The tension was palpable as Belgium faced France in a critical Euro 2024 match. When Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen inadvertently redirected Randal Kolo Muani’s shot into his own net, securing a 1-0 victory for France and a quarter-final berth, it marked a significant moment. Vertonghen became the ninth player to score an own goal in the Euro 2024 tournament. This wasn’t just any own goal; it highlighted a peculiar trend in this year’s European Championship: own goals are occurring at an unprecedented rate. In fact, a surprising 66% of France’s goals in the tournament to that point had been credited to their opponents, underscoring the unusual impact of these unfortunate deflections.
The Unprecedented Statistics of Euro 2024 Own Goals
Nine own goals in the first 44 matches of Euro 2024 is not just a noteworthy statistic; it’s a startling anomaly. To truly grasp the scale, consider this: the leading goal scorers at this stage of the tournament – including Cody Gakpo, Georges Mikautadze, Jamal Musiala, and Ivan Schranz – each had only scored three goals. Only the host nation, Germany, had surpassed the own goal tally with a mere 10 goals. Looking back at the history of the European Championship, the contrast is even more striking. The previous two tournaments combined witnessed 20 own goals, averaging one every five matches. This rate is exceptionally high when compared to the first 15 European Championships, from 1960 to 2016, which saw a total of just nine own goals – an average of one every 30 matches.
Interestingly, own goals were a rarity in the early days of the Euros. It wasn’t until the fifth tournament in 1976 that the first own goal was recorded. This dubious honor fell to Czechoslovakia captain Anton Ondrus in the Euro 76 semi-final. Ondrus, celebrated as the “Beckenbauer of the East,” had already contributed positively by scoring for his own team, giving Czechoslovakia a 1-0 lead against the Netherlands. However, fate took a cruel turn when he inadvertently sliced a clearance into his own net. Despite this error, Czechoslovakia triumphed over the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time, and Ondrus went on to lift the trophy after a final victory against West Germany, sealed by Antonín Panenka’s iconic penalty.
Antonio Rüdiger scored the first own goal of 2024, nodding past Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the opening game. Photograph: Sergei Grits/AP
Following Ondrus’s own goal, a 20-year gap ensued before the second instance at Euro 1996 at St James’ Park. Bulgaria’s Lyuboslav Penev deflected a Youri Djorkaeff free-kick past his own goalkeeper. While earlier tournaments featured fewer matches, this alone cannot account for the dramatic surge in own goals in the recent Euro editions. The shift is stark: from two own goals in two decades to four in just four days at Euro 2024. This begs the question: what factors are contributing to this unprecedented rise in Euro 2024 Own Goals?
Decoding the Reasons Behind the Own Goal Phenomenon
Several theories attempt to explain this statistical anomaly, ranging from rule changes to evolving tactical approaches and even sheer misfortune. Let’s delve into some of the potential contributing factors.
The Law Change: Referee Discretion and Deflected Goals
Historically, the attribution of deflected goals was left to the discretion of individual referees, leading to inconsistencies. To address this, UEFA President Michel Platini intervened in 2008 to standardize the process. UEFA decreed that a player would be credited with a goal if their shot was already on target when a deflection occurred. Conversely, if an off-target shot was diverted into the net, the own goal would be assigned to the player causing the deflection. While Platini noted that many referees were already unofficially following these guidelines, the formal codification aimed to ensure uniformity across all UEFA matches, including the European Championship. This shift effectively removed the subjective element from match officials’ decisions regarding deflected goals.
Could this change in policy be responsible for the spike in own goals? If the criteria had indeed become more lenient towards awarding own goals, one might expect to see a similar increase in other major tournaments, such as the World Cup. However, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar only saw two own goals in 64 matches. The previous World Cup in Russia did record a higher number with 12 own goals – significantly more than previous World Cups – but even this peak is dwarfed by the figures from the recent Euros. The last two European Championships alone account for a staggering 69% of all own goals in Euros history, and Euro 2024 still had knockout rounds to play at the time of the original article. Therefore, the 2008 law change alone seems insufficient to fully explain the current surge.
Crosses vs. Inverted Wingers: Shifting Attacking Paradigms?
Another potential explanation could lie in changes in attacking tactics. One might hypothesize that an increase in crosses into the penalty area could lead to more deflections and, consequently, more own goals. However, data contradicts this theory. Euro 2020 saw 32.1 crosses per game, and the group stage of Euro 2024 averaged 33.8 crosses per game. These figures are not unusually high; in fact, they are among the lowest since records began in 1980.
