Seconds, hours and years
A speedy Spaniard being compared to the fastest human in history and an ancient Norwegian turning back the clock feature in FIFA.com’s latest stats review, which also makes pleasant reading for Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Sydney FC.
41
years and 21 days was the grand old age at which Frode Johnsen scored to help injury-stricken Odd stun defending champions Molde in their Tippeligaen curtain-raiser. The former Norway striker had been playing in defence in Odd’s warm-up matches, but coach Dag-Eilev Akerhaugen Fagermo threw him on in attack for the start of the second half. Just eight minutes later, Johnsen employed majestic technique to volley the ball into the bottom corner of national team goalkeeper Orjan Nyland’s net from the edge of the box. Mohamed Elyounoussi’s magnificent 89th-minute strike did look to have rescued a draw for Molde, but Ole Jorgen Halvorsen’s 11th-hour header snatched Odd’s first victory at the Aker Stadion in almost 12 years. It was one which was not only indebted to Odd’s oldest player, but also their youngest, with 19-year-old goalkeeper Sondre Rossbach producing some breathtaking saves. Odd followed that up with a 2-0 win over Stabaek on Sunday, leaving them top of a competition that, despite being the record 12-time Norwegian Cup winners, they have never conquered.
11
hours and 33 minutes: that is how long Atletico Madrid have gone without conceding a goal at home in the UEFA Champions League. Since Kaka netted in AC Milan’s 4-1 defeat at the Vicente Calderon in last season’s Round of 16, Diego Simeone’s men have kept consecutive clean sheets against Barcelona, Chelsea, Juventus, Malmo, Olympiacos, Bayer Leverkusen and, on Tuesday, Real Madrid. Real are now winless in all seven Madrid Derbies this campaign, losing four of them, while they have failed to score in their last four trips to Atleti.
4.42
seconds is the astonishing time Hector Bellerin set to break Theo Walcott’s Arsenal record for the 40 metres – faster than Usain Bolt managed at the same distance during his world record-breaking 100-metre run in 2009. Thierry Henry boasted the club’s best time of 4.82 seconds for years until Walcott smashed it, but the England attacker has revealed that the 20-year-old Spaniard has shaved one hundreth of a second of that landmark. Bolt took 4.64 second to run the first 40 metres of his enshrined dash in Berlin. Walcott’s revelation caused world indoor sprint champion Richard Kilty to challenge Bellerin to a race. “Any sprint distance, any time, any place, anywhere,” said the Brit.
4
straight Premier League away defeats is what Manuel Pellegrini became the first Manchester City manager to suffer in the Abu Dhabi United Group era – and since Stuart Pearce in 2006 – on Sunday. Manchester United extinguished a four-game losing streak against their local rivals with a 4-2 victory, despite Sergio Aguero scoring twice to take his City tally to 100 goals in all competitions. It was only the third time United had netted more than three times in the Manchester Derby in the Premier League, after an Andrei Kanchelskis-inspired 5-0 win in 1994 and a thrilling, Michael Owen-headlined 4-3 victory in 2009. City have now lost five league contests this year – one more than they did in the whole of 2014.
1
year unbeaten away from home in all competitions is what Sydney FC will achieve if they avoid defeat at Newcastle Jets, after a sixth successive win on their travels on Friday. An Alex Brosque double earned that 3-0 success at Perth Glory, leaving the Sky Blues unbeaten in 14 away matches since a 2-1 loss to Melbourne Victory on 18 April 2014. Sydney require two more to tie the A-League’s record for consecutive away wins, set by the Victory in 2006. Sydney’s sterling form has ensured that, with two rounds remaining, half of the division’s ten clubs can be crowned Premiers, with just one point separating them.