(FIFA) –
57
matches – 51 wins and six draws – was the extraordinary unbeaten league run that came to an end for Crvena Zvezda against Cukaricki, despite racing into a two-goal lead. Only nine clubs in history have gone over 60 domestic league games unbeaten.
33
years and 78 days was the age at which Nicolas Sanchez surpassed Felipe Baloy – the scorer of Panama’s maiden goal at the FIFA World Cup™ – by over a year to become the oldest marksman in a Concacaf Champions League final. Earning Monterrey a 1-0 win at Tigres in their first leg left the centre-back with four goals in as many appearances in the competition this year.
31
years: that is how long the Greek Super League title had remained in Athens until PAOK secured it for Thessaloniki. Since AEL took it to Larissa in 1988, Olympiacos (19), Panathinaikos (6) and AEK (5) had won every championship between them.
30
goals in a Ligue 1 campaign is what only one Frenchman had managed over the last half-century until Kylian Mbappe reached the milepost in merely 27 appearances. Jean-Pierre Papin got 30 goals in 36 games in 1989/90. Mbappe now has five rounds to break the all-time record for a Frenchman: the 36 by Philippe Gondet in 1965/66 that sent him to England 1966 among the favourites for the Adidas Golden Boot.
12
matches unbeaten against Vasco da Gama is what Flamengo made it for the first time in the 96-year history of the fixture, having fallen at the 12th hurdle in 1943, 1973 and 2015. Diego Ribas, Everton Ribeiro, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Gabigol and Co won both legs of the Campeonato Carioca final 2-0 to leave Vasco without a win over Flamengo in a decider since Donato, Mazinho, Giovani and Romario got the better of Aldair, Jorginho, Leonardo, Zinho, Renato Gaucho and Bebeto in 1988.
10
combined goals and assists in his last four appearances is what Benfica’s Joao Felix has registered. By scoring two and setting up one in Benfica’s 6-0 thrashing of Maritimo, the 19-year-old became the second-youngest player to reach 20 combined goals and assists in a European top flight this season behind Jadon Sancho.
8
successive Real Madrid goals in La Liga is what Karim Benzema became the first player in their 117-year history to register – Ferenc Puskas managed seven in 1961/62 – thanks to his hat-trick against Athletic Bilbao. The 0-0 draw against Getafe on Thursday means it’s now been eight hours of action since another player scored for Los Merengues.
8
goals is what Chicago Red Stars and Portland Thorns served up in the highest-scoring draw in National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) history. France 2019-bound Christine Sinclair’s first hat-trick for Portland in five years left her with 13 goals in 17 appearances against Chicago.
7.69
seconds is what it took Shane Long to eclipse 9.82-second Ledley King and score the fastest goal in Premier League history. The Southampton forward has now netted three goals in his last 174 minutes of Premier League action – as many as he had scored in his previous 50 appearances.
⚡️ NEW @premierleague RECORD ⚡️
Congratulations, @ShaneLong7! 😇💚 #saintsfc pic.twitter.com/jnlrx2BFGE
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 23, 2019
5
clubs have now won the Ivorian Ligue 1 title this decade after its previous 25 editions yielded merely two champions: Africa Sports and ASEC Mimosas. Previously uncrowned SOA, who were largely known for extinguishing ASEC’s 108-game, five-year, still-world-record unbeaten league run in 1994, became the unlikeliest of winners, having only avoided relegation on the last day of last season.
