, and then Harry Kane's goal from the penalty spot to seal their place in the quarter-finals. It was a particularly tense match, during which no fewer than nine players (three Englishmen and six Czechs) were cautioned by Halil Umut Meler.

11 Turkey - Portugal (Euro 2000, Quarter-final)

Eight yellow cards, one red card

Leading Group A at the end of the group phase, Portugal faced Turkey, runners-up to Italy in Group B, in the first quarter-final of Euro 2000. It was a tense encounter (eight yellow cards, one red) which quickly turned in the Lusitanians' favour, helped by the red card received by defender Alpay Ozalan for a serious foul on Fernando Couto.

The Portuguese then relied on Nuno Gomes, who scored twice, to seal their victory and qualification for the last four of the competition. The outcome could have been quite different had Arif Erdem not missed the penalty that would have given his side an equaliser just before half-time.

10 Czech Republic - Portugal (Euro 1996, Quarter-final)

Eight yellow cards, one red card

After finishing second in their group, the Czechs were the underdogs against Portugal in this Euro 1996 quarter-final. The Lusitanians got off to a good start, but were sorely lacking a centre-forward capable of breaking through the opposition's net.

Unable to make the most of their technical superiority, they conceded the first and only goal of the game - Karel Poborsky's magnificent dive past Vitor Baia. Vladimir Smicer's team managed to hold on to that advantage for the rest of the match, despite Radoslav Latal's dismissal ten minutes from time. Having qualified for the semi-finals, the Czechs finally came up against Germany, whom they had already met in the group phase, in the final.

9 Spain - Bulgaria (Euro 1996, Group stage)

Seven yellow cards, two red cards

It took 65 minutes for this Group B match between Bulgaria and Spain at Euro 1996 to enter a new dimension. After a start that was marred by a number of fouls and no fewer than five yellow cards, Hristo Stoichkov broke the Iberian deadlock with a goal from the penalty spot. A few minutes later, Petar Hubchev was sent off for a foul on Jose Luis Caminero, which made defending the Bulgarian advantage all the more difficult.

From the free-kick that followed, it was Alphonso Perez who managed to get on the end of Fernando Hierro's deflected effort to level the scores. Less than a minute later, it was the Spaniard's turn to be sent off early for a dangerous tackle on Radostin Kischischev. It was a thrilling end to a match in which neither side was able to get the better of the other.

8 Spain - Russia (Euro 2004, Group stage)

Nine yellow cards, one red card

It had been 24 years since Spain had won their first match in an international competition. This anomaly was rectified against Aleksandr Kerzhakov's Russia in 2004. After a lively but entertaining first half, during which the Russians picked up no fewer than four yellow cards, Juan Carlos Valeron's first touch gave La Roja a precious lead.

With their confidence boosted, the Spanish managed to hold off their opponents, who were reduced to 10 men after Kirill Sharonov was sent off late on. It was a liberating victory for a team that had finally managed to shake off what some observers likened to a kind of curse. It was an encouraging match, but one that preceded the premature elimination of Raul's team-mates at the group stage.

7 Bulgaria - Denmark (Euro 2004, Group stage)

Nine yellow cards, one red card

After valiantly holding off the previous tournament's runners-up Italy (0-0) in their opening game, Denmark now had to beat Bulgaria, who had lost 5-0 to Sweden. The mission was a success for Morten Olsen's men, who managed to find the net at the end of each half and eventually won 2-0.

Although the Bulgarians were struggling, they thought they could pull level, but that was not to be. The match was played under a certain amount of tension, with the referee issuing nine yellow cards and one red (Bulgarian captain Martin Petrov was cautioned twice in the space of six minutes).

6 Denmark - Spain (Euro 1984, Semi-final)

Nine yellow cards, one red card

With France having beaten Portugal in the first semi-final, Denmark and Spain were left to battle it out for the second and final ticket to the Euro 1984 final. The Scandinavians got the ball rolling in the 7th minute, when Soren Lerby, considered as one of the greatest Danish players in history, fired past Luis Arconada to open the scoring.

Trailing at half-time, La Roja managed to pull level thanks to an equaliser from Antonio Maceda. However, after Brylle Larsen was sent off, Spain were unable to avoid the dreaded penalty shoot-out. In the end, it was the Iberians who came out on top, winning a hard-fought match in which no fewer than nine yellow cards (and one red) were shown.

5 Italy - Netherlands (Euro 2000, Semi-final)

Nine yellow cards, one red card

The Euro 2000 semi-final between Italy and the Netherlands is one of those memorable 0-0 draws, despite the goalless draw. Forced to defend by the talented Dutch side, the Azzurri held out as best they could and took advantage of a number of chances (a penalty saved by Francesco Toldo, a post).

Despite being reduced to 10 men after Gianluca Zambrotta was sent off and several of their players threatened to follow suit, the Italians held on and even came close to a hold-up. After Frank De Boer and Jaap Stam both missed penalties, Dino Zoff's men finally managed to hold out for a penalty shoot-out win, with Toldo again beating Paul Bosvelt. An Italian-style robbery.

4 Czech Republic - Germany (Euro 1996, Group phase)

10 yellow cards

Germany and the Czech Republic met for the first time in Group C on the first day of the group phase, before the final that would see the two teams battle it out for the European crown. The match was marked by Germany's 2-0 victory, but above all by the ten yellow cards handed out by David Elleray during the 90 minutes of play.

As favourites, the team-mates of Matthias Sammer, who was later voted best player of the tournament, justified their status, but lost some of their feathers. Jurgen Kohler suffered an injury that put an early end to his Euro campaign and a number of players were cautioned (ten in all) in a game that was more chaotic in the second half than in the first.

3 Portugal - France (Euro 2016, Final)

10 yellow cards

It was a night that will live forever in the memories of Portuguese fans. In 2016, in Paris, under the skies of Saint-Denis, the Lusitanians managed to topple the French team, in front of their home crowd at the Stade de France, to win the first major tournament in the Selecao's history.

This narrow victory was made possible by a goal from Eder, a substitute who had become a legend, which beat Hugo Lloris in extra time. It was a match that resembled a real battle (witness the 10 yellow cards handed out by Mark Clattenburg), marked in particular by the early exit through injury of Cristiano Ronaldo, who, from the bench, seemed driven by the desire to lift the prestigious Henri Delaunay Trophy.

2 Spain - Germany (Euro 2024, Quarter-final)

15 yellow cards, one red card

The Euro 2024 quarter-final between Spain and Germany lived up to all its promises. Heralded as a final before its time, the duel between the two giants of world football kept spectators on the edge of their seats. A stifling 120 minutes of football saw the Spaniards triumph over the hosts and reach the semi-finals of the competition.

It was a real war of nerves during which the 22 players, as well as their substitutes, gave their all, as evidenced by the 15 yellow cards issued by the referee, including two for Dani Carvajal, who was sent off at the end of the match.

1 Czech Republic - Turkey (Euro 2024, Group stage)

16 yellow cards, two red cards

Never before has a Euro match been so "violent". In Hamburg, the match between the Czech Republic and Turkey, two teams who, in 2008, treated spectators to one of the greatest games in the history of the Euro, broke an eight-year-old record. Antonin Barak was sent off after just 20 minutes and set the tone for the match. But it was in the final 10 minutes of the match that things really got out of hand.

After the 80th minute, Istvan Kovacs issued no fewer than seven cautions and even a second red card to Tomas Chory. In all, 18 cards (16 yellow, two red) were shown during the 90 minutes of the match. The total rises to 20 if you take into account the two cautions given to Arda Guler and Tomas Sucek after the final whistle.