England’s Euro 2024 campaign ended in heartbreak following a 2-1 defeat to Spain in Sunday’s final in Berlin.
After another memorable summer, the Three Lions provided plenty of hope to the nation but couldn’t quite get things over the line for the second consecutive European Championship, losing narrowly to the team who brushed every team they faced aside to deservedly lifted the trophy.
It was a tournament filled with excitement and drama, but which teams and players ranked highest for each key stat metric in Germany? Here, we take a closer look.
Goals scored – team
Spain ended a 12-year wait for a major international trophy with their 2-1 win over England in Berlin and were the highest goalscorers throughout the tournament with 15. La Roja kickstarted their campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Croatia in the group stage and followed that win up with 1-0 victories over Italy and Albania, before easing past Georgia 4-1 in the round of 16, and then defeating hosts Germany 2-1 in the quarter final in extra-time – the only game they did not manage to win in 90 minutes.
The 2-1 win over France in the semi-final was arguably their most complete performance, whilst the 2-1 victory over England was, as hard as it is to admit, deserved as they dominated possession throughout the most-part and controlled the tempo in typical fashion. You have to say fair play (through extremely gritted teeth).
Top teams for most goals scored:
1. Spain – 15
2. Germany – 11
3. Netherlands – 10
4. England – 8
= Switzerland – 8
= Turkey – 8
5. Austria – 7
Goals scored – player
This summer’s Euros was the first since 2012 where four goals would’ve been enough to clinch the Golden Boot. Cristiano Ronaldo scooped the prestigious award at Euro 2020 with five goals, but this time around the prize was shared between six players who each managed to find the net three times. Harry Kane, Spain’s Dani Olmo, Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze, the Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo, Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz and Germany’s Jamal Musiala all scored thrice in Germany, with neither Olmo or Kane scoring in the final.
As mentioned, this was the lowest total for a Golden Boot winner(s) in over a decade, where Fernando Torres Mario Gomez and Alan Dzagoev all ended Euro 2012 with three goals each. Perhaps the most impressive names in the list are Ivan Schranz and Georges Mikautadze, however, given the fact that both of them bowed out of the tournament in the round of 16, whilst the others progressed through to the quarter-finals and beyond.
Top players for most goals scored:
1. Harry Kane – 3
= Cody Gakpo – 3
= Jamal Musiala – 3
= Ivan Shranz – 3
= Dani Olmo – 3
= Georges Mikautadze – 3
Possession
Portugal bowed out of the tournament on penalties in the quarter-final phase, losing to France, but ranked highest for total possession with 64.8%. Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. started the tournament brightly and topped their group but found life difficult in the knockout stages, needing extra-time and penalties to beat Slovenia in the round of 16 before being dumped out of the Championship by Les Bleues.
Germany were the next best team for this metric, surprisingly ahead of Spain for possession kept per 90 mins with 59.2%, which was marginally higher than the eventual winners who returned 58.2%. England, who at times were frustrating with the amount of possession they kept without penetrating the opposition’s defence, ended with a total of 55.7%.
Top teams for possession:
1. Portugal – 64.8%
2. Germany – 59.2%
3. Spain – 58.2%
4. England – 55.7%
5. Croatia – 55.3%
Assists
Lamine Yamal lit up Euro 2024 with a string of performance well beyond his years, and the teenager – who turned 17 a day before the final – rightly scooped the Young Player of the Tournament award as a result. The Barcelona winger scored a contender for goal of the tournament with his decisive long-range strike against France in the semi-final, and laid off a total of four assists in Germany – double the amount of any other player.
Yamal beat fellow teenage starlet Arda Guler of Turkey for this metric, among plenty others. The Real Madrid youngster managed two assists as his country reached the quarter-finals, the same amount as 12 other players – including France’s Kylian Mbappe, Netherlands’ Nathan Ake and Spain’s Dani Olmo. Impressive stuff for someone who has literally just finished school.
Tackles won
Jude Bellingham endured a fairly turbulent campaign in Germany, with plenty of ups and downs. Overall, though, the Real Madrid star was the main reason England reached the final, with his sensational script-writing overhead kick sparing the Three Lions’ blushes at the 11th hour against Slovakia. It was Bellingham’s ability to win back possession which was equally impressive, though, with the 21-year-old completing more successful tackles than any other player at Euro 2024 (24).
Bellingham’s tally dwarfed the next best in this list – Portugal hard-hitter João Palhinha, who managed 16 successful tackles – and his fellow countryman Declan Rice, who managed 15. Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Højbjerg also made 15 but played fewer games than the aforementioned names, as Denmark’s journey ended in the round of 16, while Georgia’s Giorgi Chakvetadze and France’s Eduardo Camavinga finished the tournament with 13 successful tackles.
Top players for tackles:
1. Jude Bellingham – 24
2. João Palhinha – 16
3. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – 15
4. Giorgi Chakvetadze – 13
= Eduardo Camavinga – 13
Player of the Tournament – Rodri (Spain)
Young Player of the Tournament – Lamine Yamal (Spain)
Stats in this article courtesy of Uefa.com.
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