Netherlands beat Ukraine, Alaba leads Austria to their first Euros win

Netherlands and Austria managed to come out victorious in their opening games at Euro 2020. Denzel Dumfries gifted Netherlands a crucial victory by heading in an 85th-minute winner to seal a 3-2 win over Ukraine in Euro 2020. 

Also, Austria finally achieved their first victory ever at the European Championship, as they beat North Macedonia 3-1 on Sunday in Group C. 

By the end of the first round of Euro 2020 group games, let’s take a look at some interesting facts and numbers. 

– Ukraine’s Andriy Yarmolenko managed to score the first goal in Euro 2020 from the outside of penalty area. 

– Netherlands vs Ukraine became the first game in Euro’s history to witness scoring five goals in the second half, despite that the first half ended in a goalless draw. 

– Ukraine conceded their sixth consecutive defeat at the European Championship.

– Netherlands managed to score more than two goals in one for the first time since Euro 2008. 

– Netherland’s Georginio Wijnaldum became the first player to score for Netherlands at the European Championship while wearing shirt number 8. The last player to score with number 8 was Frank Rijkaard in Euro 1992. 

– Netherland’s goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg, became the oldest player of the Dutch national team to feature in the European Championship. During the first group match, against Ukraine, he breaks an age record of Edwin van der Sar, who was 37 years and 236 days old in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2008 against Russia. 

– Sunday’s clash against Netherlands was the first official game in a major competition for Ukraine’s head coach, Andriy Shevchenko. 

– Austria’s bench has a crucial effect, as four of their last five goals were scored by substitute players. 

– Aged 37 years and 321 days, North Macedonia’s captain Goran Pandev, became the second oldest goal-scorer in European Championship history by netting his nation’s first goal at a major tournament against Austria on Sunday. Pandev is second only to Austrian Ivica Vastic on the all-time list, who netted against Poland in Euro 2008 aged 38 years and 257 days.

– Austria’s Michael Gregoritsch managed to score the 700th goal in Euro’s history.