Teams in white dress are more likely to win in the knockout phase, goal festivals are celebrated – but who will be the top scorer?
London. This European Football Championship is a record event even before the final. Because never before have so many goals per game been scored in a European Championship as in the current tournament. Before the two semi-finals and the final, there were 136 hits, which results in an average of 2.83 goals per game. Since the introduction of the group stage in 1980, the average of 2.74 goals at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine has been the record.
The current torrent stands out most clearly from that of Euro 2016 in France. At that time, only 2.11 goals were scored per match.
Will Ronaldo Triumph?
The fight for the top scorer’s crown still promises tension. However, it has been fixed since Saturday that it will not be enough for Patrik Schick. The Czech scored for the fifth time in the 1: 2 in the quarter-finals against Denmark and thus drew level with Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Portuguese, who was also eliminated, also managed an assist, which is why he is currently top of the shooting list before Schick.
The former world footballer and dethroned European champion, whom Juventus Turin allegedly wants to get rid of, threatens the threat from England’s Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling, who each have three goals.
But not only goal scorers are under observation before the first semi-final on Tuesday, teams themselves too – especially their jerseys. Here, too, there was a very clear tendency at the EM: Whoever wears white is unbeatable. White jerseys are the absolute lucky charm in the previous knockout round of this European Football Championship. A team competed nine times in the twelve games of the last sixteen and quarter-finals wearing a white sportswear, all nine of which won.
In contrast, teams with red jerseys had a hard time. Only one out of six won: Belgium against Portugal, whose jerseys were very light, but light green – and not white. The Belgians then lost to Italy, who played in white that day. This finding was particularly curious for Switzerland and the Czech Republic: Both had won in the round of 16 in white and then lost in the quarter-finals with red jerseys to opponents dressed in white.
Goalscorer ranking of the EM 2020
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) Five goals, one assist
2. Patrik Schick (TCH) 5, 0
Karim Benzema (FRA) 4, 0
Emil Forsberg (SWE)
Romelu Lukaku (BEL)
6. Xherdan Shaqiri (SUI) 3, 1
Raheem Sterling* (GB) 3, 1
8. Kasper Dolberg * (DEN) 3, 0
Robert Lewandowski (POL)
Georginio Wijnaldum (NED)
Harry Kane * (GB) * still in the tournament
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