“QPR precocious scored six goals against Pompey pinch 3 players scoring a double each,” originates Dan Trelfer. “This threw up a fewer questions.”
So it did. Let’s return Dan’s questions 1 astatine a time.
1) What’s nan astir number of goals a squad has scored successful a crippled without a subordinate scoring a hat-trick?
Our readers recalled astatine slightest 3 examples of teams hitting double figures without anybody staking a declare to nan lucifer ball. Before we get to those games, let’s information up immoderate hat-trickless hammerings from nan English apical flight.
Nottingham Forest thrashed Chelsea 7-0 astatine nan City Ground successful April 1991, pinch Stuart Pearce and a teenage Roy Keane scoring twice. Newcastle hit Sheffield United 8-0 successful 2023 (see below), and Liverpool person had 2 9-0 victories. Crystal Palace (1989) and Bournemouth (2022) were nan unfortunate opposition.
And truthful to double figures. Chris Matterface and Michael Pilcher some mentioned Gillingham’s 10-0 hammering of Chesterfield successful 1987-88. “Howard Pritchard, David Shearer, George Shipley and Karl Elsey each scored twice,” writes Chris, “but cipher went location pinch nan lucifer ball.”
From Priestfield backmost to Anfield, wherever Liverpool person had truthful galore immense victories complete nan years – including a grounds 11-0 triumph complete Norwegian broadside Strømsgodset successful nan Cup Winners’ Cup of 1974-75. “Nine outfield players scored,” writes Michael Haughey, “and 2 Phils – Boersma and Thompson – sewage a brace each.”

Liverpool’s haul was matched by Australia against Samoa successful a World Cup qualifier 25 years ago. Australia had already won 22-0 against Tonga and 31-0 against American Samoa successful their group. Pretty difficult to rack up those scorelines without a hat-trick, but they did negociate it successful an 11-0 victory. Aurelio Vidmar, David Zdrilic, Archie Thompson and Tony Popovic each scored twice.
2) What’s nan astir number of goals a squad has scored without anyone scoring much than 1 goal?
Dave Amos and John Mearns were consecutive successful pinch Newcastle’s 8-0 evisceration of Sheffield United astatine Bramall Lane during nan 2023-24 Premier League season. Eight goals, eight different goalscorers.

Knowledge regular Dirk Maas has seen those 8 goals and raised them by steering america successful nan guidance of Guatemala’s 10-0 victory complete Saint Vincent and nan Grenadines successful a World Cup qualifier 5 years ago.
3) Has a squad ever scored 8 pinch 4 players each scoring twice? Or 10 pinch 5 doubles?
We suspected this mobility would spell unanswered. Dirk Maas had different ideas and has produced sepia-tinted examples of some scenarios. Let’s commencement pinch Atlético Madrid’s 8-0 win complete nan Irish broadside Drumcondra successful nan 1958-59 European Cup. Joaquin Peiró, Vavá, Enrique Collar and Jorge Mendonça were nan goalscorers. In nan 2nd information of nan 1965-66 Cup Winners’ Cup, 1. FC Magdeburg walloped FC Sion 8-1. Manfred Eckardt, Hermann Stöcker, Günter Kubisch and Joachim Walter shared nan goals.
Dirk moreover recovered a crippled successful which 10 goals were shared arsenic among 5 players: Lyon 10-0 SR Dellois successful nan 1955-56 Coupe de France. François Konrady, Ernest Schultz, Émile Antonio, Jacques Fatton and René Ramon nan double goalscorers. The astir astonishing point is that Lyon’s 10th and last extremity was scored successful nan 79th minute, meaning 5 players were connected a hat-trick for nan past 11 minutes against a squad whose morale had been crushed, and cipher managed to score.
Lucky losers
“I conscionable sewage backmost from watching Luton Town triumph nan Football League Trophy,” chirps AJ. “This was aft they were knocked retired by Swindon successful nan past 16, only to beryllium reinstated because Swindon fielded 2 ineligible players. Have immoderate different teams won a cup title aft being reinstated?”
This is simply a related of an aged Knowledge favourite – teams that person won competitions for which they didn’t qualify, specified arsenic Denmark astatine Euro 92. In this case, Luton were knocked retired of nan EFL Trophy erstwhile they mislaid 2-1 astatine location to Swindon, only to beryllium reinstated 3 weeks later. Swindon fielded 2 players who were ineligible for different reasons: Ollie Clarke was suspended and Aaron Drinan came connected arsenic substitute contempt not being connected nan charismatic teamsheet.

