Nope. Rule in place for this tourney. Priorly, the second tie-breaker would have been the score against the group winner. In that case, the Czechs, having scored one, would only need a tie even if all else was the same. Didn’t like the rule and this adds more drama in any case. Prior to that nonsense, was the even worse “drawing straws.”
Anyway, good to know I’m ahead of Wiki. 
I believe Wikipedia is wrong there. From Wikipedia’s Euro 2008 page, you can see the tiebreakers in the group stage (and I verified them against the official UEFA document that is linked). The relevant tiebreaker in case of a draw would be “In cases where exactly two teams are equal in all previously listed critera and play one another to a draw in their final group match, kicks from the penalty mark will be conducted in lieu of the remaining criteria;”. So, from my understanding, PKs would be conducted immediately after the match to decide.
I assume the Wikipedia author didn’t realize the “special case” tiebreaker of the two teams playing each other in the final game and just went on to the next universal tiebreaker that relies on points gained in qualification.
Glad I took the time to research and write all that when it’s been covered numerous times now. 
Well, I’m posting it anyway!
Cool. Thanks for the thorough explanations.
Hm…I just read/heard recently that tie breakers were going to be points, head-to-head competition, and then goal difference. If that’s the case (and I’m remembering correctly) the only reason the Czechs and Turks would have to go to penalties in case of a draw is simply because they’re playing each other in the last game.
That’s not quite accurate. To be sure to go through winning two games, you have to have a win by the team you beat in the first game. This gives you the hammer over one of the two potential teams that can tie you at 6 pts.
For example (as I type this, I don’t know who won the Swiss v. Turks game), Portugal won against the Czechs. Now, if the Swiss win, and the Swiss beat Portugal, and the Czechs beat the Turks, then all finish with 6 points, and it’s down to goal differential.
On the other hand, if the Turks win, then there is no combination that can knock Portugal out. Only two teams then could finish level at 6 pts.
Huh? I’ve never heard of that tie-breaking rule. It has traditionally been points, then goal difference. In recent years, they’ve introduced the extra tie-breaking level of points and goal difference in the matches among the tied teams. But it’s news to me if goals scored or goal difference against the group winners is another tie-breaker.
Well, I’d love to cut and past the answer to this question, but UEFA have “secured” the damn .pdf file so you can’t cut and paste. Can you believe it?
This is the .pdf of the tournaments regulations. Go to page nine to read it.
It appears to me that Portugal cannot finish below #1, since they beat both of the teams which can end up level with them on points.
As for tie-breaking Turks v. Czechs, PKs require they finish level on goals scored and goals allowed, which would happen if they tie each other.
Quite right, thanks. I was oversimplifying the mindset of those teams in terms of the most likely finishes. Or rather, the ones they’d like the most.
While I admit to being wrong to the second tie-breaker in group stages, what you do against (goal difference-wise) against all/any teams directly tied with yours in all other aspects is the second tie-breaker.
Obviously, in this case it doesn’t matter as the two tied teams in all the three first criteria have yet to play.
And there can only be one mathematical winner since #4 is not currently applicable. The one with more goals against the other.
My turn to give you a semi-hard time. What possible other way could that happen?
Dude, a tie in all possible record-breakers, is a tie. Thus you need a winner from that match. End of story
Ok, Germany have Croatia right where they want them. All part of the plan… <blink>
That’s not a score I was expecting to see. Hmmmm.
that’s such a nasty goal (2-0). I love it. 
but Germany will win in the end, i’m afraid…
Holy cow. Didn’t expect that, either. Wow. What’s Germany doing out there?
See what I mean? (2-1) it’ll be an interesting last 15 minutes.
Red for Schweinsteiger for being frustrated, and now the ref has ended it all! You guys know this song that goes ‘Schade Deutschland, alles ist vorbei?’
I had the scoreline correct, at least. 
Wow…The Panzers fall. So much for that stroll…
Is no one watching today?? Good thing we set this thread up.
Polish goal against the run of play, and quite possibly offside, to boot. Austria punished harshly for failure to put away several good chances. We’ll see how the second half goes…
And Austria manages to pull out a point in the waning minutes. Another big confrontation set for the final matchday, now Austria and Germany, to determine which will advance.
Austria… the words “cow’s arse” and “banjo” spring to mind, as in not being able to hit one with the other. They have a unique ability to dominate the game but never look remotely like scoring, as in their game against Croatia.
Anyway, it was a penalty, very evident shirt-pulling there. The fact that other such offences go unpunished is irrelevant. It was a foul. I wish they gave penalties every time for that. Then it would soon stop, no?