Fastest goal, precociousness, fiery attacks… These records already broken during the Euro

The Euro has never seen this before. Since June 14 and the start of the European Championship, a number of records have already been broken, while only four matches have been played. But we must believe that the German air gives ideas to the players and coaches, determined to leave their mark on the great history of the Euro. Precocity records, cascade of goals… Here are the most astonishing statistics in forty-eight hours of competition.

The fastest goal in history

Never, in sixteen editions of the Euro, has a selection scored a goal during the first minute of play. We had to wait until the 17th, and the surprising Albania team, for such a scenario to occur . Saturday June 15, in Dortmund, it was Italy who paid the price. Taking advantage of a big mistake from Federico Dimarco, Albanian Nedim Bajrami made European football history by shaking the net of Parisian Gianluigi Donnarumma after 23 seconds of play (see video below).

The Sassuolo striker’s early achievement, however, did not allow his team to achieve the feat of beating the reigning European champions. In the “group of death”, Italy finally won (2-1). Nedim Bajrami can console himself: he did better than the Russian Dmitri Kirichenko, until now top scorer in the history of the Euro against Greece in 2004, after 67 seconds of play. Let’s hope that the Blues, who conceded the one of the fastest goals in the history of football last March against Germany (0-2), will not suffer such a mishap.

The youngest player in history

What were you doing when you were 16 years and 11 months? Lamine Yamal was running on the pitches of the Euro. The Spanish striker started on Saturday June 15 in the first big shock against Croatia (3-0), at exactly 16 years and 338 days. He does better than the Pole Kacper Kozlowski, who was 17 years and 246 days old when he faced… Spain, in 2021. To celebrate this feat, the Barcelona winger even offered himself an assist for Dani Carvajal .

Lamine Yamal could take advantage of the rest of the Euro to collect records. Starting with that of the youngest scorer in the history of the European Nations Championship. It is currently held by Switzerland’s Johan Vonlanthen, who was 18 years and 141 days old when he scored against France in 2004.

A shower of goals unprecedented in almost 50 years

It has been more than six decades since football fans saw such a spectacle. The first four matches of the competition have already offered 16 goals to spectators, an average of four per match. A nice pace, to which only Croatia did not contribute. The third place finishers in the last World Cup remain the only selection not to have unlocked their counter among the teams already in the running.

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For comparison, there were only nine goals in the first four matches of Euro 2021, just like in 2016 and 2012. Previous editions are no better: six goals in 2008, seven in 2004, or ten more in 2000. According to the X StatsduFoot account, we have to go back to Euro 1976 to find evidence of a greater number of goals scored after four matches (19). The goalkeepers will not necessarily agree, but as long as it lasts.