Euro 2024 has thrilled fans with a cascade of goals, keeping the Golden Boot race fiercely competitive. Teams like Spain and Germany have showcased their offensive depth with multiple players finding the net. However, an unexpected statistical trend is stealing some of the spotlight: own goals. This year’s tournament in Germany is rapidly becoming the ‘Euro of Own Goals’.
Historically, across the sixteen previous editions of the European Championship, a mere 20 own goals were recorded. Interestingly, a significant portion, 11 of these, occurred in the most recent Euro 2020, a tournament spread across Europe. But Euro 2024 is on pace to shatter records. A striking ten own goals have already been tallied. This surge of self-inflicted setbacks is unprecedented in the tournament’s history.
Jan Vertonghen of Belgium reacts in disappointment after scoring an own goal against France during a Euro 2024 match (EPA)
Here’s a comprehensive list detailing each own goal in the tournament so far:
| Match | Player | Nation | Own Goal Against | Final Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Stage Round 1 | Antonio Rudiger | Germany | Scotland | GER 5-1 SCO |
| Group Stage Round 1 | Maximilian Wöber | Austria | France | AUT 0-1 FRA |
| Group Stage Round 1 | Robin Hranáč | Czech Republic | Portugal | POR 2-1 CZE |
| Group Stage Round 2 | Klaus Gjasula | Albania | Croatia | CRO 2-2 ALB |
| Group Stage Round 2 | Riccardo Calafiori | Italy | Spain | ESP 1-0 ITA |
| Group Stage Round 2 | Samet Akaydin | Turkey | Portugal | TUR 0-3 POR |
| Group Stage Round 3 | Donyell Malen | Netherlands | Austria | NED 2-3 AUT |
| Round of 16 | Robin Le Normand | Spain | Georgia | ESP 4-1 GEO |
| Round of 16 | Jan Vertonghen | Belgium | France | FRA 1-0 BEL |
| Quarter-final | Mert Müldür | Turkey | Netherlands | NED 2-1 TUR |
It’s noteworthy that for two decades, between 1976 and 1996, not a single own goal was scored in the Euros, making the current trend even more remarkable. Looking back at England’s Euro history, Glen Johnson holds the unfortunate distinction of being the sole English player to score an own goal at the Euros, doing so against Sweden in 2012. Conversely, England benefited from an own goal courtesy of Denmark’s Simon Kjær in the Euro 2020 semi-final.
As Euro 2024 progresses into the knockout stages from June 29th, culminating in the final in Berlin on July 14th, it remains to be seen whether this unprecedented number of own goals will continue to rise, further etching this tournament into the record books for this unusual statistic.