Conversely, the rise of inverted wingers – players who cut inside to shoot rather than deliver crosses from the wing – has become a prominent tactical trend. Could this be a contributing factor? With more players taking shots from central positions, are these shots more likely to be deflected into the net by defenders in crowded penalty boxes? If this were the primary cause, we would likely observe a similar surge in own goals in domestic leagues where inverted wingers are prevalent, such as the Premier League. The Premier League did witness a high number of own goals this season – 49, matching a previous record from the 2013-14 season. However, the average number of own goals in the seasons between was around 35, indicating that while there was an increase, it was not as dramatic as the escalation seen in the recent Euros. Moreover, the 2013-14 season’s high own goal count predates the widespread adoption of inverted wingers, suggesting other factors are at play.
Goalkeeping Styles: A Modern Liability?
The evolution of goalkeeping styles is another avenue to explore. Modern goalkeepers are often valued for their distribution skills and proactive approach, sometimes at the expense of traditional shot-stopping abilities. There’s a theory that the increased emphasis on punching the ball clear, rather than catching, might inadvertently increase the risk of deflections back into dangerous areas. Similarly, a focus on passing accuracy over pure shot-stopping could potentially lead to more errors. However, a review of the Euro 2024 own goals reveals that none have resulted from goalkeeping blunders like misplaced passes or overly adventurous play. This suggests that changes in goalkeeping styles are not the primary driver behind the own goal spike.
The Low Block Defense: Packing the Penalty Area
A more compelling explanation may lie in the prevalent defensive strategies employed by many teams. The increasing popularity of defensive, counter-attacking football has led to teams adopting deeper defensive lines, often referred to as “low blocks.” This tactic involves packing players into the penalty box to minimize space for the opposition and relies on quick transitions to attack. Remarkably, deflections have accounted for eight out of the nine own goals in Euro 2024, and most of these have occurred from close-range shots in congested penalty areas. For example, Belgium had eight players inside their own box when conceding the own goal against France, and Italy had ten players in the box when Spain scored an own goal against them. With such a high density of players in the defensive zone, deflections become statistically more likely.
Italy’s box was packed with defenders when they conceded an own goal to Spain. Photograph: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images
Many teams in Euro 2024, particularly those considered underdogs (and their numbers have increased in recent editions), have adopted counter-attacking strategies. Teams like Georgia, despite having only 33.8% possession, reached the knockout stages, demonstrating the effectiveness of well-organized low blocks and swift counter-attacks. While packing the box enhances defensive solidity, it inherently increases the probability of deflecting shots into one’s own goal.
Sheer Misfortune: The Unpredictable Nature of Football
Ultimately, a significant element of sheer bad luck cannot be discounted. This theory might resonate with fans of Portugal and Slovakia. Portugal, entering Euro 2020 as reigning champions, narrowly avoided group stage elimination after a 4-2 defeat to Germany, a match where both Rúben Dias and Raphaël Guerreiro scored own goals. Slovakia mirrored this misfortune just days later in a 5-0 thrashing by Spain, suffering two own goals, the first being a particularly unfortunate episode where goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka palmed the ball into his own net while attempting to push it over the bar. Juraj Kucka then added to the misery with a second own goal. These double own goal disasters contribute to Portugal and Slovakia holding the joint record for most own goals in Euros history, with three each.
Portugal, however, experienced a reversal of fortune in Euro 2024, benefiting from arguably the most spectacular own goal of the tournament in their 3-0 victory against Turkey. A communication breakdown between Turkish defender Semet Akaydin and goalkeeper Altay Bayindir resulted in a back pass rolling past the stranded goalkeeper into the net. Turkey’s manager, Vincenzo Montella, attributed it to a “misunderstanding,” acknowledging the unpredictable nature of football. Given the high volume of own goals in Euro 2024, it seems likely that more such unpredictable moments, for better or worse, were still to come as the tournament progressed.
Conclusion: A Confluence of Tactics, Chance, and Crowded Defenses
In conclusion, the unprecedented number of own goals at Euro 2024 appears to be a result of a combination of factors. While rule changes and evolving playing styles might have a subtle influence, the tactical emphasis on deep defending and crowded penalty boxes seems to be a primary driver. When teams prioritize defensive solidity by packing players around their goal, deflections inevitably become more frequent. Coupled with the inherent randomness of football and occasional lapses in concentration, this creates a perfect storm for own goals. Ultimately, while tactical approaches and defensive strategies play a role, a significant portion of the Euro 2024 own goal phenomenon may simply be attributed to the capricious nature of the game and a considerable dose of misfortune for the defenders involved.
