Who scored the fastest goals at UEFA European Championship final tournaments?
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
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Nedim Bajrami scored for Albania after just 23 seconds against Italy – the fastest goal in EURO history – with Türkiye's Merih Demiral also hitting the tournament's earliest knockout goal at EURO 2024.
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The fastest UEFA European Championship goals
0:23 – Nedim Bajrami (Italy 2-1 Albania, 15/06/2024, group stage)
Albania were just 23 seconds into only their second-ever EURO final tournament when Bajrami latched on to Federico Dimarco's misplaced throw-in and fired past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Cue ecstatic celebrations. They were short-lived, however, with Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella turning the game in the Azzurri's favour inside 16 minutes.
0:57 – Merih Demiral (Austria 1-2 Türkiye, 02/07/2024, round of 16)
History was also made in the last 16 at EURO 2024 as Türkiye took an early lead against Austria at Leipzig Stadium with the tournament's first-ever knockout goal inside the opening minute. Demiral was in the right place to force in from close range after Arda Güler's corner had caused panic in the Austria goalmouth.
1:07 – Dmitri Kirichenko (Russia 2-1 Greece, 20/06/2004, group stage)
Kirichenko watched from the bench as Russia's EURO 2004 hopes vanished with back-to-back losses, but roared out of the blocks when coach Georgi Yartsev started him for their final Group A outing. The CSKA Moskva man galloped through after 67 seconds to steer a right-foot effort past Antonios Nikopolidis.
1:13 – Youri Tielemans (Belgium vs Romania, 22/06/2024, group stage)
Having been beaten in their first game by Slovakia, the pressure was on for Belgium in their second Group E match and they made a flying start at Cologne Stadium. Tielemans – brought into the team – fired in with just over a minute on the clock after a deft lay-off from Romelu Lukaku, the Belgium midfielder arrowing the ball into Florin Niță's bottom-right corner to leave the goalkeeper with no chance.
1:22 – Emil Forsberg (Sweden 3-2 Poland, 23/06/21, group stage)
Sweden knew victory in their final game would give them top spot in a tough Group E featuring three-time winners Spain. They made a dream start when Leipzig midfielder Forsberg, who had struck the clincher in the previous match against Slovakia, pounced on a ricochet to drill his finish across Wojciech Szczęsny.
1:34 – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia 2-0 Portugal, 26/06/24, group stage)
Debutants Georgia went into their Matchday 3 meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo and Co needing victory to reach the last 16, and they could hardly have asked for a more perfect start in Gelsenkirchen. A stray pass from António Silva opened the way, and when Georges Mikautadze released Kvaratskhelia, there was only one outcome, the Napoli ace sprinting towards goal and firing hard and low into the net.
1:39 – Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark 1-2 Belgium, 17/06/2021, group stage)
Denmark came racing out of the traps in their second game of EURO 2020 at Parken Stadium, having lost to Finland in their Group B opener in Copenhagen five days before – a match significantly delayed following a medical emergency involving the hosts' Christian Eriksen. Cue exuberant celebrations back at the same stadium when Poulsen fired across Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.
1:40 – Robert Lewandowski (Poland 1-1 Portugal, aet, Portugal win 5-3 on pens, 30/06/2016, quarter-final)
The Poland centre-forward drew a blank in his first four outings of EURO 2016, but opened his account just 100 seconds into his country’s quarter-final, applying a typically unerring finish to Kamil Grosicki's pull-back from the left.
1:56 – Luke Shaw (Italy 1-1 England, aet, Italy win 3-2 on pens, 11/07/2021, final)
Shaw had never scored for his country before meeting Kieran Trippier's pinpoint cross from the right with a first-time finish that gave England a dream start to the EURO 2020 final against Italy. Prior to that, the earliest EURO final goal had come five minutes and 17 seconds into the 1964 showpiece, Chus Pereda puttin Spain ahead against the Soviet Union.
2:00 – Robbie Brady (France 2-1 Republic of Ireland, 26/06/2016, round of 16)This game was exactly two minutes old when Robbie Brady shot Ireland into a shock lead, dispatching a low penalty off the foot of Hugo Lloris's left-hand post.