Portugal would attract attention with their excellent performances at the 2000 European Championship, but getting there in first place was a difficult task for coach Humberto Coelho and his golden generation. The qualifying campaign took place mainly in 1999 and saw a titanic battle between Portugal and Romania for first place in the group. João Pinto, Rui Costa,Ricardo Sá Pinto and Luís Figo were all regular scorers throughout the campaign, while Portugal finished one point behind the Romanians due to a last-minute home defeat against their rivals. Portugal's strong record throughout the qualifying campaign meant they finished as the best second-placed team and thus qualified without the added drama of a play-off.