UEFA.com looks at the UEFA European Championship’s fastest goals including the newest entry – Luke Shaw’s dramatic opener for England against Italy in the UEFA 2020 final.
1:07 – Dmitri Kirichenko (Russia 2-1 Greece, 20/06/2004)
Kirichenko watched from the bench as Russia’s EURO 2004 hopes vanished with back-to-back losses, but roared out of the blocks when coach Georgi Yartsev started him for their final Group A outing. The CSKA Moskva ace galloped through after 67 seconds to steer a right-foot effort past Antonios Nikopolidis. It remains the finals’ fastest goal.
1:22 – Emil Forsberg (Sweden 3-2 Poland, 23/06/21)
Sweden knew victory in their final game would give them top spot in a tough Group E featuring three-time winners Spain. They made a dream start when Leipzig midfielder Forsberg, who had struck the clincher in the previous match against Slovakia, pounced on a ricochet to drill his finish across Wojciech Szczęsny.
1:39 – Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark 1-2 Belgium, 17/06/2021)
Denmark steamed out of the blocks in their second game of EURO 2020 at Parken Stadium, having lost to Finland in their Group B opener in Copenhagen five days before – a match significantly delayed following a medical emergency involving the hosts’ Christian Eriksen. Cue exuberant celebrations back at the same stadium when Poulsen fired across Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.
1:40 – Robert Lewandowski (Poland 1-1 Portugal (3-5 pens), 30/06/2016)
The Poland centre-forward drew a blank in his first four outings of EURO 2016, but opened his account just 100 seconds into his country’s quarter-final, applying a typically unerring finish to Kamil Grosicki’s pull-back from the left.
1:56 – Luke Shaw (Italy vs England), 11/07/2021
Shaw had never scored for his country before meeting Kieran Trippier’s pinpoint cross from the right with a clinical first-time finish that gave England a dream start to the EURO 2020 final against Italy. Hitherto, the quickest strike in a EURO final had come five minutes and 17 seconds into the 1964 showpiece, Chus Pereda handing Spain the early advantage against the Soviet Union.
2:00 – Robbie Brady (France 2-1 Republic of Ireland, 26/06/2016)
This round of 16 game was exactly two minutes old when Robbie Brady shot Ireland into a shock lead, dispatching a low penalty off the foot of Hugo Lloris’s left-hand post.
2:07 – Sergei Aleinikov (England 1-3 Soviet Union, 18/06/1988)
When Glenn Hoddle was easily dispossessed, Aleinikov surged through the middle and turned sharply before finishing past Chris Woods, as the USSR got the win required to reach the semi-finals.
2:14 – Petr Jiráček (Greece 1-2 Czech Republic, 12/06/2012)
Tomáš Hübschman’s pass between Greece centre-backs Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Kostas Katsouranis invited Jiráček to convert a goal swiftly supplemented by Václav Pilař’s second, as the Czechs grabbed their first points in Group A.
2:14 – Alan Shearer (Germany 1-1 England (6-5 pens), 26/06/1996)
A blockbuster semi-final began with a bang; Paul Ince had already had a rasping volley turned over by Andreas Köpke when the keeper was beaten, Shearer swooping to notch his fifth finals goal after Tony Adams had flicked on Paul Gascoigne’s corner.
2:25 – Michael Owen (Portugal 2-2 England (6-5 pens), 24/06/2004)
England had a dream start as Jorge Andrade failed to cut out Costinha’s misjudged back header, Owen pouncing on the loose ball, pivoting and flicking beyond Ricardo. The keeper later buried the decisive spot kick as Portugal recovered to reach the last four.
