4 months ago
14
ARTICLE AD BOX
"Teenage dream" - Guler's wonder goal restores Turkey's lead
What's with all the long-range screamers at this year's Euros?
'The Turkish Messi' Arda Guler's wonder goal against Georgia and Czech Republic's Lukas Provod's strike lit up Tuesday's action - and there have been a whopping 11 goals from outside of the penalty area in the opening round of 12 group games.
For context, there wasn't a single goal from outside of the box at the 2022 Qatar World Cup until the 17th game - Iran’s 2-0 win v Wales.
We haven't landed on an explanation yet - is it just a freak trend, goalkeeping errors, the ball? So here are the stats, enjoy the strikes, and decide on your own analysis...
Long-range goal trends in Euros
| 34 | 11 | 32.4 |
| 142 | 19 | 13.4 |
| 108 | 16 | 14.8 |
| 76 | 8 | 10.5 |
| 77 | 6 | 7.8 |
| 77 | 12 | 15.6 |
| 85 | 13 | 15.3 |
| 64 | 9 | 14.1 |
| 32 | 8 | 25 |
| 34 | 2 | 5.9 |
| 41 | 9 | 22 |
| 27 | 5 | 18.5 |
Source: Opta
With 11 out of the 34 goals before Wednesday's fixtures being scored from long range, that ratio of 32.4% is way above the norm for any previous Euros - but let's see if that levels out after the group stage and the full tournament.
The shots from outside the box ratio from the opening round of group games (39.2%) is actually pretty ordinary and is below the overall figure of every other previous Euros except Euro 2020.
Long-range shots at Euros
| 293 | 115 | 39.2 |
| 1,243 | 464 | 37.3 |
| 1,365 | 638 | 46.7 |
| 879 | 427 | 48.6 |
| 937 | 456 | 48.7 |
| 912 | 431 | 47.3 |
| 896 | 421 | 47 |
| 851 | 446 | 52.4 |
| 422 | 221 | 52.4 |
| 388 | 207 | 53.4 |
| 470 | 239 | 50.9 |
| 385 | 231 | 60 |
Source: Opta
And looking at the most recent men's major tournament, the World Cup 2022, only 12 of the 172 goals scored in Qatar were from outside the penalty area - that's 7%.
There were none in the opening round of 16 group games, despite a similar level of long-range shots.
Provod gives Czech Republic the lead against Portugal
English (US)