A not dissimilar point happened to Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff’s superb Ajax squad successful nan KNVB Cup of 1969-70. As Dirk Maas points out, they were beaten 2-1 by AZ successful nan 3rd information – which was nan past 14 alternatively than nan past 16 owed to an irregular number of teams successful nan competition. The 7 winners went done to nan quarter-finals on pinch 1 ‘lucky loser’. The eighth quarter-finalist was drawn successful nan PSV Eindhoven boardroom, pinch Ajax coming retired of nan hat. Six weeks later, Ajax hit PSV 2-0 successful nan final.
We’ll beryllium honest: we didn’t expect Hailsham Town to look successful this week’s Knowledge. But Alun Thomas informs america that they won their first-ever trophy, nan Sussex Junior Cup of 1895-96, aft being beaten successful some nan quarter-final and semi-final! The 2 games were replayed aft Hailsham protested, 1 because nan referee had been appointed by nan guidance and nan different because of an ineligible player.
“There was different protestation pursuing Hailsham’s 1-0 triumph successful nan final,” writes Alun. Their opponents Worthing Athletic objected to nan usage of a replacement linesman during nan second stages of nan crippled but arsenic this had been pre-arranged pinch nan lucifer referee, Hailsham kept nan trophy.”
Université National de Bénin took a likewise unusual way to glory successful nan Coupe de l’Indépendance of 2004, arsenic outlined connected the fortunate losers page connected RSSSF.com.

And finally, Mitchell Sandler has a tangential nugget from nan EFL Trophy. Due to nan scheduling problems caused by Covid, Salford City won nan 2019-20 competition 96 days after they had been eliminated from nan 2020-21 version. Does that count arsenic nan worst trophy defence ever?
Knowledge archive
“Has a physio ever pulled up injured while sprinting connected to nan transportation to dainty an injured player?” asked Scott Sumner in October 2016.
Looking beyond nan much caller lawsuit of Gary Lewin dislocating his ankle and being carried disconnected connected a stretcher aft a uncommon infinitesimal of England ceremony astatine nan 2014 World Cup, location are a mates of different unfortunate physios. “Back erstwhile Southampton’s fortunes were not truthful good, I was astatine a crippled astatine Home Park, successful astir 2006-07, betwixt Plymouth and Saints,” recalls Philip Wood. “A Saints subordinate had pulled up pinch an injured hamstring and required curen … cue nan Southampton physio, who was getting connected a bit. He enthusiastically came sprinting crossed to nan acold broadside of nan transportation to wherever nan injured subordinate was lying and astir 10 metres earlier he sewage to him started hobbling himself. He had managed to besides propulsion a hamstring – overmuch to nan derision and merriment of nan Plymouth fans. Cue a segment of nan injured starring nan injured.”

And Andrea Raffaelli mailed successful to authorities that “in September 2012, nan squad expert for my hometown nine Ternana (Italian Serie B) tore an achilles tendon while sprinting connected to nan transportation to dainty 2 players (both playing for nan other side), who had collided head-to-head. Talk astir bully deeds gone wrong. Here’s a source (in Italian) that mentions nan incident.”
The pursuing week, David Hopkins mailed successful pinch a cracking follow-up answer: “In nan 1930 World Cup semi-final betwixt Argentina and nan USA, nan American squad expert Jack Coll ran connected to dainty an injured player, dropping his container connected to nan transportation arsenic he arrived to do so,” he emails. “This caused a vessel of chloroform wrong nan container to break, starring to Coll being flooded by fumes … and being carried disconnected himself.”
UPDATE: location are a mates much additions to make to this answer. From 2013, Germany’s legendary physio Klaus Eder suffered some a torn limb musculus and a surgery finger while moving connected to nan transportation to thin to defender Marcel Schmelzer successful a World Cup qualifier against Austria. Despite nan 2 injuries, Eder continued to dainty Schmelzer earlier being helped disconnected nan transportation by Mesut Özil and Miroslav Klose, explaining afterwards that “one should not underestimate nan effect of adrenaline.”
And successful 2021 successful nan Uruguayan metropolis of Fray Bentos, a first-aider known arsenic Cocoita Vasquez injured himself while moving connected to nan transportation pinch a stretcher successful a lucifer betwixt Uruguayan sides Laureles and Universitario de Salto. Vasquez intelligibly pulls up arsenic he approaches an injured player, and staggers disconnected towards nan separator of nan transportation earlier collapsing down nan goal.
Can you help?
“Manchester City person been apical of nan Premier League for only six days this play yet are now astir people’s favourites for nan title,” writes Danny Perkins. “Which teams person won immoderate of Europe’s apical 5 leagues while spending nan slightest clip connected apical of nan table?”
“Europa League semi-finalists Nottingham Forest could conceivably triumph nan title while being relegated, and would past participate adjacent season’s Champions League while playing successful their home 2nd tier. Has this ever happened anyplace crossed Europe?” asks Gunnar Cauthery.
“Celtic conscionable hit St Mirren 6-2 aft other clip successful nan Scottish Cup semi-final,” notes Will Spry and respective others. “What is nan biggest winning separator aft other clip successful a awesome competition?”
“During Sunday’s crippled astatine Aston Villa, Chris Rigg became Sunderland’s first English goalscorer of this Premier League season, 33 games in,” noticed Chris Carter. “Has a nine ever gone an full play without a home goalscorer? What’s nan astir goals a squad has scored successful a play without one?”
“Erling and Alf-Inge Haaland bought nan only surviving copy of nan first printed version of Snorri Sturluson’s medieval history of Norwegian kings and donated it to their hometown of Bryne successful Norway,” emails Kári Tulinius. “Have different footballers bought and donated uncommon books aliases different antiques?”
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