With all but three of the games already played, chances are we have already seen the Euro 2024 goal of the tournament, especially with knockout football ramping up the fear factor for even the most classy of teams.
Supporters have been treated to an avalanche of stunning goals already. In particular, long range screamers seem to have come back into footballing fashion, compensating for the high count of own-goals seen so far in Germany.
Within 10 days of the tournament's curtain raiser in Munich, more goals from outside the penalty box had been scored at the European Championships than in the 2022 World Cup's entirety.
There have been so many strikes from distance, that we couldn’t even fit them all in the list. For example, Lukas Provod’s stunning opener for Czechia against Portugal and Xherdan Shaqiri’s curler against Scotland both miss out.
But without further ado, here are our top five Euro goals (so far!) in chronological order.
Euro 2024 Goal of the Tournament contenders
GOAL A: Nicolae Stanciu (Romania v Ukraine)
Romania stunned us all in the opening round of fixtures, thanks to their 3-0 thrashing of Ukraine, and this fine opening goal was the crowning moment.
Just before the half-hour mark, Parma winger Dennis Man cut the ball back onto the right-hand edge of the box. Waiting to catch a hold of it was creative midfielder Nicolae Stanciu.
Stanciu caught the ball extremely sweetly with his right boot, sending a shot that swept across Andriy Lunin at exceptional speed – his shot was clocked at 116 kilometres per hour.
It was a thunderous effort that opened the floodgates, as Romania romped to a 3-0 win that set them on course to reach the Euro knockouts after 24 years of hurt.
GOAL B: Mert Müldür (Türkiye v Georgia)
Türkiye’s opening goal at the Euros came from an unexpected source – namely, right-back Mert Müldür.
Müldür, who had scored just six goals in his career, struck a perfect volley from just outside the penalty area.
As the ball ricocheted off a Georgian head and up into the air, Müldür set himself. Not having time to allow the ball to bounce, the 25-year-old hit a full volley.
Cutting across the ball ever so slightly, the ball whizzed past and away from the heroic Giorgi Mamardashvili at some speed, only coming to a stop in the top right corner.
GOAL C: Arda Güler (Türkiye v Georgia)
But the Turks were not done there, as Team of the Tournament prospect Georges Mikautadze equalised to leave Vincenzo Montella finding himself in need of a saviour.
Real Madrid’s teenage prodigy, Arda Güler, answered the call in some style. With the fearlessness of a future star, he drifted infield from the right wing and hit a perfect 25-yard curler into the top left corner past Mamardashvili.
It sent the vast numbers of Turkish fans inside Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park into raptures, sealing their first Euros win in eight years.
GOAL D: Morten Hjulmand (England vs Denmark)
Matchday two was not quite as laden with stunners as the first, but one strike in particular did catch the eye.
The only effort to beat England’s Jordan Pickford in the group stage was Morten Hjulmand’s surprise strike that caught the Three Lions cold.
After losing the ball from their own throw-in, the English immediately retreated, allowing the Sporting CP midfielder to size up a shot.
Striking hard and true through the ball, Hjulmand hit a low drive that just about left the turf through the bodies and arrowed into the bottom left corner, crashing in off the unsighted Pickford’s post.
This equalising goal has proven crucial, as it secured Denmark’s place in the last 16, where they will face Germany.
GOAL E: Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Czechia vs Türkiye)
A remarkable third entry from Türkiye on our list came from Internazionale playmaker Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
While not as immediately spectacular as some of the long range scorchers on this list, Çalhanoğlu’s goal was an exercise in perfect technique to the discerning viewer.
With the 10 men of Czechia fighting for their lives at the back, the ball kept bouncing back out to different Turkish players. Baris Yilmaz went first, Ismail Yüksek had a dig, but saw his effort ricochet back into his path.
The second time around, he did the sensible thing and found Çalhanoğlu.
Ghosting into the left of the penalty area, wider than any other player, Çalhanoğlu unleashed a special strike.
The clean sound made when the 30-year-old’s right boot connected with the ball immediately gave away the quality of the strike.
Cutting across the ball with his instep to counteract the natural spin on the ball when opening up the body, Çalhanoğlu’s shot did not deviate from its direct path into the bottom right corner, where it found its natural resting place, tucked between the side netting and far post.
It was the perfect strike for the situation, and all but sealed Türkiye’s place in the knockout round for the first time since 2008.
GOAL F: Nico Williams (Spain vs Georgia)
The perfect sucker-punch, Nico Williams scored on a blistering Spanish counter-attack to put their last 16 tie with Georgia to bed.
Georgia made a rare foray forward, moving the ball around the edge of the box. But as soon as Aymeric Laporte picked off a pass, Nico Williams was on his bike.
The Athletic Club winger did not even have to break his stride to meet Fabian Ruiz' inch-perfect pass.
Carrying the ball at an incredible pace, Williams shimmied beyond Otar Kabakadze and opened up his body.
But this was all a deception. Despite shaping to bend it into the far post, Williams whipped his foot across the ball and smashed it in at the near post.
This goal was the exemplification of the new, balanced approach Spain have had to Euro 2024.
GOAL G: Bukayo Saka (England vs Switzerland)
Despite Gareth Southgate's switch to a 3-4-3 system imbuing England with a new sense of purpose, the Three Lions found themselves in familiar spot late on against Switzerland.
Breel Embolo had opened the scoring in the 75th minute, and England were in search of another hero.
Bukayo Saka, playing out of position at right-wing-back, answered the call, topping a superb display with a stunning strike.
Arsenal teammate Declan Rice's decoy run opened up space for the 22-year-old in the 80th minute, and after a brief glance at goal to set himself, bent a wicked shot into the bottom left corner, with Yann Sommer helpless.
Saka's strike, which came from range on the right wing, was his fourth major tournament goal, a number which sees him eclipse England legend David Beckham's major tournament tally.
