Watford broke a record at Vicarage Road last night – but it won’t be remembered too fondly.
That’s because The Hornets conceded after just seven seconds in the Premier League fixture against Southampton – the earliest goal scored by a team in Premier League history.
Head coach Javi Gracia described Shane Long’s goal as “very strange” after the Irish striker charged down Craig Cathcart’s clearance before dinking it over goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Long’s goal eclipsed Tottenham Hotspur’s Ledley King who scored after nine seconds in the 2000/01 season away at Bradford City.
The Southampton forward’s strike was officially recorded at 7.69 seconds into the 90 minute match.
The fastest goals in Premier League history. Source: Premier League
However, it’s not the quickest in football history.
There are several early strikes which have been recorded in games in all parts of the world.
In 2009, Nawaf Al Abed scored after just two seconds in a game in Saudi Arabia but the game was later voided as ineligible players were fielded so this fastest goal is disputed.
The fastest goal in the most high profile match is Lukas Podolski when he scored after just six seconds during an international friendly against Ecuador in 2013.
Watford endured a nightmare start last night but in the end, they shared the points with the Saints.
As the final whistle loomed, the FA Cup Finalists were celebrating as Andre Gray snatched an equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw, moving them up to 7th switching places with Everton.
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