Southampton striker Shane Long on Tuesday scored the fastest goal in Premier League history after netting just 7.69 seconds into his side’s 1-1 draw at Watford, who snatched a point thanks to Andre Gray’s late equalizer.
Long’s record-breaking goal came immediately after the kickoff when he blocked a clearance from Watford defender Craig Cathcart, allowing the Republic of Ireland international to dink a cool finish over Ben Foster.
The 32-year-old’s effort surpassed the previous fastest Premier League goal, scored by Tottenham Hotspur defender Ledley King in 9.9 seconds against Bradford in December 2000.
“It’s a record, is it?” Long told Sky Sports News with a grin after the game. “Straight from the kickoff we wanted to put them under pressure; 99 times out of 100 you block it and it doesn’t work, but this time it did.”
Long’s historic goal, just his fourth this season, did not prove to be the winner at Vicarage Road after Gray’s 90th-minute equalizer for the FA Cup finalists, but nonetheless moved them six points from the relegation zone with three matches remaining.
“It’s nice to have a record like that, but it would have been nicer if it was the winning goal,” Long added.
King was watching Tottenham’s game against Brighton & Hove Albion — which Spurs won 1-0, keeping them on track for a top-four finish — when he discovered that his 19-year record had been broken.
The strains of Elton John’s Rocket Man had barely finished booming over the loudspeakers when Long gave Southampton liftoff.
The goal actually came from Watford’s kickoff, as Roberto Pereyra played the ball from the center circle back to Cathcart about 40 yards from his own goal.
As the centerback attempted to clear upfield, Long charged it down and raced through before lifting in his landmark goal.
However, Southampton could not hang on and Gray late on swept home from close range to lift Watford up to seventh.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
RSS