Ranking the favourites to qualify from UEFA Euro 2020 last 16. (imago Images)
In this article, we take a look at the top 10 goals scored in the history of Euros. The UEFA European Championship has been graced by some of the greatest players in the history of the game, and they have given us all moments to cherish and remember for decades to come.
Here, we will rank 10 goals in the Euros that really made the competition into what it is today. The goals will be ranked on the basis of the difficulty of scoring that goal, the innovation behind it, and the importance of it in the context of the match and the tournament. Let’s get underway!
There is no way that the top 10 list for best UEFA Euros goals would not include that Mario Balotelli moment. UEFA Euros 2012 semi-final between Germany and Italy was one of the biggest matches in this century’s international footballing calendar.
Pressure? What pressure? Mario Balotelli stepped up to the plate and rinsed the Italians within the first 30 minutes of the game. But it was his second goal, an absolute rocket followed by the ‘flex’ celebration that became an iconic moment in the history of football. Italy won 2-1 but lost to Spain in the final.
Frank de Boer, now a manager, was one of the best players to play for the Netherlands in the 1990s. His crowning individual on the international stage came against footballing behemoths, France, in a group D game at UEFA Euros 2000.
He smacked in a long-ranger from the free-kick spot that caught Bernard Lama completely off guard. The Dutch then came back to win the game 3-2 and top their group. However, it was France who went on to win the trophy that year.
Remember Karel Poborsky? Yes, that Karel Poborsky who played for Manchester United in the 90s? Well, if you ever wanted to know the one moment that made him a household name during his heyday, look no further than his goal against Portugal in the 1996 Euros.
Czech Republic took on Portugal in the quarter-final of the 1996 UEFA Euros, and Poborsky managed to score the only goal of the game. It was a sumptuous lob over Portugal’s Vitor Baia who stood there helplessly.
Thomas Brolin of Sweden scored one of the best team goals in the history of the competition when he finished off a great move around the edge of the box against England in the 1992 UEFA European Championship.
That goal won Sweden the group game against England by a 2-1 scoreline as they progressed to the knockout stage while the three lions finished bottom of their group.
Talk of a big-game goal, Xherdan Shaqiri produced an astonishing bicycle kick against Poland. The Swiss took on the Poles in the round-of-16 game of Euros 2016 and trailed via a first-half goal.
But Shaqiri stepped up to the plate some 10 minutes from time and scored an audacious overhead volley. The game finished 1-1 but Poland went on to win 4-5 on penalties.
England vs Scotland at Wembley in Euros 1996… can it get any bigger? And while Alan Shearer was the one to open the scoring in that game, it was Paul Gascoigne’s sensational goal that made the headlines.
Gazza took a brilliant touch to free himself of the Scottish defender and find himself in acres of space. A cool finish meant England won 2-0 and progressed from the group stages at the expense of Scotland.
Take that Xherdan Shaqiri goal we mentioned above, and imagine that it was scored straight from a throw-in. Well, there is probably no need to imagine it because Liverpool legend Ronnie Whelan already did it in Euros 1988.
Republic of Ireland played USSR in the second group game of the tournament after a memorable win against England. And Whelan scored an insane first half overhead kick to hand them the lead in this game as well. USSR came back to draw 1-1 while Ireland would not qualify for the knockout stages.
Portugal’s run in the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament was one step short of being a dream campaign. But the one moment which sent the entire country into a frenzy came against Holland in the semi-final of the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo had opened the scoring in the first half but it was deadly striker Maniche whose strike from the edge of the box left viewers stunned. The goal came straight from a short corner kick and the former Porto striker did not think twice before letting off a stunning hit into the far post. Portugal won that game 2-1 but lost to Greece in the final.
It seems like USSR could not catch a break during the Euros 1988 when it came to being on the end of stunning goals. This one, however, is widely acclaimed as one of the best goals ever scored.
A lobbed ball into the path of arguably one of the greatest strikers of all time, Marco van Basten, was finished with unerring accuracy from an impossible angle. Just enjoy the video. Oh, and did we tell you, it was the final of the competition? The Dutch won 2-0 and lifted the trophy that day.
At number one is the goal that forever etched the name of its scorer in the history of football. The final of the Euros 1976 tournament saw Czechoslovakia take on West Germany. The game finished 2-2 at full time.
But the moment of the match came in the penalty shootout. With the Czechoslovakians 4-3 up in the penalty shootout, Uli Hoeness missed his kick. The spotlight was now on Antonin Panenka, who executed the kick we now know as ‘The Panenka’ – a chipped spot-kick. They won the tournament and lifted their biggest trophy on the international stage.
You can watch the video of the Panenka kick here.
