Florian Wirtz left France in shock when he scored after just seven seconds, on the same night Christoph Baumgartner set a new record for the fastest international goal. - © FRANCK FIFE

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Christoph Baumgartner and Florian Wirtz set new fastest international goal records

24.03.2024

Christoph Baumgartner and Florian Wirtz set new records for fastest goals in international football on Saturday, scoring after just six and seven seconds for Austria and Germany, respectively.

Both men appeared to be in a hurry on international duty, where Baumgartner’s Austria beat Slovakia and Wirtz helped Germany down France.

It was RB Leipzig midfielder Baumgartner who flew out the traps fastest, scoring in stunning style to set a new best of six seconds for the fastest international goal.

The 24-year-old collected the ball from kick-off before breezing beyond three Slovakia players and arrowing a finish into the bottom corner to leave the hosts stunned.

Christoph Baumgartner made a rapid beeline for goal against Slovakia, firing his team ahead after just six seconds. - IMAGO/GEPA pictures/ Armin Rauth

Clocking in at six seconds, that saw Baumgartner beat the previous best of Lukas Podolski, the former Cologne and Bayern Munich great who found the back of the net for Germany after seven seconds against Ecuador in May 2013.

“We’ve done this variation before, sprinting from kick-off at full risk. The sequence of steps somehow worked out so that I made the run,” Baumgartner told ORF. “Of course it’s really cool, I’m very happy. The fact that I hit it like that... it’s of course sensational.”

Baumgartner’s new record nearly didn’t see out the night, though.

Playing later the same evening, Wirtz almost went one better when his sweeping effort left France similarly shocked just moments after kick-off.

Florian Wirtz set a new best for Germany's fastest goal, beating Lukas Podolski's record set in 2013. - FRANCK FIFE

The Leverkusen schemer’s goal came in just a touch longer than Baumgartner’s, with his seven second strike still enough to replace Podolski as Germany’s fastest goalscorer.

Like Baumgartner’s pre-planned effort, Germany had also plotted to catch their opponents cold from the get-go.

“We practiced it ahead of time,” said the returning Toni Kroos whose pinpoint pass found Wirtz for the rapid opener. “As a matter of fact, that was exactly our plan.”

Watch: The 10 fastest goals in Bundesliga history