Group A ofUEFA Euro 2008 was played from 7 to 15 June 2008. All six group matches were played at venues inSwitzerland, inBasel andGeneva. The group consisted of co-hostsSwitzerland,UEFA Euro 2004 hosts and finalistsPortugal, as well as theCzech Republic andTurkey. Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Türkiye were later drawn insame group in the UEFA Euro 2024.[1]
Portugal won their first two games against Turkey and the Czech Republic, scoring five goals in the process, to qualify for thequarter-finals as group winners. The second quarter-final berth was to go to the winners of the match between Turkey and the Czech Republic. As the two teams had identical records going into the game, if the match had finished as a draw, the quarter-final place would have been determined by a penalty shoot-out – what would have been the first group stage penalty shoot-out in a major international tournament. Meanwhile, Switzerland became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after losing to Turkey 2–1 in their second match,Arda Turan scoring a deflected winner in thelast minute, having lost 1–0 to the Czech Republic in their opening match.[2] This match between Switzerland and Turkey was dubbed the "Bath of Basel" as the rain poured down incessantly. The weather suited the long-ball Swiss more than the short-passing Turks, and before half-time, the Swiss had capitalized on the conditions. Indeed, Hakan Yakin's goal stemmed from the ball stopping in a puddle and allowing him an easy finish. In the second half, Turkey's more direct style yielded two goals, the second a last-minute long-range shot from Arda Turan which went in off a deflection. This was the first of several last-gasp victories for the Turkish team at the tournament, made all the more impressive by their injury woes at that time.
The final round of matches saw the Portuguese name an under-strength team for their match against Switzerland, their progression already assured as group winners. Their opponents, however, fielded a strong side and won the match 2–0, securing their first win in a European Championship.[3] Meanwhile, with a place in the quarter-finals to play for, Turkey and the Czech Republic each had to win to qualify. The Czechs went into half time 1–0 up, and doubled their lead soon after half-time. Arda Turan brought the Turks back into the game in the 75th minute, beforePetr Čech made an uncharacteristic error, dropping the ball at the feet ofNihat Kahveci, who was left with a simple finish. Boosted by the equaliser, Turkey went for the win, and two minutes later, Nihat curled the ball past Čech from 20 yards. Then, with just moments left to play, the Turkish goalkeeperVolkan Demirel pushed over the big Czech strikerJan Koller, resulting in a red card for the Turk. With no substitutions left, Turkey had to putTuncay Şanlı in goal, but still managed to secure their place in the quarter-finals.[4] Tempers continued to boil over, asMilan Baroš was booked, despite having been on the bench for the whole game.
| Draw position | Team | Pot | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | UEFA Rankings | FIFA Rankings June 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2007[nb 1] | May 2008[nb 2] | |||||||||
| A1 |  Switzerland | 1 | Co-host | 12 December 2002 | 3rd | 2004 | Group stage (1996,2004) | 19 | 16 | 44 |
| A2 |  Czech Republic[nb 3] | 2 | Group D winner | 17 October 2007 | 7th | 2004 | Winners (1976) | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| A3 |  Portugal | 3 | Group A runner-up | 21 November 2007 | 5th | 2004 | Runners-up (2004) | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| A4 |  Turkey | 4 | Group C runner-up | 21 November 2007 | 3rd | 2000 | Quarter-finals (2000) | 14 | 14 | 20 |
Notes
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6[a] | Advance toknockout stage |
| 2 | Turkey | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6[a] | |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3[b] | |
| 4 | Switzerland(H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3[b] |
In thequarter-finals,
         Switzerland[6] |      Czech Republic[6] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[6][7] |
  Portugal[9] |  Turkey[9] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[9][7] |
| Czech Republic | 1–3 | Portugal |
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| Report |
   Czech Republic[11] |  Portugal[11] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[11][7] |
| Switzerland | 1–2 | Turkey |
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| Report |
Switzerland[13] | Turkey[13] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[13][7] |
Switzerland[15] | Portugal[15] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[15][7] |
 Turkey[17] | Czech Republic[17] |
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Man of the Match: Assistant referees:[17][7] |
