Euro 2020 Stats: Group Stage Focus…
Euro 2020 Stats: The Goals – 5
Starting with the statistic that really matters, there is a familiar face topping the scoring charts.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 5 goals for his beloved Portugal in Group F, leaving those vying for the Golden Boot in his wake all on 3.
Gini Wijnaldum, Romelu Lukaku, Patrick Shick, Emil Forsberg, and Robert Lewandowski boast 3 each, with the latter the only entity not progressing through to the knockouts.
most wasteful Up Top – 2.8xG
Alvaro Morata of Spain isn’t covering himself in glory at the Euros. Instead, the Juventus forward has clocked up 2.8 xG, dwarfing his actual goal tally of 1.
Not sure what xG is or how it is used? Check out our comprehensive guide to > xG.
Distance Covered – 36km
Russia’s golden boy isn’t just easy on the eye; he also puts a serious shift in for his country.
Aleksandr Golovin has clocked up 36km at Euro 2020, as Tomáš Souček registers 35.1km in second, and Hungary and Bristol City’s Ádám Nagy claims bronze with 34.8km.
xA overachievers – 0.24
Pierre Emile Højbjerg’s creative juices have been flowing for Denmark. The Spurs midfielder has racked up 3 assists, although afforded an expected assists figure of much lower – 0.24 xA per 90. Impressive.
Austria’s Stefan Zubar joins Højbjerg on 3 assists but has a marginally higher total – 0.50 xA per 90. On 2 assists for his country, Spain’s Gerard Moreno boasts a current xA of just 0.16 xA per 90.
The Midfield Progressor – 658
Frenkie de Jong has continued to impress for the Netherlands at Euro 2020. Unshakable on the ball, with composure seemingly coursing through his veins. He is the heartbeat in his nation’s midfield. Furthermore, he ranks as the midfielder with the highest progressive yardage (heading towards the opposing goal) with the ball at his feet.
Frenkie’s 658 progressive goal-bound yards leads Toni Kroos’ total of 621, and Mateo Kovačić with 598 yards in Croatia colours.
Keep Ball – 68.7%
In what may be the least surprising amongst our Euro 2020 stats, Spain claims top spot in the possession stakes with an overall possession percentage of 68.7%.
England’s opponents, Germany, come in second with 61.3%, and Belgium and Italy share the spoils on 57.7% each. Greedy.
Euro 2022 Stats: Most Team Goals – 8
An increasingly impressive Italian side (7) is trumped by Frank de Boer’s Netherlands (8).
The Dutch have an offensive partnership that screams goals at international level. Gini Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay look on course to take their side into double figures for goals sooner rather than later. Austria is up next in the Round of 16. Clinical.
Euro 2020 Stats: Most Team Attempts at Goal – 60
Denmark leads this metric, peppering the opposing goal on 61 occasions, averaging a smidge over 20 shots per game as a team.
Italy is close behind on 60, whilst Switzerland (47), Netherlands (46) and Spain (45) make up the top 5. What about England, you ask? Well, Southgate’s men have recorded 22 attempts, only bettering Finland (19) and Hungary (18).
Are the Great Danes on course to rival their 1992 Euros display? Why not.
Euro 2020 Stats: Get stuck in – 62
Hungary stands head and shoulders above the rest by a long shot with 62 tackles. Full-back Attila Fiola and Endre Botka exit the tournament with Hungary on 11 tackles each. Austria’s Stefan Lainer gears up to face the Netherlands with the same amount under his belt.
Next up? Fellow Group F participants, Germany on 50, and Poland with 49. Speaking of Poland…
Yellow Cards – 78
In the group stages of this year’s competition, those officiating showed 78 yellows. Poland and North Macedonia lead the way with 8, as Turkey nip at their heels with 7. Naughty.
With a 75% yellow card strike rate, Poland’s Grzegorz Krychowiak has registered 3 yellows from 4 fouls.
13 players have committed only 1 foul and also have a yellow card to their name. Are the 13 unlucky or calculated? Most notably, Leroy Sané and Sergio Busquets fall into this category.
Red Cards – 2
Grzegorz Krychowiak and Ethan Ampadu share the unwanted accolade of the only 2 players to see red at Euro 2020.
Krychowiak’s dismissal came against Slovakia, whilst Ampadu picked up a strawberry against Italy for a challenge deemed over-zealous. Similarly to Krychowiak, both reds arrived in the middle third of the pitch.
Press, Press, Press – 30
Konrad Laimer of Austria sits ahead of Jiraj Kucka (26), Oleksandr Zinchenko (25), Frenkie de Jong (25), and fellow compatriots Stefan Lainer (25) and Xaver Schlager (25) at the front of the class for this metric.
Laimer’s 30 successful pressures highlight the work rate of the central midfielder and the grit and desire needed to make the Austrian national side tick. Three Austrians in the top six for successful pressures is no happy coincidence.
FYI – Successful pressures: number of times a team regained possession within 5 seconds of applying pressure.
Pass Masters – 314
German midfield maestro Toni Kroos boasts the highest number of attempted passing stats in Euro 2020 to this point. Kroos attempted an imposing 314 passes as 288 subsequently found their man.
The Spanish trio of Jordi Alba (294), Aymeric Laporte (274), and Koke (263) close in on Real Madrid’s Rolls Royce as the knockouts approach.
Euro 2020 Stats: Safe hands – 3
The Italians and the English are the only nations to have shut out all 3 opponents in the group stages.
Jordan Pickford and Gigi Donnarumma are in pole position for the Golden Glove, with the Everton man making 4 saves in the process. Comparatively, Donnarumma has only been called into action with 2 saves.
Euro 2020 Stats: Group Stage Focus…
Words and Graphics by @SamIngram_