Euro 2024 Data Dive: England scrape through after late drama, Spain make statement

It was another dramatic day in the Euro 2024 knockout rounds, as two more teams booked their places in the quarter-finals.

England fought back from the jaws of defeat as they secured an extra-time win over Slovakia to set up a meeting with Switzerland in the last eight.

Meanwhile, Spain broke Georgia hearts with their comeback victory, and will play Germany in an eye-catching last-eight tie.

Here, we round up the best Opta statistics from the second day of the last 16.

England 2-1 Slovakia (aet): Bellingham, Kane prove late heroes

It looked like England were going to make an embarrassing early exit from the tournament, until Jude Bellingham stepped up with a spectacular overhead kick in stoppage time before Harry Kane netted the winner.

Timed at 94 minutes and 34 seconds, Bellingham’s goal was the latest ever for England in normal time at the Euros, coming from the Three Lions’ first shot on target after a largely toothless performance.

Kane, on his record-breaking 79th competitive appearance for England, got the timing right too, heading home just 50 seconds into extra time for the fastest goal scored in that period in the competition’s history.

The England captain has now scored 14 goals at major tournaments (World Cup and Euros), with only four European players netting more than him – Cristiano Ronaldo (22), Miroslav Klose (19), Gerd Muller (18) and Jurgen Klinsmann (16).

6 – Jude Bellingham has scored six goals in second half stoppage time in 2023-24 (four for Real Madrid and two for England), with all six either putting his team in front or equalising. Force. #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/vI2gjOa2VN

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 30, 2024

It marked the fourth game that England have won from a losing position at the European Championships as well, after losing their first six such matches.

Only France (five) have ever won more matches when conceding first in the competition, and that late, late show left Slovakia stunned after being just moments from a famous victory in Gelsenkirchen.

Ivan Schranz’s third goal at this Euros seemed set to take the headlines, with only Robert Vittek (four) at the 2010 World Cup ever scoring more at a single major tournament for Slovakia, but the forward will not get a chance to equal that record.

Spain 4-1 Georgia: La Roja march on with comeback win

Spain are the only team in the tournament to win all of their games so far, and survived an early scare to come out on top in Cologne thanks to second-half goals from Fabian Ruiz, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo.

Robin Le Normand’s 18th-minute own goal saw Luis de la Fuente’s side concede for the first time at Euro 2024, only for Spain to rally to the biggest margin of victory by a team that conceded first in the competition.

Spain amassed 17 shots on goal in the first half but only Rodri’s first major tournament goal hit the net. It is the most on record (since 1980) by a team in the opening half of a European Championship knockout game.

Indeed, La Roja’s 35 shots overall were their most in a single match at either the World Cup (since 1966) or the Euros.

Lamine Yamal & Nico Williams are not two players that many defences will enjoy coming up against.

Good luck Germany.#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/S8VVuiV2qg

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) June 30, 2024

It was the youngsters who stole the spotlight once more as Lamine Yamal got his second assist at the Euros, with Cristiano Ronaldo the last teenager to tee up multiple goals at a single edition (Euro 2004 when he helped Portugal reach the final).

Williams, meanwhile, became the first player on record at the European Championships (since 1980) to score a goal, assist another and complete 100% of his passes (46/46) in a game he started.

Georgia’s fairytale was ended by a familiar, formidable foe as they have now lost all seven of their competitive meetings with Spain, conceding 23 goals and netting just four of their own.