despite not making any appearances for croatia during the uefa euro 2004 qualifying, butina went on to appear in all of their three group matches at the finals in portugal after pletikosa was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury sustained in training a few days before the first match. he was again issued a number 12 shirt. in the group stage, croatia maintained a goalless draw against switzerland, a 2–2 draw against france, and a loss 4–2 loss in the final round of the group stage against england which saw the team being eliminated from the tournament.