The Euro 2024 group stage has been full of great matches and spectacular goals. Apart from Group C of course – labelled the 'Group of Dearth' by the British media. Sorry, England fans. If it's any consolation, France haven't been much better.
The other five groups have certainly made up for it, however, and below is our selection of the 10 best strikes from the opening two weeks of the tournament. If the last 16, which starts on Saturday, can match this lot then Euro 2024 will go down as one of the best tournaments of recent years.
10. Niclas Fullkrug, Germany v Scotland
Germany set the tone for the tournament with their 5-1 opening day rout of Scotland. Fullkrug might be playing second fiddle to Kai Havertz up front but has still managed to bag two goals from the bench in the group stage.
The first came against the overmatched Scots in Munich as he came on as a second-half substitute and netted a 68th-minute rocket. The ball sat up nicely for the Borussia Dortmund striker and he absolutely thumped it into the top corner from the edge of the box.
9. Fabian Ruiz, Spain v Croatia
There haven't been too many individual goals scored at the tournament so far, but Ruiz's strike and all-round performance in Spain's tournament opening 3-0 win over Croatia helped his side hit the ground running in Germany.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder had already created the opener with a perfect through ball for Alvaro Morata before dancing past two men on the edge of the area and firing in a shot that nicked off Josip Sutalo on its way past Dominik Livakovic in the Croatia goal.
8. Memphis Depay, Netherlands v Austria
The Netherlands forward saved his best for last with this stunning volley in a 3-2 defeat to Austria in his side's final group game. This goal briefly made it 2-2 as the flamboyant frontman controlled Wout Weghorst's flick with his chest, adjusted and sent an improvised volley into the far corner.
The Austrians dampened Dutch spirits by promptly grabbing a winner and leaving Ronald Koeman's team going through third in the group. Depay is a free agent this summer after parting ways with Atletico Madrid.
7. Morten Hjulmand, Denmark v England
After England had taken the lead in Frankfurt and predictably began sitting deeper and deeper, the Danes grasped control of this Group C clash.
An equaliser looked on the cards and when it arrived it did so in spectacular fashion. The defensive midfielder, who plays his football in Portugal with Sporting, received the ball a full 30 yards from goal, took a touch to get it out of his feet and unleashed an unstoppable right-foot shot that smacked in off the foot of Jordan Pickford's right-hand post.
6. Mattia Zaccagni, Italy v Croatia
With Italy fighting to secure a runners-up spot in Group B, they found themselves trailing 1-0 to the streetwise Croats in Leipzig and looking at having to progress as one of the best third-placed teams.
The Azzurri, champions of Euro 2020, were unwilling to accept defeat and surged forwards in the closing stages as if it were the dying stages of a semi-final.
It was the 98th-minute – the eighth of the 10 added by the officials – when centre-back Riccardo Calafiori drove towards the edge of the box before releasing the ball to his left. Zaccagni, arriving from his berth on the wing, opened up his body to finish first time into the far top corner to stylishly seal the vital point his side required.
5. Mert Muldur, Turkey v Georgia
Poor old Mert Muldur scored this stunning volley only to be upstaged by his teammate Arda Guler (see below). But for fans of volleyed goals, this was comfortably the best of the group stage.
Muldur's eyes lit up as a Georgian defensive header spun into the air and dropped to him on the edge of the box. The Fenerbahce full-back met it with a ferocious right-footed strike, cutting across the ball to send it arrowing into the top corner and giving the goalkeeper no chance.
4. Nicolae Stanciu, Romania v Ukraine
Stanciu, who plays his football in the Saudi Pro League with Damac, called this the best goal of his career.
And that comes after a career full of memorable strikes from a player with a penchant for the spectacular. His breakthrough goal here set in motion a sequence of events that would ultimately lead the Romanians to the last 16 as group winners.
Ukraine were probably slight favourites but Stanciu's sublime shot, reversed first time into the top corner from the edge of the box, put them on course for a 3-0 win in their opening match.
3. Xherdan Shaqiri, Switzerland v Scotland
It wouldn't be the Euros without some magic from Shaqiri. The scorer of an outrageous bicycle kick against Poland at Euro 2016, and another long-range screamer against Turkey in Euro 2020, the diminutive Swiss talisman netted for the third Euros in a row with a trademark strike. A scorer of great goals throughout his career, the 32-year-old forward curled in a majestic effort from outside the box to get his side back on level terms.
Shaqiri, who has played for clubs in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, England, France and now the USA, in a nomadic career, was the first to react to Anthony Ralston’s errant back pass, running on to the ball and sweeping a first-time shot into the top corner of the Scotland goal. Viewed from behind you get a full appreciation of the curl he generated and see that it even kissed the very top of the post to earn extra points for aesthetics.
2. Arda Guler, Turkey v Georgia
Long-range goals have been a feature of the tournament so far, and there were none better than Guler's jaw-dropping finish against Georgia in Group F.
With Georgia coming a cropper attempting to play their way out of trouble, Turkey midfielder Kaan Ayhan's challenge caused the ball to spill into the path of Guler in the inside right channel.
Needing no invitation, the 19-year-old Real Madrid forward surged into the space in front of him, opened his body up and shaped an exquisite left-footed shot into the far top corner. The Georgians might have been a little slow to realise the danger and get out to him, but the strike was as pure as anything you will see at this tournament.
1. Roman Yaremchuk, Ukraine v Slovakia
You just rarely see goals like this anymore. There was no pre-orchestrated attacking pattern designed on the training ground to yield a high-percentage chance. Nope, the big striker lost his man with some astute movement, prompting a midfielder to take on a high-risk pass over the top and thus created one of the moments of the group stage. It was reminiscent of Cesc Fabregas pitching in behind for Diego Costa at Chelsea in 2014/15.
Having been on the end of a shock 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Romania in their opening game, the Ukrainians desperately needed a win against Slovakia to reinvigorate their qualification hopes and lift morale.
But with 80 minutes on the clock it looked like they would have to settle for a point – that was until Mykola Shaparenko got on the ball. The midfielder, who had already scored in the game, spotted Yaremchuk peeling away from his marker and clipped an inch-perfect ball over the Slovakia defence.
In that moment, Yaremchuk seemed to be possessed by the spirit of Dennis Bergkamp as he watched the ball drop over his shoulder, brought it down with the deftest of touches, quickly adjusted his feet under pressure, and poked it past the onrushing keeper. Absolutely sublime, and a moment to remember for Ukraine and their fans.
