European Football Championship 2021
EM interim balance sheet: flood of own goals, messed up penalties and lots of hits
One of eight own goals in the European Championship preliminary round: Mats Hummels “overcomes” goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the game against France
© Christian Charisins / dpa
After the EM group stage, two impressions are particularly strong: the many own goals and the many penalties missed. The goal cut is also remarkable. In addition, some young stars mix up the tournament.
Lots of own goals, plenty of penalty misses and a cut that gives hope for more hits than at the 2016 European Championship. After the group stage, there are some anomalies at the European Football Championship. The group game between Hungary and Portugal (3: 3) at the European Championship five years ago was as scoring as Germany’s 4-2 victory over Portugal, but otherwise there were mostly fewer hits at the time.
The most spectacular goal for most fans was that of the Czech Patrik Schick, who scored the European Championship goal from the greatest distance in the 2-0 win against Scotland from more than 45 meters. Luka Modric’s side kick at 3-1 Croatia in Scotland is already one of the highlights of the European Championship. The strangest own goal so far is on the cap of the Slovak goalkeeper.
Own goal flood
All those involved would have loved to do without increasing this record. Balls landed eight times in the group stage of this European Championship in their own net! From the novelty by the German team, which was the first team in European Championship history to owe an own goal and also profited from an own goal (actually two), to the bad slapstick goal of the Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dubravka in the 0: 5 slap against Spain – everything included. And for comparison: At the Euro 2016 in France there were only three own goals in the entire tournament.
Missed penalties
The shooters ran from the point 14 times – the ball landed in the net eight times. So far, Spain has proven to be particularly unsafe: two attempts, no goal. At the European Championships in France, only Mesut Özil and Cristiano Ronaldo missed, who this time already sank three attempts. Eight penalty kicks – excluding penalty shootouts – were converted across the tournament in 2016.
Goal cut
94 goals were scored in 36 games, an average of 2.6 goals per game. In the preliminary round of 2016, the fans were only allowed to cheer 1.92 hits per game. Including the knockout round, this balance was then increased to 2.1, 108 goals in 51 games.
Goalscorer
Cristiano Ronaldo is the record scorer at European Championship finals with a total of 14 goals. The ranking of the current goalscorer list is topped by Portugal’s superstar with five goals. Emil Forsberg (Sweden), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Patrik Schick (Czech Republic) and Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands) have scored three goals each.
Young is in
Jude Bellingham celebrated his debut with the English at the age of 17 years and 349 days in a 1-0 opener against Croatia. This made the professional from Borussia Dortmund the youngest player in a European Championship for at least a few days. “Historically”, BVB tweeted. Kacper Kozlowski from Poland replaced Bellingham again. He was just 17 years and 246 days old when he came on against Spain on Saturday.
Jamal Musiala became the youngest German tournament player in Germany’s 2-2 draw against Hungary on Wednesday at the age of 18 and 117 days. The youngest German goalscorer at a European Championship, Kai Havertz can call himself at the age of 22 and eight days since his goal in the 4: 2 against Portugal.
Kurzvideos
It’s usually pretty quick. Whistle, the voice in the ear answers, the referee waits or quickly watches the repetition – and decision. The games are actually not interrupted for a long time when the video referee is used.
Home advantage (almost) gone
The home game is one of those things at a European Championship in eleven countries and given the mostly prevailing spectator restrictions. In any case, there have been eleven wins in 23 games with a team in their own country. Five times the hosts separated from the opponent with a draw, seven times they even lost.
