Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner has etched his name into the annals of football history by scoring the fastest-ever international goal in a match against Slovakia. The 24-year-old achieved this remarkable feat during a friendly match in Bratislava on Saturday.
Baumgartner, playing as an attacker for Leipzig, wasted no time in making an impact as he seized the opportunity right from the kickoff. With a burst of speed, he swiftly navigated through the Slovakian defense before unleashing a powerful 25-meter shot past goalkeeper Martin Dubravka just seven seconds into the game.
Reflecting on his historic goal, Baumgartner revealed that the team had practiced this attacking strategy before, albeit with some risk involved. However, on this occasion, everything fell into place perfectly, allowing him to execute the play with precision.
“It’s really cool, I’m very happy. The fact that I hit it like that… it’s of course sensational,” Baumgartner expressed in an interview with Austrian public broadcaster ORF following the match, which Austria went on to win 2-0.
The Austrian Football Association swiftly recognized Baumgartner’s achievement, hailing it as the fastest goal in the history of international football. This milestone shattered the previous record held by Lukas Podolski, who scored for Germany against Ecuador in 2013 in just seven seconds.
Austria’s head coach, Ralf Rangnick, lauded Baumgartner’s lightning-fast goal, emphasizing its significance in setting the tone for the rest of the match. He remarked, “Of course we got off to a really good start; that goal by itself was probably worth the price of admission.”
Meanwhile, in a separate match on the same day, Germany’s Florian Wirtz also made headlines by scoring a goal within seven seconds against France in a friendly in Lyon. Wirtz, representing Leverkusen, showcased his skill by finding the back of the net with a sublime shot under the crossbar, securing a 2-0 victory for Germany.
Reflecting on his remarkable achievement, Wirtz expressed his disbelief at the rapid turn of events during the match. He shared, “I don’t think anyone understood or realized what was happening. We were all quite surprised, but there was obviously a lot of joy.”
While Baumgartner and Wirtz have left their mark with their lightning-fast goals, the record for the fastest goal scored in a World Cup still stands with Turkey’s Hakan Sukur, who netted against South Korea in 2002 after just 11 seconds.
