The tension is high in matches at Euro 2016 with the nerves of fans being frayed to the wire—and several teams have already been rescued or left heart-broken by the joy or agony of late goals in tight contests.
“You can see that the games are close,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said. “Many goals also came in the end, France scored one or two, Northern Ireland also, and so did we.”
There have been 28 goals in 19 games so far and while the definition of  ‘late’ may vary from person to person, at least 12 have come in the dying minutes—with several occurring beyond the regulation 90.
The difference made by such late goals can be huge to a teams chances and even career-defining for coaches and players.
France are already through to the knockout stages thanks to Dimitri Payet’s last-minute winner against Romania and an injury-time double from Antoine Griezmann and Payet to beat Albania 2-0.
Those closing seconds are the difference between the hosts cruising on with six points and floundering on two—a situation which would have heaped almost unbearable pressure on coach Didier Deschamps.
There was some concern that increasing the Euros from 16 to 24 teams would see a dilution of quality with minnows unable to cope against stronger rivals. So far that has emphatically not been the case.
Not one match so far has been settled by more than two goals, with the biggest margin of victory being 2-0.
Along with France, it is Germany, Italy, Hungary and Northern Ireland who have won by that scoreline and every single one of them needed a late second goal to clinch victory.
Of the four, Hungary had the longest to enjoy their stroll over the finish line against Austria—but even their second in that game came in 87 minutes.
“All games are close,” Loew said. “For the teams who are here for the first time it’s the event of their lives. They do what they do best, defend and play on the counter.”
In so many tight encounters, substitutes can also play an important role in providing fresh legs against tiring defences. Bastian Schweinsteiger netted for Germany in a brief cameo against the Ukraine, with his side already leading, as did Niall McGinn for Nothern Ireland against Ukraine.
On the other hand, Griezmann came off the bench to save France against Albania with the game still very much in the balance.
England also relied on players from outside their starting eleven to defeat Wales 2-1 in Group B. Both Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge were introduced with the team trailing 1-0 at half-time and both scored—Sturridge in injury time—to complete the turnaround.
“Substitutions are going to play a major part in this tournament, games come thick and fast,” England manager Roy Hodgson said. “We were anxious to inject a little bit more tempo and pace into our game and anxious for the players to take more risks,” he added.