1 November 1988 - France's Favorite Son Returns (Briefly)

On 1 November 1988, former French captain and three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini returned to the national team, this time as manager.

Platini, who won three consecutive Ballons d'Or with Juventus in 1984, 1985, and 1986, made 72 appearances for Les Bleus from 1976 to 1987, skippering them to the 1984 European Championship and a third-place finish in the 1986 World Cup under manager Henri Michel (although Platini did not play in the latter match).

After Platini's international retirement, France failed to qualify for the 1988 European Championship, then suffered an embarrassing 1-1 draw with Cyprus on 22 October in the second match of their qualification campaign for the 1990 World Cup. France responded by sacking manager Henri Michel and bringing Platini in as his replacement. He was unable to correct the course, however, starting his tenure with losses to Yugoslavia and Scotland.

France did not qualify for the World Cup, but appeared to be resurgent in their efforts to reach the 1992 European Championship, topping their qualification group with eight wins in eight matches. Once in the tournament, however, they again struggled, drawing twice and losing once as they exited in the first round. Platini stepped down soon afterward and moved into administration. He was president of UEFA from 2007 to 2015, when he received an eight-year suspension from all football activities due to ethic violations. 

12 September 1990 - The Role of "David" Will Be Played Today By The Faroe Islands

On 12 September 1990, the Faroe Islands shocked the international football community by defeating Austria 1-0 in a qualifying match for the 1992 UEFA European Championship.

Located between Scotland and Iceland in the North Atlantic, the Faroes are an autonomous province of Denmark, with whom they have been affiliated politically since the year 1380. Their current population is estimated to be just under 50,000.

The Faroe Islands national team started in 1930, but only joined FIFA and UEFA in 1988. Thus the match against Austria was their first match in a competitive tournament.

Although it was a home match for the Faroes, it was played in Sweden because the Faroe Islands had no grass pitch. The teams were deadlocked until the 61st minute, when Faroese midfielder Torkil Nielsen eluded an attempted tackle and shot the ball past the Austrian keeper into the bottom of the net from 17 yards out. The Islanders defense held strong to preserve the 1-0 win.

Despite the auspicious start to the campaign, the Faroes failed to qualify, managing only one other point (a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland). They finished at the bottom of the group, behind Yugoslavia, Denmark, Northern Ireland and Austria.

The Faroe Islands continue to compete in FIFA and UEFA, but have yet to qualify for a major tournament.

1 November 1988 - France's Favorite Son Returns (Briefly)

On 1 November 1988, former French captain and three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini returned to the national team, this time as manager.

Platini, who won three consecutive Ballons d'Or with Juventus in 1984, 1985, and 1986, made 72 appearances for Les Bleus from 1976 to 1987, skippering them to the 1984 European Championship and a third-place finish in the 1986 World Cup under manager Henri Michel (although Platini did not play in the latter match).

After Platini's international retirement, France failed to qualify for the 1988 European Championship, then suffered an embarrassing 1-1 draw with Cyprus on 22 October in the second match of their qualification campaign for the 1990 World Cup. France responded by sacking manager Henri Michel and bringing Platini in as his replacement. He was unable to correct the course, however, starting his tenure with losses to Yugoslavia and Scotland.

France did not qualify for the World Cup, but appeared to be resurgent in their efforts to reach the 1992 European Championship, topping their qualification group with eight wins in eight matches. Once in the tournament, however, they again struggled, drawing twice and losing once as they exited in the first round. Platini stepped down soon afterward and moved into administration. He is currently the president of UEFA and has been tapped as the successor to FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

12 September 1990 - The Role of "David" Will Be Played Today By The Faroe Islands

On 12 September 1990, the Faroe Islands shocked the international football community by defeating Austria 1-0 in a qualifying match for the 1992 UEFA European Championship.

Located between Scotland and Iceland in the North Atlantic, the Faroes are an autonomous province of Denmark, with whom they have been affiliated politically since the year 1380. Their current population is estimated to be just under 50,000.

The Faroe Islands national team started in 1930, but only joined FIFA and UEFA in 1988. Thus the match against Austria was their first match in a competitive tournament.

Although it was a home match for the Faroes, it was played in Sweden because the Faroe Islands had no grass pitch. The teams were deadlocked until the 61st minute, when Faroese midfielder Torkil Nielsen eluded an attempted tackle and shot the ball past the Austrian keeper into the bottom of the net from 17 yards out. The Islanders defense held strong to preserve the 1-0 win.

Despite the auspicious start to the campaign, the Faroes failed to qualify, managing only one other point (a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland). They finished at the bottom of the group, behind Yugoslavia, Denmark, Northern Ireland and Austria.

The Faroe Islands continue to compete in FIFA and UEFA, but have yet to qualify for a major tournament.

26 June 1992 - Is There A Danish Word For "Cinderella"?

On 26 June 1992, Denmark won the UEFA European Championship, defeating Germany 2-0 before a crowd of 37,800 at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Danes were unlikely champions, having initially failed to qualify for the tournament. They finished second in their qualifying group, losing out to Yugoslavia by a single point. On 30 May 1992, however, just eleven days before the opening day of the tournament, the United Nations issued a trade embargo against Yugoslavia in response to that country's ongoing ethnic conflicts. Yugoslavia was thus disqualified from participating and Denmark was called in as a replacement.

As to be expected from a team that had not been planning to play in the tournament, the Danish side got off to a shaky start, drawing with England (0-0) and losing to hosts Sweden (1-0), before finally securing a win against France (2-1) in its last group stage match. The win placed Denmark second in its group, just one point of ahead of both France and England, and sent the Danes through to the knockout rounds.

In its first knockout match, Denmark faced the Netherlands, who were the defending Euro title holders. After trading goals to finish 2-2 at the end of extra time, Denmark won on penalties, 5-4, to advance to the Final against defending World Cup champions Germany.

In the Final, Danish midfielder John Jensen (pictured) opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Describing his goal after the match, Jensen told the press: "The first 20 minutes of football were the hardest most of us had ever faced. The Germans were all over the pitch and we couldn't get into our play. We were working tirelessly and suddenly I had the chance to have a shot at goal. I remember the manager had said to me before the game that if I have a chance to take a shot, then I should go for it."

The Danes kept Germany from scoring and, in the 78th minute, Jensen's midfield partner Kim Vilfort added a second goal as unnecessary insurance. The match ended at 2-0, giving the Danes their first major trophy.