Post by Carl LaFong on Nov 18, 2023 15:10:05 GMT
“What’s the lowest score in football that hasn’t happened?” muses Shane McVeigh. “In the interests of not ruining someone’s week, let’s narrow this to major professional football leagues.”
www.theguardian.com/football/2023/nov/15/what-is-the-lowest-football-score-that-has-never-happened-knowledge
This is such a great question that we’re surprised it hasn’t been asked before. For reasons that will become clear, we’ve broadened it to include international matches.
Paul Bolton got the ball rolling by going through all the results for the Premier League era, in which the lowest unseen score is 10-0. Every other 10-goal combination (9-1, 8-2, 7-3, 6-4 and 5-5) has occurred.
Chris Roe’s research covers the Football League, all the way back to 1888. “On Boxing Day 1962 Southport took a trip to Oldham unaware that they were about to make history,” writes Chris. “Southport’s 11-0 defeat is the last time there has been a new result in the top four divisions. There have been 60 different scorelines overall – every possible result with 13 goals has occurred at least once. There are five 14-goal scorelines that have yet to occur: 14-0, 13-1, 9-5, 8-6 and 7-7.”
Some of those scorelines have happened in other countries. “After extensive searching,” begins Pete Tomlin, “I have been unable to find any matches that finished 8-6 or 7-7 so I believe these are the lowest scores that have not happened professionally.”
Best of all, Pete has sent in examples of the unlikely scorelines that have happened. Nerd yourself out.
Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal Premier League, 28 August 2011
Hungary 8-3 West Germany World Cup, 20 June 1954
Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warsaw Champions League, 22 November 2016
Derby 8-5 Blackburn Division One, 6 September 1890
Brechin City 2-9 Dundee Scottish Cup second round, 25 January 1964
England 9-3 Scotland Home Championship, 15 April 1961
Italy 9-4 France Friendly, 18 January 1920
Feyenoord 9-5 Ajax Eredivisie, 27 August 1960
Hungary 10-1 El Salvador World Cup, 15 June 1982
Norwich 10-2 Coventry Division Three (South), 15 March 1930
Middlesbrough 10-3 Sheffield Utd Division One, 18 November 1933
Tottenham 10-4 Everton Division One, 11 October 1958
Netherlands 11-0 San Marino European Championship qualifier, 2 September 2011
Real Madrid 11-1 Barcelona Copa del Generalísimo, 13 June 1943
Sheffield United 11-2 Cardiff Division One, 1 January 1926
Sweden 11-3 Norway Friendly, 12 July 1908
Tardienta 0-12 Getafe Copa del Rey, 1 November 2023
Spain 12-1 Malta European Championship qualifier, 21 December 1983
Aston Villa 12-2 Accrington Division One, 12 March 1892
VVV Venlo 0-13 Ajax Eredivisie, 24 October 2020
Morocco 13-1 Saudi Arabia Pan Arab Games, 6 September 1961
Mongolia 0-14 Japan World Cup qualifier, 30 March 2021
The only 8-6 we could find was a charity match in 2014, when Zinedine Zidane and friends beat Young Boys in the Match Against Poverty. There was a 7-7 draw in the FA Cup – Dulwich Hamlet v Wealdstone in the fourth qualifying round in 1929-30 – but they were not professional clubs.
NB: these answers are from men’s football, simply because the statistical archive is much more comprehensive than for women’s football.
www.theguardian.com/football/2023/nov/15/what-is-the-lowest-football-score-that-has-never-happened-knowledge
This is such a great question that we’re surprised it hasn’t been asked before. For reasons that will become clear, we’ve broadened it to include international matches.
Paul Bolton got the ball rolling by going through all the results for the Premier League era, in which the lowest unseen score is 10-0. Every other 10-goal combination (9-1, 8-2, 7-3, 6-4 and 5-5) has occurred.
Chris Roe’s research covers the Football League, all the way back to 1888. “On Boxing Day 1962 Southport took a trip to Oldham unaware that they were about to make history,” writes Chris. “Southport’s 11-0 defeat is the last time there has been a new result in the top four divisions. There have been 60 different scorelines overall – every possible result with 13 goals has occurred at least once. There are five 14-goal scorelines that have yet to occur: 14-0, 13-1, 9-5, 8-6 and 7-7.”
Some of those scorelines have happened in other countries. “After extensive searching,” begins Pete Tomlin, “I have been unable to find any matches that finished 8-6 or 7-7 so I believe these are the lowest scores that have not happened professionally.”
Best of all, Pete has sent in examples of the unlikely scorelines that have happened. Nerd yourself out.
Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal Premier League, 28 August 2011
Hungary 8-3 West Germany World Cup, 20 June 1954
Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warsaw Champions League, 22 November 2016
Derby 8-5 Blackburn Division One, 6 September 1890
Brechin City 2-9 Dundee Scottish Cup second round, 25 January 1964
England 9-3 Scotland Home Championship, 15 April 1961
Italy 9-4 France Friendly, 18 January 1920
Feyenoord 9-5 Ajax Eredivisie, 27 August 1960
Hungary 10-1 El Salvador World Cup, 15 June 1982
Norwich 10-2 Coventry Division Three (South), 15 March 1930
Middlesbrough 10-3 Sheffield Utd Division One, 18 November 1933
Tottenham 10-4 Everton Division One, 11 October 1958
Netherlands 11-0 San Marino European Championship qualifier, 2 September 2011
Real Madrid 11-1 Barcelona Copa del Generalísimo, 13 June 1943
Sheffield United 11-2 Cardiff Division One, 1 January 1926
Sweden 11-3 Norway Friendly, 12 July 1908
Tardienta 0-12 Getafe Copa del Rey, 1 November 2023
Spain 12-1 Malta European Championship qualifier, 21 December 1983
Aston Villa 12-2 Accrington Division One, 12 March 1892
VVV Venlo 0-13 Ajax Eredivisie, 24 October 2020
Morocco 13-1 Saudi Arabia Pan Arab Games, 6 September 1961
Mongolia 0-14 Japan World Cup qualifier, 30 March 2021
The only 8-6 we could find was a charity match in 2014, when Zinedine Zidane and friends beat Young Boys in the Match Against Poverty. There was a 7-7 draw in the FA Cup – Dulwich Hamlet v Wealdstone in the fourth qualifying round in 1929-30 – but they were not professional clubs.
NB: these answers are from men’s football, simply because the statistical archive is much more comprehensive than for women’s football.
