Own goals keep flying in at calamitous Euro 2020

Spanish midfielder Pedri’s back pass that ended up in his own net against Croatia on Monday ensured that this year’s European Championship has seen as many own goals as all previous editions of the competition combined.

Pedri knocked a pass back to goalkeeper Unai Simon, who misjudged his touch at the final moment and ended up only faintly clipping the ball as it sped towards the net in the two sides’ last-16 match in Copenhagen.

That made it nine own goals so far at Euro 2020 – already six more than the tournament record of three set at Euro 2016.

Prior to this tournament, Uefa records show that nine own goals were scored in the competition, all between Euro 1976 and 2016.

Before this year, there had never been a European Championship match with two own goals, but there have now been two such matches already in the past nine days.

Portugal defenders Ruben Dias and Raphaël Guerreiro gave Germany a first-half lead with their own goals in a match that Joachim Loew’s side ended up winning 4-2.

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Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dubravka and midfielder Juraj Kucka were the own-goal guilty parties as Spain cruised to a 5-0 win in their final group stage match.

At a distance of 45 metres, Pedri’s own goal was also the longest netted at the Euros – and the first from outside the box.