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The article contains a detailed description of the Yugoslav national football team, which competed for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in European Championships and qualifications from 1959 to 1992. Yugoslavia was able to qualify for the final round of the European Championship five times, but was only allowed to participate four times and reached the final twice, but could not win any. Yugoslavia hosted the fifth final in 1976, where penalties were first decided on the title. After the Yugoslav wars and the independence of most of the republics, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which only consisted of Serbia and Montenegro, was able to qualify for the finals again in 2000 and took part in the qualification as Serbia and Montenegro in 2004. The successes of the Yugoslav team were attributed by UEFA first to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, then Serbia and Montenegro and now Serbia, which participated for the first time in the qualifying for the European Championship 2008, but could not qualify yet.

Summary

Yugoslavia was able to qualify for every second European Championship final, twice with four participants, once as host and twice with eight participants. After the last qualification, however, the exclusion took place shortly before the tournament began. Yugoslavia was replaced by Denmark, which could win the title.

EM 1960

Yugoslavia also wanted to participate in the first European Football Championship in 1960, which was still held as the “European Cup of Nations”, and had to compete against Bulgaria in the round of 16. After a 2-0 on 31 May 1959 in Belgrade, where Milan Galić already scored 1-0 in the first minute, the 1-1 in Sofia could be coped with to reach the next lap. In the quarterfinals, Portugal was the opponent. After a 1:2 in Oeiras, the second leg in Belgrade was won 5:1. Thus, Yugoslavia had reached the final round, which was held in France.

On 6 July 1960, the first European Championship finals match took place in the Paris Prince Park Stadium and Yugoslavia met the host in the best game in European Championship history. Already in the 11th minute Milan Galić brought the Yugoslavs 1-0 in the lead, but only one minute later Jean Vincent compensated. Then it took until the 43. Minute until François Today brought the French for the first time in the lead and so it went into the break. In the 53rd minute, the French captain Maryan Wisnieski increased to 3:1, but two minutes later the Yugoslavs achieved the following goals. With his second goal, François Heutte restored the two-goal lead of the French in the 62nd minute, but with that they had lost their powder, while the Yugoslavs with three goals, two of them by Dražan Jerković still turned the game and entered the final with 5:4. In this they met Olympic champion USSR, who was still with four players from the 1956 cadre