The second round of the UEFA European Championship, currently held in Germany and continuing until July 14, has concluded. The round ended on Saturday with a match between Belgium and Romania, which Belgium won 2-0 at the RheinEnergieStadion. The third and final round of Euro 2024 is set to begin on Sunday evening, featuring matches between Scotland and Hungary, and Switzerland and Germany in Group A. Here are the notable phenomena observed in the European Championship before the final group stage round.
**Scoring Abundance**
The Euro Championship has been characterized by high scoring during the first two rounds, with a total of 61 goals scored across the 24 matches played, averaging 2.55 goals per match, or a goal every 35 minutes. Germany currently leads in scoring with seven goals, followed by Portugal with five.
**Three Teams with Perfect Records**
Only three teams have achieved full marks by winning their first two matches, thus securing their places in the Round of 16. Germany, as the host nation, tops Group A after victories over Scotland (5-1) and Hungary (2-0). Spain has topped Group B with wins against Croatia (3-0) and Italy (1-0), while Portugal leads Group F after defeating the Czech Republic (2-1) and Turkey (3-0).
**Goal Drought Haunting Stars**
Many players have failed to score in Euro 2024 so far, including Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who has made eight assists in his tournament history but has not scored in the first two matches. Other stars facing similar struggles include Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, who suffered a broken nose in the first round, Englishman Phil Foden, and Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who had two goals against Slovakia ruled out by VAR for offside and a handball.
**Last-Minute Goals**
One of the remarkable phenomena observed during the European Championship has been the number of last-minute goals, with six goals scored in injury time (after the 90th minute) thus far. The list includes:
- Emre Can (Germany vs. Scotland, 90+3)
- Breel Embolo (Switzerland vs. Hungary, 90+3)
- Hactorç Oğuzlu (Turkey vs. Georgia, 90+7)
- Francisco Conceição (Portugal vs. Czech Republic, 90+2)
- Klaus Gjkasula (Albania vs. Croatia, 90+5)
- Luka Jovic (Serbia vs. Slovenia, 90+5).
