Euro 2020 may have been postponed by a year, but it’s proving well worth the wait as the total goals record is smashed – and we still have seven matches to come.
Football fans from around the world are still talking about Magic Monday, which served up 14 goals as Spain beat Croatia 5 – 3 and Switzerland and France drew 3 – 3 (of course, Switzerland went on to cause the shock of the tournament by winning the penalty shootout). It was during the first match that Euro 2020 smashed the previous tournament record of 108 goals set at Euro 2016. However, the goal fest actually began before then.
Group stage – Matchday 1
With teams looking to settle into the tournament, the first round of group matches are often cagey affairs, with teams sometimes more concerned about not losing rather than winning. However, from the 12 matches played during matchday 1, a respectable 28 goals were scored – giving an average of 2.33* goals per game.
Group stage – Matchday 2
Early Euro 2020 nerves are out of the way; teams can now focus on what they need from the second game to put them in a strong position going forward. Only 27 goals were scored from the 12 games at this stage (avg. 2.25 goals per game), with Germany vs Portugal producing the most (6) in a single game.
Group stage – Matchday 3
As most groups hung in the balance, matchday 3 was all or nothing. Three matches produced 5 goals each, and another four games each saw 4 goals. From the 12 matches played, 39 goals were scored at an average of 3.25 goals per game.
Round of 16
The round of 16 got off to a blistering start, with Denmark thrashing Wales 4 – 0. Then we had the dramatic 14-goal Magic Monday. In total, fans witnessed 29 goals from the 8 matches. That’s a tasty 3.625 goals per game.
Total Goals and Goals Per Game
The first five European Championships (1960 – 1976) only consisted of 4 teams. This increased to 8 teams from 1980 – 1992, and then 16 from 1996 – 2012. Euro 2016 was the first tournament with the 24-team format; therefore, the total goals comparison can only be made between 2016 and 2020.
- Euro 2016: 108 goals from 51 games (2.12 goals per game)
- Euro 2020: 123 goals from 44 games so far (2.79 goals per game)
As pre-2016 Euros has fewer matches, the goals per game metric is the fairest guide.
- Euro 2020: 2.79 goals per game
- Euro 2000: 2.74 goals per game
- Euro 1984: 2.73 goals per game
To break this record, Euro 2020 would need to deliver 141 total goals (2.75 goals per game) or more. That’s 18 goals from 7 remaining games, which given how this tournament is bubbling up, seems more than reasonable.
The European Tour
UEFA’s decision to host Euro 2020 throughout Europe was met with much criticism, but could this be one of the reasons why we’ve seen so many goals? You could argue that with one country (in most games) playing at home, this has given them extra motivation to go out and attack.
Furthermore, Euro 2020 is the first tournament where a large number of fans have been allowed back into the stadiums. Maybe the atmosphere is helping, too. Whatever the reason, Euro 2020 has lived up to expectations – and the best is yet to come.