Off the wire
• Roundup: Aust'n Labor Party confirms opposition to same-sex marriage plebiscite  • GM sales in China post record 16-pct growth in Sept.  • West Australians warned against holding "cyclone parties" as state braces for 5 cyclones  • Japan's Nikkei retakes 17,000 line on rising oil prices  • Dollar changes hands in upper 103 yen zone in early Tokyo trading  • Australia's Sydney Harbour new hotel tower aims to attract big spenders  • Urgent: Colombian gov't, ELN rebels to hold peace talks  • Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, Oct. 11  • Feature: Vietnam's concerns for clean foods grow amid increasing dirty food scandals  • Chinese-invested company builds primary school in Laos  
You are here: 　 Home

Belgium's Benteke scores fastest WC goal in just seven seconds

Xinhua, October 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

Christian Benteke set a new World Cup record for the fastest goal in the competition, including the finals, in Belgium's qualifier against Gibraltar on Monday.

The 25-year-old Crystal Palace striker, who was to bag a hat-trick, picked up the ball to score after just seven seconds in the first action of the Group H qualifier in Faro with the Gibraltar defense in disarray, leaving goalie Deren Ibrahim with no chance.

Benteke's quick-fire goal eclipsed the previous best of 8.3 seconds achieved by San Marino's Davide Gualtieri in a World Cup qualifier against England in November 1993.

The record for the fastest goal in a World Cup finals match is 10.8 seconds by Turkey's Hakan Sukur against South Korea in 2002.

Benteke, who was called up as a replacement for the injured Romelu Lukaku, also secured the record for the fastest goal in Belgium's history.

Benteke went on to score twice more in a 6-0 demolition of Gibraltar. Endit