Austria's Christoph Baumgartner made history by scoring the fastest goal ever recorded in the country during a friendly match against Slovakia. The 24-year-old midfielder found the back of the net just six seconds after kick-off, stunning both the home fans in Bratislava and delighting the Austrian supporters in the away section.
Baumgartner's goal was a display of skill and speed as he sprinted from the centre circle, evaded three challenges, and unleashed a precise shot from outside the box that nestled into the bottom corner of the net. Reflecting on his remarkable goal, Baumgartner mentioned that they had practiced a similar move before, and it paid off perfectly on this occasion.
This historic goal surpassed the previous record set by Lukas Podolski for Germany in 2013, who scored seven seconds into a match against Ecuador. Austria's victory was sealed by substitute Andreas Weimann, who netted a late goal eight minutes before the final whistle.
Looking ahead, Austria is gearing up for Euro 2024 with a series of friendly matches against Turkey, Serbia, and Switzerland. In the group stage of the tournament, Austria will face tough opponents in France, the Netherlands, and either Poland or Wales, as they aim to make a mark on the international stage.