Last night, when “super sub” Kolo Muani tapped in France’s second goal, he etched his name in a niche record book in World Cup history. Scoring almost immediately after coming on, he scored the third-quickest goal by a substitute after coming on in a World Cup game. As his goal sealed France’s victory and progress to the final of the World Cup, we take a look at some other “super subs'' and their super fast goals in the history of the tournament. Preparing for UPSC? Use CRACKUPSC20 code here to get an extra 20% discount on Indian Express subscription. Substitutes in football Substitutes are integral to how modern football is played. They replace tired legs and provide managers tactical manoeuvrability within games. First introduced in the World Cup in the 1970 edition, the number of substitutes allowed and available have consistently increased over time. With this increase, the thinking behind them has also evolved. Managers today use substitutes as means to directly influence an ongoing game rather than purely as injury replacements. Currently, a total of 5 substitutes are permitted over 3 substitution windows during the game. The fastest goals scored by substitutes in a Fifa World Cup There is some confusion regarding number one and number two in this list. While the Guinness Book of World Records lists Morales, Fifa records themselves named Ebbe Sand. After going through the best available game tape ourselves, we settle the debate. Number 1: Richard Morales (Uruguay), 16 seconds In the 2002 World Cup, Morales came on as a substitute during halftime. His team was 0-3 down after being dominated by an effervescent Senegal in the first half. Coach Victor Pua was under the pump as his side faced early elimination. Thus he made a host of changes at halftime, with one of them being forward Richard Morales. Morales made an immediate impact. After the start of play, Uruguay played a long ball forward. Morales controlled the ball with his head and sent it to the feet of Diego Forlan who immediately tried to shoot, only to scuff his chance that landed at the feet of striker Dario Silva. Silva’s attempt at goal was better, forcing the keeper to make a save. But the ball landed at the feet of Morales with an open goal in front of him. Morales scored and began a famous second-half comeback with the game finishing 3-3. Number 2: Ebbe Sand (Denmark), between 18 and 26 seconds The 1998 World Cup was Denmark’s great run in the tournament. In the Round of 16, they comprehensively defeated Nigeria 4-1. Ebbe Sand scored the third goal in this game, assisted by a sumptuous outside foot chip by Danish maestro Michael Laudrup. Laudrup received the ball and after dribbling past one Nigerian defender, played an outrageous pass over the defence to Sand who had made an intelligent run. Sand scored with a clinical finish and ended any hopes of a Nigerian comeback. Ebbe Sand’s goal is the cause of confusion in this list. First, Fifa only records the minute in which the goal is scored – Sand scored in the 59th minute after coming on in the 59th minute. Second, various sources give different numbers, with some quoting 16 seconds (that would make him tied first) and others quoting 18 or 26 seconds. The issue is, the full footage of the game that shows the exact moment when he came onto the pitch is not available. However, piecing together various angles and available footage, one thing is for certain: it took him at least 18 seconds to score, with the actual time probably being around the 22-23 second mark. Number 3: Randal Kolo Muani (France) 44 seconds Randal Kolo Muani made his fourth appearance for France in last night’s game, only his second in the World Cup. His goal was his first ever for France, and a record-setting one at that. Making an intelligent back post run to finish Mbappe’s pass, Kolo Muani scored with his first touch to truly seal the game for his team. Till that time, Morocco had caused France a lot of troubles, coming close to equalising on multiple occasions. However, Mbappe’s sublime skill and Kolo Muani’s instincts ended the Africans’ hopes of progressing any further. Kolo Muani was picked to the French squad on the back of a breakout season with German club Eintracht Frankfurt where he has scored 5 goals and bagged 9 assists in 14 appearances this season. He replaced the injured Christopher Nkunku in the French squad. Number 4: Marcus Rashford (England) 49 seconds Earlier in the tournament, when England faced Iran in the group stages, Marcus Rashford held the short-lived record of the third-fastest goal scored by a substitute in the Fifa World Cup. In the first match for both teams, England battered underwhelming Iran, winning 6-1. In the 71st minute of the match, English coach Gareth Southgate made three substitutions, bringing on Rashford, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish. Rashford took under a minute to get on the scoresheet. Jordan Pickford played a long ball forward and found Harry Kane’s head which smoothly passed the ball to the path of Rashford who was charging down the right channel. With pace and skill, Rashford beat one defender before calmly slotting the ball in the back of the net and piling on some more misery for the Iranians.
