International Football
Uefa Champions League Fastest Goal Clocks 10
Ten years on … Makaay scores fastest Champions League goal, recalls the official blog of UEFA.
This Tuesday marks ten years when Roy Makaay made UEFA Champions League history with a goal after 10.12 seconds, a record that still stands. We take a snap shot.
Bayern München had not scored inside the first quarter-hour of any of their seven 2006/07 UEFA Champions League outings prior to their round of 16 second leg against Real Madrid.
Then came the moment which etched Roy Makaay’s name into the competition’s history books. Madrid had in fact kicked off, but Roberto Carlos’s control was loose, allowing Hasan Salihamidžić to capitalise. The midfielder squared to Makaay, who swept past Iker Casillas after just 10.12 seconds – still the fastest ever UEFA Champions League goal.
The goal is better seen from the perspective of what happened in the first leg. Real Madrid looked to be in cruise control till two minutes to end the round of 16 match. Then Bayern München’s Mark van Bommel pulled a goal back to throw the second leg wide open.
In the return leg, recalled Makaay: “we agreed we’d apply full pressure for the first ten minutes to see if we could score an early goal.”
From the whistle the ball was played to Roberto Carlos but the Brazilian’s touch was poor, allowing Hasan Salihamidžić to capitalise. The midfielder quickly threaded a square pass through to Makaay who swept the ball past Iker Casillas. It left a Madrid side hit by the late withdrawal of Fabio Cannavaro shell-shocked.
“Normally Real played a 4-2-3-1 system but they took out their No10 and replaced him with an extra defensive midfielder. I think Guti was replaced by Emerson, so we knew Madrid would play more defensively than normal. We agreed we would apply full pressure for the first ten minutes to see if we could score an early goal.
“So they kicked off. The ball went to [Fernando] Gago, he passed it to Roberto Carlos and it bounced off his foot. Salihamidžić took the ball and before we knew it, it was in the net. Their tactical plan was immediately destroyed and we had a start you always dream of, especially in an important game like that.”
How that goal ranks
Jonas came close to breaking Makaay’s record with a strike after 10.96 seconds for Valencia against Leverkusen in 2011 – the only other UEFA Champions League goal that has come inside 20 seconds.
The UEFA Europa League best came this season, with Jan Sýkora on target after 10.69 seconds for Liberec against Qarabağ.
The quickest competitive international goal also came this term, Belgium’s Christian Benteke finding the net after 8.1 seconds against Gibraltar.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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