Football News: Euro 2024, Champions League, and Beyond
The group stage of Euro 2024 has been a captivating affair, with several intriguing storylines emerging. One notable statistic is that none of the 81 goals scored so far have come directly from a direct free-kick. This contrasts with Euro 2020, where there was only one free-kick goal, scored by Mikkel Damsgaard against England in the semi-finals. Euro 2016 had four free-kick goals, with Gareth Bale scoring two, more than in the next two tournaments combined. This trend in international football mirrors the declining usage of direct free-kick shots in Europe’s top five leagues, dropping from 24.6% in 2008-09 to 18.8% in the current 2022-23 season.
In a particularly damning statistic for England, Phil Foden passed more often to his goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (three times) than to attacking partner Harry Kane (once). The Three Lions’ expected goals (xG) of 2.26 was better than only Serbia’s and Scotland’s, and their matches against Serbia and Slovenia offered lower xG totals than any Premier League game last season. However, Gareth Southgate’s side are third in passing accuracy (90%) and have the Euros’ best crossing accuracy (40.6%).
Group C has been a cagey affair, featuring only seven goals across six games, a historical low only matched by Group C in 2016. The two final games in the group offered an unwanted record, as both finished goalless for the first time at a Euros.
Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku has become a symbol of the team’s attacking frustrations, but he was actually the group stage’s most dangerous striker, with seven attempts on target (one more than Kylian Mbappé, who played a game fewer). Meanwhile, the Turkey-Czech Republic match saw a remarkable 18 cards shown by the referee, a record for a Euros game.
“Albania’s Nedim Bajrami scored the fastest goal in Euros history, finding the net after just 23 seconds against Italy.”
This has been the year of very early goals, with 13 scored before the 15th minute, while minutes 16-30 have been the most prolific, with 17 goals.
Spain have taken a more direct approach under Luis de la Fuente, a stark contrast to their Euro 2020 vintage. The La Roja have completed 1,470 passes (490 per game) and made 66 dribbles (22 per game), a significant drop from their possession-based style of the past. Underdogs Georgia have defied the numbers, progressing to the last 16 despite the worst expected goals against (7.9) and expected goal difference (-4.1) of all 24 teams.
In the Champions League, the final stages are fast approaching, and teams are jockeying for position. Meanwhile, the FIFA World Cup and Women’s World Cup are on the horizon, with the Africa Cup of Nations also taking center stage. In the domestic leagues, the Premier League, EFL Cup, EFL Championship, EFL One, EFL Two, and FA Cup continue to provide intense competition and excitement for football fans around the world.
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