Flashback: France, Portugal, and the best Euro match ever played

The 1984 Euro semi-final between France and Portugal was a match for the ages.

With the host appearing destined for elimination after Portugal's go-ahead goal in extra time, two goals in the final frame saw France pull off an unlikely 3-2 triumph before moving on to further glory in the final.

The French looked well on their way to securing the country's first berth in a major final after opening the scoring in the first half, dominating play until Rui Jordao's goal created the conditions for one of the most exciting finishes ever seen on the international stage.

Led by Michel Platini's otherworldly form, Les Bleus had plowed through opponents to finish the group stage with a perfect record.

Platini led the charge in attack, scoring an absurd six goals during the opening three fixtures, and capped off the group phase with a hat trick to lift France past a surprisingly frustrating Yugoslavian outfit.

In doubling the top scorer's mark (three goals) from the previous Euro, Platini's output through three matches also broke the European Championship record for goals scored in a single tournament, formerly held by West Germany's Dieter Muller and Gerd Muller.

A date with Portugal represented the last obstacle before the finals, and many doubted the Selecao could put up much of a fight against a superior French side in Marseille.

Tricolore flags waved throughout an electric Stade Velodrome as boisterous French fans drowned out Portuguese fans inside the stadium.

The decibel levels cranked up a notch when birthday boy Jean-Francois Domergue surprisingly replaced Platini as the team's set-piece specialist, and thumped a swerving free-kick with the outside of his boot into the top corner of goal just 24 minutes into the encounter.

It was all Platini after France grabbed the lead. The Juventus star sliced through Portuguese defenders like a hot knife through butter with his skillful touch and inventive dribbling, but he couldn't put the match out of reach.

Despite one-way traffic and relentless pressure in the final third, Portuguese netminder Manuel Bento provided the heroics required to keep the underdogs in the tie. The stubborn Portuguese backline was finally rewarded when a seemingly innocent cross into the box saw Rui Jordao leap above defenders to bring the match level with a looping header into the French goal.

The once-deafening French support suffered another devastating blow when the match entered extra time. Fernando Chalana provided his second helper of the match after his trickery in the corner created enough space to deliver a cross to Jordao, who drove a volley into the ground before the ball soared into the air and into the net, leaving the French defenders in disbelief.

Domergue came to France's rescue in the second period of extra time when the 27-year-old found himself in the thick of a scramble inside the Portuguese box before poking in the equaliser.

Unwilling to settle for a draw, French fans urged their side up the pitch to continue the offensive assault against the distraught Selecao. A counter-attack up the middle of the park saw the determined French bully their way into the box. Platini collected a slow-rolling cross while two defenders and the goalkeeper failed in their desperate attempts to block the superstar's rocket into the back of goal in the 199th minute to ensure a place in the final.

It was a fixture few in the history of the game can match for excitement, and France's victory paved the way for the country to hoist its first major trophy in front of its delirious home support with a 2-0 win over Spain.