Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner etched his name into football history by scoring just six seconds after kickoff in Saturday’s friendly match against Slovakia, securing a 2-0 victory for his team. The lightning-fast goal now stands as the fastest-recorded goal in international football, leaving spectators in awe at the Tehelne Pole stadium in Bratislava.
Baumgartner, a 24-year-old midfielder from RB Leipzig, dashed from the centre circle, skillfully maneuvered past three defenders, and unleashed a precise low shot from outside the box into the bottom corner, sparking jubilant celebrations among Austrian fans in the away section.
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Reflecting on his remarkable feat, Baumgartner revealed, “We’ve done this variation before, sprinting away at full risk from the kickoff. Somehow, the sequence of steps worked out so that I got the run.”
This historic goal surpassed Lukas Podolski’s seven-second strike for Germany against Ecuador in 2013. Austria’s victory was further solidified by substitute Andreas Weimann’s late goal, sealing the win eight minutes from time.
As Austria gears up for Euro 2024, with friendly matches against Turkey, Serbia, and Switzerland lined up, Baumgartner’s incredible goal has injected a surge of confidence into the team. In the upcoming tournament, Austria will face tough competition in the group stage against France, the Netherlands, and either Poland or Wales in Germany.
In another notable match, Germany secured a confidence-boosting 2-0 victory over France, with Florian Wirtz scoring the fastest international goal for Germany after seven seconds. The win marks Germany’s second consecutive victory over France and comes as a timely morale boost ahead of hosting Euro 2024 this summer.
