Austria Continues Streak as Top Scorer in EURO 2024, but Own Goal Phenomenon Takes Center Stage

In the EURO 2024 match between Austria and the Netherlands, Ralf Rangnick’s team continued their streak as the top scorer of the tournament. The group leaders are currently on track to advance to the last 16, with France as their main opponent in Tuesday’s game.

However, a bizarre turn of events occurred six minutes into the game when Donyell Malen scored an own goal for his country, bringing the total number of own goals in the tournament to seven. This was Malen’s first own goal at a European Championship and also marked the fastest own goal in tournament history.

Interestingly, statistics show that two thirds of all own goals in UEFA European Championship history have been scored in the last two editions. Out of a total of 27 own goals, 18 have occurred in the last two tournaments, with 11 in EURO 2020 and seven so far in EURO 2024. This trend highlights the prevalence of own goals in recent European Championships compared to previous editions. The own goal phenomenon seems to reign supreme in the group stages of the tournament.