From the jubilant victories of Spain, Italy, and Switzerland emerges a trove of stunning data on a day that rewrote the Euro 2024 record books.
Germany’s spectacular 5-1 victory against Scotland set the stage for an electrifying Saturday filled with non-stop football frenzy.
As Spain routed Croatia 3-0 and Italy engineered a comeback to best Albania 2-1, records tumbled. Switzerland too emerged triumphant, overpowering Hungary 3-1 to maintain equilibrium in Group A.
A whopping 16 goals have been netted in the first quartet of matches, marking the highest opening scoreline since the 19-goal spree of Euro ’76.
Digging into Opta’s treasure trove, let’s decode more enlightening stats from Saturday’s skirmishes in Germany.
Hungary 1-3 Switzerland: Swiss surge with flair
In their last 15 outings across different turfs, Switzerland has stumbled just once—a slight 1-0 slip against Romania last November. They kicked off their Group A journey with a zestful 3-1 win over Hungary.
Newbies Kwadwo Duah and Michel Aebischer etched their names in Swiss records, hitting the net on their Euro debut, a rarity only a duo before them managed.
Aebischer also helped set up Duah’s slick initial goal, marking another first: scoring and assisting in the same Euros match, a Swiss debut.
Flashing back, Barnabas Varga, Hungary’s newcomer, also marked his debut with a goal, fueled by Dominik Szoboszlai’s reliable setup plays.
Szoboszlai, a midfield maestro, has been a part of 10 goals in his recent 15 matches for Hungary. Yet, even his brilliance couldn’t tilt the scales against the recurring European odds.
A sly late goal by Breel Embolo ensured the win, highlighting Hungary’s struggling track record: only two victories in their 12 European Championship appearances.
This victory was also a landmark for Ricardo Rodriguez, who celebrated his 22nd major tournament appearance, a national milestone.
Spain 3-0 Croatia: Fresh talent shines through
Spain’s young stars dazzled, defeating Croatia remarkably in their first Euro 2024 outing. This marked only the second opener where Spain triumphed by more than three goals since their 4-1 victory over Russia in 2008.
Lamine Yamal, the youngest ever in Euros history, assisted Dani Carvajal, who set the record as the oldest Spanish scorer in the competition at 32 years and 156 days.
Yamal, alongside Pedri, showed a youth-powered Spain, crafting opportunities like no other young squad since a 2004 German team.
Morata, now Spain’s second-highest scorer in big tournaments, edged closer to David Villa’s record. Spain, surprisingly, had less control of the ball than Croatia— a first since Euro 2008’s final, breaking a135-game streak.
Luka Modric, despite his seasoned flair, could not fend off what tied as Croatia’s worst defeat in major tournaments.
Italy 2-1 Albania: From peril to celebration for Azzurri
The defending champs teetered after conceding the fastest goal in Euros history—23 seconds in, thanks to an errant throw-in. Yet, they soon regained composure, matching the early score times of historic matches from 2016 and 1964.
Nicolo Barella secured the win with his 10th national goal, a token of sheer luck since Italy has triumphed in every match where he has scored.
Though goalless, Federico Chiesa stood out with significant plays, marking a statistical feat unmatched since Mikkel Damsgaard’s performance in 2021.
Albania, although they scored in consecutive matches for the first time, still chase a rare victory. They have a formidable challenge ahead, with a daunting history against Italy in past encounters.
