The Week in Numbers - WORLD FOOTBALL
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| AFP |
- Fanatical fans are rewarded in 'The Steel Giant'
- Africa's new king and granddad goalie
- Canadians conquer MLS
36,000fans filled the Estadio Universitario on Saturday – not to watch a game, but to see merely Tigres’ last training session before a big final. Two days later, Enner Valencia, Eduardo Vargas, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Co recovered an early deficit to hand fierce enemies Monterrey their first defeat in 16 games at ‘The Steel Giant’ and lift their fanatically-followed club its third straight Apertura crown.
366appearances for Bayern Munich is what Franck Ribery made it on Wednesday to break Hasan Salihamidzic’s club record for a foreigner. The 34-year-old Frenchman helped Jupp Heynckes’s side win 1-0 to leave Cologne on three points from a possible 48 – the lowest total any team has had 16 rounds into a Bundesliga season.
97Bundesliga goals is what Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reached in his 141th appearance on Saturday to outrank ex-Ghana striker Tony Yeboah (96 goals in 223 games) and become its all-time highest-scoring African. Three days later the Gabon flyer helped Borussia Dortmund win at Mainz to beat top-tier opposition for the first time in 13 matches.
38years after a Canadian team last reigned as North American (only including Canada and USA) soccer champions, Toronto FC conquered the MLS to repeat history. Vancouver Whitecaps, inspired by England’s FIFA World Cup™-winning midfielder Alan Ball, were the shock winners of an NASL 1979 campaign in which Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Giorgio Chinaglia, Johan Cruyff, Teofilo Cubillas, Trevor Francis, Gerd Muller and Johan Neeskens played for rival teams.
15years and nine months after his first career goal – a corking lob for Al Ahly against Kaizer Chiefs in the African Super Cup – goalkeeper Essam El Hadaryscored his second. The Egyptian, who turns 45 in January and is hoping to surpass Faryd Mondragon and become the oldest player in FIFA World Cup history in Russia, thundered a 98th-minute penalty into the roof of the net to help Saudi side Al Taawun win for the first time in five outings.
15successive Premier League victories is what Manchester City became the first side in history to achieve. An Arsenal team spearheaded by Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry managed 14 in a row, albeit over two seasons, in 2002. Pep Guardiola’s side have 49 points from a possible 51 – a record at this stage of a Premier League campaign and already enough to have seen them finish eighth in 2016/17.
12consecutive Copa Argentina matches is what River Plate won to become the first team to clinch back-to-back crowns.
5goals without reply is what Sydney FC scored – and on enemy territory – to record the biggest victory in Sydney Derby history. Western Sydney Wanderers had been undefeated from the sides’ first three meetings of 2017.
4goals: that is the margin by which Tottenham Hotspur have beaten Stoke City in their last four meetings. Harry Kane has netted eight times in those games.
3hours and 51 minutes – during which his goal was peppered by Auckland City, Urawa Red Diamonds and Real Madrid – is how long Ali Khaseif has gone without conceding at this FIFA Club World Cup. Just two minutes after injury had forced the 30-year-old off in their semi-final, with Al Jazira 1-0 up, Cristiano Ronaldo equalised to outrank Cesar Delgado, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez and become the outright leading marksman in the competition’s history.