Euro 2020 concluded on Sunday with Italy beating England 3-2 in what was a thrilling and heartbreaking penalty shootout at Wembley Stadium. The match finished 1-1 in regulation time and was the second time Italy has won the European title, the last time was 53 years ago. Here’s the look at the five tournament interesting facts.
Most Consecutive Wins
5 – Italy made history winning five consecutive matches in a single tournament under the tutelage of Roberto Mancini. With the feat, they have managed to equal the record set by France in 1984. The Italian side won the first three group matches and the next two knockout ties before getting victories via penalties in both semi-finals and final.
Number Of Goals By A Single Team
13 – Italy and Spain scored 13 goals each which is the second-highest goal tally by a nation in a single tournament. Only France in 1984 had a better goalscoring record with 14 goals. And it was the fourth time in history that two nations finished level on most goals with the Czech Republic and England( 2004), France and Netherlands( 2000), Hungary, Soviet Union and Spain ( 1964).
Longest Gap Between Successive Titles
53 – This is the number of years it took Italy to conquer Europe once again. Despite winning the title in 1968, Azzurri failed to replicate their success falling short in the finals against France in 2000 and losing 4-0 to Spain in 2012.
Goalscoring Records
142 – there were 142 goals at Euro 2020 which is the most goals scored in the tournament’s history. In summary, a total of 80 goal scorers includes 30 players that have scored two or more goals in this year’s tournament. Plus a record 2.78 goals per match.
Player Of The Tournament.
Social media was abuzz with tweets and posts that “It’s coming home” after England’s resounding victory over Germany and to be fair, Gareth Southgate’s side performed very well and look to be clicking at the right time. They should, however, not be overconfident going into the quarterfinals in the perceived easier side of the draw
Denmark, Czech Republic and Ukraine have all been excellent and won’t be walkovers by any means, England should draw confidence from their victory over the Germans, but must be vigilant that their quarterfinal opposition and potential semi-final opponent will give them a run for their money.