There’s one big tournament ongoing in France. There’s another underway in the USA. Stats aplenty, then, for FIFA.com to dig up and you to enjoy.

57

years after Paulinho Valentim became the first substitute to score a hat-trick at the Copa America, Lionel Messi became the second. The Brazil forward was afforded 45 minutes against Uruguay at Buenos Aires' Monumental in 1959, and used them to turn a deficit into a 3-1 victory, while the Argentina No10 played just 29 minutes on his return from injury at Soldier Field. Messi’s sublime second was the first direct free-kick La Albiceleste had netted in the competition since Juan Roman Riquelme's in 2007. Coincidentally, earlier on Friday, Jhasmani Campos ended Bolivia’s even longer run without scoring a set-piece in the Copa America; Erwin Sanchez having been the last in 1999.**

31

years: that is how long Brazil had gone without losing to Peru until a huge upset saw them exit the Copa America at the group stage for only the second time. Since an unanswered Julio Cesar Uribe goal earned a 1-0 win over Eder, Bebeto, Careca and Co in Brasilia in 1985, La Blanquirroja had failed to beat A Seleção in 16 attempts. Following a 7-1 thrashing of Haiti, Brazil were fully expected to extend that run, but Raul Ruidiaz’s goal sent Peru through at their opponents’ expense. Since the tournament adopted a group-stage format in 1975, the Brazilians had only failed to make the knockout phase once. Ironically, Dunga was on the bench both times – as a substitute in 1987 and as coach this time around, after which he was dismissed from the Seleção reins for the second time.

13

matches unbeaten is the UEFA EURO record Spain set on Monday. Since losing 1-0 to Portugal in 2004 – a result that sent them home at the group stage – La Roja have won ten and drawn three. The Spaniards’ 1-0 reverse of Czech Republic in their France 2016 curtain-raiser gave them an eighth successive victory – and eighth straight clean sheet – in competitive games. David De Gea’s presence in the starting XI meant that Spain began a major tournament without Iker Casillas for the first time since Jose Molina guarded the goal against Norway in 2000.

5

matches without victory: that is what befell the Copa America’s record 15-time champions for the first time in its 100-year existence. After failing to win any of their last three games in 2015, Uruguay lost their opening two games in the USA – to Mexico and Venezuela – to condemn themselves to a group-stage exit for the first time since 1997. In the latter loss, Maxi Pereira surpassed Diego Forlan to become his country’s most-capped player, while Diego Godin became just the third Uruguayan to reach 100 international appearances.

1

player has registered double figures in shots in a EURO match since 1980 – and he’s now done it twice. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two of his 12 efforts against the Netherlands in 2012, but his ten attempts on Tuesday went unrewarded as Iceland – almost 70 years after their first match – secured their first point at a major tournament. Ronaldo did move level with Luis Figo as Portugal’s most-capped player (127), but he lost his status as their youngest-ever player in a major finals when Renato Sanches, at the age of 18 years and 301 days, came on in the second half.

Quick hits 40 years and 74 days was the age at which Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly eclipsed Lothar Matthaus and became the oldest player in EURO history.

31 years and 169 days is what made Italy’s starting XI against Belgium the oldest in EURO history.

0​ players had scored for both teams in a Copa America match until Colombia’s Frank Fabra did so at both the right end and the wrong end in a 3-2 loss to Costa Rica.