Euro 2024: A record-breaking start

Even before its first weekend of action is complete, the 17th European Championship has delivered a dizzying array of new bests and curious firsts.

Records have tumbled and fresh benchmarks have been set amid a goal-packed start to events at Euro 2024, with several coming in Friday's opener, featuring tournament hosts Germany.

Scotland's Ryan Porteous became the first player sent off in the opening match since 2012, and three games later, a tally of 16 goals is the most scored within the first four fixtures of either a Euros or World Cup since 1976.

But what are the brand-new milestones that had never been achieved before? Here, Sports Mole tells the story of a record-breaking start to UEFA's showpiece event.

Youthful Germany fly out of the traps

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Kicking off their home Euros in style, Germany took advantage of Scotland's misfortune to record the biggest win by a host nation in their opening game - and Die Mannschaft's greatest margin of victory at the European Championship to date.

Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz (21 years, 42 days) and Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala (21 years, 109 days) both found the net in a whirlwind first 20 minutes, making Germany the only nation ever to have two players aged 21 or younger score in the same match.

Furthermore, Wirtz became both the youngest man to score for the Germans at a Euro finals and the youngest to score the tournament's opening goal - and that was all before half time.

After the break, Niclas Fullkrug equalled the European record for most major tournament goals as a substitute, netting for the third time in as many matches - the Borussia Dortmund striker twice emerged from the bench to score in Qatar.

In doing so, Fullkrug put Germany four goals up in a European Championship game for the very first time; and by the final whistle, 36-year-old Julian Nagelsmann could celebrate success on the day he became the youngest head coach in Euros history.

Szoboszlai sets a new mark

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Less than 24 hours later, a fresh record was written by Hungary star Dominik Szoboszlai: the Liverpool midfielder strode out against Switzerland as the youngest starting captain in European Championship history, which dates all the way back to 1960.

Although his side suffered a 3-1 defeat, Szoboszlai - aged 23 years, seven months and 21 days - set up the Hungarians' only goal in Cologne.

It was to be a day of Swiss celebrations, however, as unheralded striker Kwadwo Duah scored his first international goal with just his second shot for Switzerland's senior team.

Having set up Duah's opener, Bologna midfielder Michel Aebischer then became the only man ever to both score and assist in the same Euros game for the Nati by curling home from 20 yards just before half time.

Long-serving left-back Ricardo Rodriguez also made his 22nd appearance at a major international finals - the outright most of any Switzerland player.

Spain embrace youth and experience

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Beating the mark set by Kacper Kozlowski - who was aged 17 years 246 days when appearing as a substitute in Poland's 1-1 draw with Spain at Euro 2020 - livewire winger Lamine Yamal started against Croatia on Saturday, becoming the youngest player ever to appear at a European Championship finals.

At 16 years and 338 days, Spain's brightest young star also teed up Dani Carvajal's goal on the stroke of half-time - and the Real Madrid right-back posted another new record in the process.

Carvajal is now La Roja's oldest goalscorer at the Euros, aged 32 years 156 days, and his close-range strike also saw Spain score three goals in the first half of a European Championship match for the very first time.

Beaten by the same side in last year's UEFA Nations League decider, Croatia must be sick of meeting their Spanish rivals, who also became the only team to score 10 times at the Euros against one single opponent.

Indeed, Alvaro Morata particularly likes playing Croatia, as he is now the first man to score versus the same nation at three different editions of the finals - 2016, 2020 and 2024.

Bajrami's benchmark

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If that was a tough act to follow, Group B's second game somehow raised the bar within less than a minute of kickoff in Dortmund.

At the very beginning of Italy and Albania's first encounter at a major tournament, Nedim Bajrami clinically capitalised on an error by Federico Dimarco to slam home an emphatic opener after just 23 seconds - the fastest goal ever scored at any European Championship finals.

The Italy-based playmaker did not have long to luxuriate in his new-found status, though, as the Azzurri struck back twice to turn the game on its head after less than 16 minutes.

As a result, the reigning European champions have now won their opening match at four consecutive major finals for the first time in their long and illustrious history.

Written by
Jonathan O'Shea