A shot from a circle, hat-trick heaven and Old Continent keepers feature in FIFA.com’slatest stats review, along with the underscoring of a decision to swap selling houses for saving shots.
175
appearances in European club competition is what Iker Casillas reached on Tuesday, breaking Paolo Maldini’s record. Those two are followed on the list by Xavi (173), Clarence Seedorf (163) and Raul (161). Casillas’s opposite number in Juventus-Porto was Gigi Buffon, whose 103rd appearance in the UEFA Champions League moved him alongside Oliver Kahn and into third place on the list of its most-active goalkeepers, behind Casillas (164) and Victor Valdes (106). Paulo Dybala’s fourth penalty in three games settled the contest in Juve’s favour, while Buffon’s clean sheet ensured they progressed into the last eight having conceded just two goals – the other seven quarter-finalists have leaked at least double that number.
142
consecutive MLS appearances is the record Luis Robles set on Saturday. The 32-year-old goalkeeper, who got a job as an estate agent and almost quit football before joining New York Red Bulls in 2012, broke the previous best set by midfielder Chris Klein between 2005 and ’09. Robles celebrated the landmark by helping the Harrison-based side keep their first clean sheet in six games and make it six points from a possible six in MLS 2017. The Fort Huachuca native has not missed an MLS match since making his debut in September 2012.
84
four years had passed since multiple Inter Milan players had bagged hat-tricks in the same game until Sunday. Soon-to-be FIFA World Cup™ winners Attilio Demaria and Giuseppe Meazza hit trebles – both before half-time – in a 9-0 thumping of Casale in 1933. It took just 26 minutes for Mauro Icardi to become the fastest Inter player to net a hat-trick from kick-off since Benito Lorenzi did it in 18 against Lucchese in 1947. The 24-year-old Argentinian has now scored multiple goals in seven 2016/17 Serie A games – more than any player from Europe’s big five leagues. Ever Banega, who had never previously netted more than once in a game in his career, got Inter’s second hat-trick in what finished a 7-1 victory.
50
metres was the distance from which Memphis Depay dispatched a breathtaking goal on Sunday. The 23-year-old Netherlands international collected a loose ball just inside the Toulouse half, pirouetted, and exquisitely lobbed goalkeeper Alban Lafont to complete his brace and Lyon’s 4-0 victory. It left Depay, who scored just twice and 33 Premier League appearances, and hadn’t netted a league goal in over a year before joining Les Gones, having hit five goals in nine games for his new club. Lyon have averaged scoring 4.1 goals per game in all competitions at Parc OL in 2017 (4.1 per game on average). They have not lost at home to Toulouse in Ligue 1 since Edouard Wojciak escaped the attention of Jean Djorkaeff to net the only goal at the Stade de Gerland in 1966.
12
goals is what Manchester City-Monaco produced – just one shy of the record for a Champions League tie, set when Bayern Munich battered Sporting 12-1 in 2009. Leonardo Jardim’s side advanced on away goals, consequently becoming the first team in the competition’s history to concede five times in the first leg and advance. Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock at Stade Louis II, becoming only the third teenager to score multiple goals in the knockout phase, after Ajax’s Patrick Kluivert and Barcelona’s Bojan. The 18-year-old has now netted 11 goals in his last 11 games in all competitions. City manager Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, failed to guide a team into the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in his eighth attempt.
Quick hits 80seconds of action is how long Al Ain were behind for against Al Ahli in their AFC Champions League clash – and they trailed twice.
73 games is what it took Barcelona to lose a game in which Luis Suarez scored in. Deportivo did the damage.