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The top seven goals scored in European Championships: Gascoigne, Van Basten, Ibrahimovic...

After Patrik Schick’s half-way line effort sunk the Scots this week, where does his effort rank among the best goals ever scored in the European Championships?

Already, Euro 2020 has provided fans with some remarkable goals. Andriy Yarmolenko's curling strike against the Netherlands was quickly followed by Patrik Schick's outrageous half-way line effort.
Not even a week into the competition, there are already players staking a claim for the goal of the tournament award.

And with the likes of Portugal, France and Germany still to open their account in the competition, we're sure there will be plenty more candidates by the time it all comes to a close.

Since its creation in 1958, the Euros has seen it all - bicycle kicks, looping volleys, and thunderous free-kicks. So in no particular order, Planet Sport reviews the competition's best ever goals.

Paul Gascoigne vs Scotland (1996)

With England set to face Scotland at Wembley this Friday, it only seems fitting to rewind back to when the sides met in the 1996 group stage.

England's first match of the group against Switzerland ended as a draw, after Kubi Turkyilmaz's late penalty levelled Alan Shearer's opener. And with Scotland drawing 0-0 against the Netherlands, group A was all equal when the two sides met.

Shearer doubled his tally in the competition by scoring the opener just after the half-time interval, but all headlines were stolen when Paul Gascoigne flicked the ball over Colin Hendry's head before rifling home a vicious right-footed volley.

Gascoigne's goal secured England the three points, and a precious win over their rival neighbours. The goal is widely referred to as one of the most iconic goals the tournament has ever witnessed. Well, at least for England fans it is.

Maniche vs Netherlands (2004)

After topping their group and beating England via penalties, hosts Portugal progressed to the semi-finals, where they were set to face the Netherlands.

None other than a 19-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo took the lead for Portugal, giving the hosts a 1-0 advantage heading into the break.

In the 58th minute, Ronaldo headed over to take a corner for Portugal, but with the Dutch defence momentarily losing concentration, he quickly picked out Maniche on the edge of the box.

With the Dutch defence trying to reorganise, Maniche quickly turned and curled the ball round a stretching Edwin van der Sar from a near-impossible angle.

Shortly after, Portuguese defender Jorge Andrade scored an own goal to make the final 30 minutes a tense affair, but Maniche's outrageous effort proved to be the difference, sending Portugal to the final with a 2-1 victory.
Unfortunately for the hosts, they fell at the final hurdle to the most unlikely of opponents. In a fairytale story of their own, Greece overcame Portugal 1-0 in the final.

Karel Poborsky vs Portugal (1996)

After a chaotic 3-3 draw with Russia at Anfield in the final group stage game, former Manchester United player Karel Poborsky and his Czech Republic side finished second, qualifying for the knockout stages.

As a result of their second-place finish, they faced Group D winners Portugal in the quarter-finals.

The first half of the match saw few chances for either team, but after the break, Poborsky took matters into his own hands.

After skipping past a few defenders, Poborsky saw Portuguese goalkeeper, Vitor Baia, off his line, and opted to audaciously lob him from just inside the box.

Poborsky's looping finish was the sole goal of the game, handing his Czech Republic side a 1-0 win on their journey to the final.

In the final at Wembley, Poborsky and his teammates suffered a 2-1 defeat to Germany after Oliver Bierhoff scored the golden goal in extra-time.

Marco van Basten vs Soviet Union (1988)

While all the goals so far have been extraordinary, Marco van Basten's effort in 1988 deserves extra credit for it being in the tournament's final.
Van Basten got off to a flying start in the group stage, after netting a hattrick against England in a 3-1 win in Dusseldorf.
Despite losing 1-0 to the Soviet Union, the Netherlands qualified from the group, where they then faced hosts, West Germany, in the semi-finals.
After both sides scored second-half penalties, the game looked to be going towards extra-time, before Van Basten netted the winner in the 88th minute to send the Netherlands to the final.

The final saw a repeat of Netherlands vs the Soviet Union, but this time Van Basten avenged his side's group stage defeat with a goal that has since become soccer folklore.

After a deep cross to the back post, Van Basten connected with an inch-perfect volley to loop the ball in from a startling angle. Van Basten's volley doubled the Netherlands' lead, and handed them their first and only European Championship.

Xherdan Shaqiri vs Poland (2016)

For both club and country, Xherdan Shaqiri has shown that he has the ability to score spectacular efforts, and he did just that when his Switzerland side met Poland in the round of 16.

After finishing second in their group behind hosts France, Switzerland were drawn against Poland, who emerged from their group unbeaten.

Poland took the lead in the first half courtesy of Jacob Blaszczykowski, but Switzerland drew level in the 82nd minute thanks to Shaqiri's acrobatic overhead kick.
Shaqiri's equaliser was enough to take his Switzerland side to penalties, but after Granit Xhaka's missed effort, they were knocked out.

Frank de Boer vs France (2000)

When the Netherlands met France in the Euro 2000 group stages, it really was a case of Dutch dynamite.
Frankly, by the time the sides met in the group stage, both had already guaranteed qualification to the knockouts, however it didn't hinder the entertainment value of the match.

France struck the first blow with Christophe Dugarry, before the hosts clawed one back via Patrick Kluivert. David Trezeguet restored the French lead, but shortly after half-time, Frank de Boer struck a thunderous free-kick to equalise.

Admittedly, De Boer's goal meant little in the grand scheme of the Netherlands' campaign, but the strike itself is noteworthy and well deserving of its place on this list.

Despite De Boer's wonder goal, France had the last laugh, going on to win the tournament with a 2-1 win over Italy - who qualified for the final after beating the Netherlands in the round prior.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs France (2012)

Whenever iconic goals are mentioned, Zlatan Ibrahimovic never fails to make his way into the discussion.

Even now aged 39, Zlatan continues to stun the world with sublime finishes, but one of his best came in 2012, when his beloved Sweden faced France in the Euro group stages.

After losing their first two fixtures against the hosts, Ukraine, and England, Sweden lined up against France with nothing to play for but pride.

But in a game many considered to be a dead rubber match, Zlatan acrobatically latched on to a cross and volleyed home from outside the box. It's what we've come to expect from Zlatan, but it still goes down as one of the tournament's best ever.
Despite failing to make it out of their group, Ibrahimovic's volley and Sebastian Larsson's injury time finish ensured Sweden bowed out in style with a 2-0 victory.

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