KOZHIKODE, SEPT 29: IM Vijayan, India's ebony antelope with thunder in his boots, would love to dedicate Tuesday's historic goal to his youngest child - the 22-day old baby girl whom he has not seen yet.The girl, Vijayan's third child, was born on September 7 when he was away in the National camp. ``It seems our kid has brought luck to me on the field,'' Vijayan told his wife Raji, whom he rang up from Kathmandu soon after the match against Bhutan on Tuesday.The goal he scored in the 12th second of the match against Bhutan in the SAF Games will grace soccer annals as the fastest-ever netted in an international soccer match, though the official confirmation was awaited.South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) president PP Lakshmanan, however, told this paper that the goal would be a World record as the SAF Games Soccer Championship is officially recognised by the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA.``We are going to report it to the AFC and FIFA. There is no doubt that it would be acceptedofficially as a record,'' said Lakshmanan.Vijayan's effort eclipsed former England captain Bryan Robson's 29th-second goal against France in the 1982 World Cup. Another fast scoring effort came in the final of the 1974 World Cup, when Johan Neeskens slammed in a 78th second penalty after Holland's Johan Cruyff was brought down in the box by West German Uli Hoeness.Unofficially, the fastest goal ever scored is credited to Czech player V Maceki, who found the net in the 15th second of a friendly against Mexico in 1962.The record-breaking effort has also taken Vijayan past Baichung Bhutia as India's top scorer in international soccer. Vijayan, with his two hat-tricks - against Pakistan and Bhutan - in the SAF Games, has taken his international goals to 25. Bhutia's tally stands at 21 goals.Kathmandu has proven to be Vijayan's favourite hunting ground in recent times. It was there that the star striker netted six goals to emerge the `Player of the Tournament' in the 1997 edition of the SAF GoldCup.
