Serial scorers of scorchers, a record-breaking reign and a goal-fest feature in FIFA.com’slatest stats review, along with droughts ending in Madrid, Seattle and Tashkent.
193
seconds: that is, astonishingly, all Celtic have been behind in 1,350 minutes of domestic action this season. The only time Brendan Rodgers’ side trailed was when Souleymane Coulibaly’s superb, dipping strike put Kilmarnock ahead in September. Moussa Dembele equalised instantly, and the Bhoys ran out 6-1 victors. Last Friday evening’s success over the same team left Celtic having won seven successive matches – and kept seven straight clean sheets – against Scottish opposition. Having dropped just two points in the Premier League, the 1966/67 European champions are 13 points clear of second-placed Aberdeen after just 12 rounds.
57.3
was the win percentage with which Jurgen Klinsmann ended his USA reign – the best of any coach to have overseen over five games. Ironically, he broke the record of his successor, Bruce Arena (54.6 per cent). They only others to boast a plus-40 win percentage are Bob Bradley (53.8), Phil Woosnam (44.4) and Steve Sampson (41.9). Klinsmann’s final record was 55 victories and 28 losses from 98 games. The former Germany forward holds the all-time USA coaching records for most consecutive wins (12 from 2013-14) and most victories in a calendar year (16 in 2013).
33
shots is what Cristiano Ronaldo had taken without scoring against Atletico Madrid heading into their latest showdown with Real Madrid – a drought he ended emphatically. The 31-year-old Portuguese hit a hat-trick to outrank Santillana and Alfredo Di Stefano and become the Madrid Derby’s 18-goal all-time leading marksman. The 3-0 victory also ended Atletico’s 22-match unbeaten home run in the Spanish top flight, and left goalkeeper Jan Oblak having conceded three goals in a game for the first time in the competition.
12
goals is what Borussia Dortmund and Legia Warsaw served up on Tuesday – the most in a game in UEFA Champions League history. The previous best had been Monaco’s Dado Prso-inspired 8-3 win over Deportivo in 2003. The only European Cup/Champions League match with more goals was eventual winners Feyenoord’s 12-2 defeat of Icelandic outsiders KR in 1969/70. Dortmund became the first German side in 44 years to score more than seven times in a match in the competition – five from Gerd Muller helped Bayern net nine without reply against Omonia Nicosia in 1972. Felix Passlack, who netted BVB’s seventh, consequently outranked Julian Draxler to become the youngest German marksman in the Champions League at the age of 18 years and 177 days.
5
of the eight FIFA Puskás Award shortlists have included the names Lionel Messi and Neymar. The 24-year-old trickster was nominated for the 2016 honour for his outrageous flick, twist and volley for Barcelona against Villarreal, while the pocket-sized 29-year-old was for his exceptional, 25-metre free-kick for Argentina against USA at the Copa America. Messi was also among the ten contenders in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015, while Neymar was in four consecutive years from 2010. Messi, who has never won the FIFA Puskás Award, saw his gem for Barcelona against Arsenal in 2011 finish runner-up to Neymar’s eye-popping goal for Santos against Flamengo. The only other man with more than two FIFA Puskás Award nominations is Zlatan Ibrahimovic (three).
Quick hits 2,208 days after they last scored an away goal in the MLS playoffs, Colorado Rapids got one in Seattle on Tuesday.
14 years: that is how long the Uzbek Pro League crown had gone to Bunyodkor or Pakhtakor until Lokomotiv Tashkent clinched their maiden title.
12 goals for Atletico Madrid in the Champions League/European Cup is the record Antoine Griezmann tied against PSV. It had been set by the late Luis Aragones thanks to a superb free-kick against Bayern Munich in the 1974 final.
7 goals as a substitute in the Champions League was what Karim Benzema made it against Sporting, equalling Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s record.