Bayer Leverkusen wunderkid Florian Wirtz has scored the first goal at the 2024 European Championships, Soccernet.football reports.
The 21-year-old playmaker broke the deadlock for Germany against Scotland in the opening game of the 17th edition of the continental showpiece.
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With only ten minutes on the clock, Wirtz met Joshua Kimmich’s low cross on the edge of the box with a precise finish which Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn should have kept out.
It is Germany’s fastest goal at the continental tournament.
Wirtz, with his effort, joins a list of 16 other players who have scored the opening goal at the European Championships.
Turkey’s Merih Demiral was credited with scoring the first goal at Euros 2020, an own goal that handed Italy the lead en route to a fine 3-0 win.
At France 2016, Olivier Giroud found the net first for the hosts in their 2-1 victory over Romania.
Robert Lewandowski was the first to get Poland on the scoreboard at Euro 2012 but the match eventually ended in a 1-1 draw with Greece.
Austria and Switzerland co-hosted the 2008 European Championships but it was Czech Republic striker Václav Svěrkoš who was the opening scorer in the tournament.
Portugal played host to the rest of the continent in 2004 but they could only watch as midfielder Georgios Karagkounis fired Greece in front on the road to a memorable 2-1 victory.
Homeboy Bart Goor got the tournament going for co-hosts Belgium Euro 2000 when he got the first goal in a 2-1 win over Sweden inside the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
England were the hosts of the 1996 European Championships with Alan Shearer winning the top scorer award with five goals including the tournament opener in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland.
Four years earlier, Ja Eriksson scored in the 24th minute of hosts Sweden’s opening 1-1 draw with France, who equalised in the second half through Jean-Pierre Papin.
At West Germany 1988, it was Italy’s Roberto Mancini who took the opening shine after helping Gli Azzurri to a fine 1-1 draw with the hosts.
France hosted the 1984 UEFA European Football Championship, with the legendary Michel Platini finishing as top scorer with nine goals. Platini’s first of his excellent haul came in the 1-0 win over Denmark in the first game of the tournament.
Here is the full list of all the first-time goal-scorers in the history of the Euros:
Euro 2020 – Merih Demiral, Turkey
Euro 2016 – Olivier Giroud, France
Euro 2012 – Robert Lewandowski, Poland
Euro 2008 – Václav Svěrkoš, Czech Republic
Euro 2004 – Georgios Karagkounis, Greece
Euro 2000 – Bart Goor, Belgium
Euro 1996 – Alan Shearer, England
Euro 1992 – Ja Eriksson, Sweden
Euro 1988 – Roberto Mancini, Italy
Euro 1984 – Michel Platini, France
Euro 1980 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, West Germany
Euro 1976 – Anton Ondruš, Czechoslovakia
Euro 1972 – Gerd Müller, West Germany
Euro 1968 – Dragan Džajić, Yugoslavia
Euro 1964 – Jesús María Pereda, Spain
Euro 1960 – Milan Galić, Yugoslavia
