For the Record

In the past week, Marcus Allbäck of Sweden scored the 2,000th World Cup goal, and Ronaldo scored his fifteenth to set a new record for the most by a single player in World Cup history. But there have been many more records set throughout this year’s tournament, both by single players and by entire teams. Here’s a quick look at some new standards to beat after this year.

Current Portuguese coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, set a record for most consecutive wins. Conveniently, the fact that his first seven wins came when he was coach of his native Brazilian national team for their 2002 World Cup victory is as irrelevant as the 80’s-era Bruce Reynolds-style mustache he insists on sporting.

And the neutral Swiss put on a fine display of defense in the tournament, becoming the first team ever not to concede a single goal in a World Cup. Except, of course, in the shoot out with Ukraine when they allowed three. Due to some linguistic trickery, these goals, apparently, were not “conceded,” but counted nonetheless, as Ukraine advances to the quarter-finals in its first World Cup appearance.

Also of note is Togo’s unfortunate induction into the collection of twelve teams who lost every game of their World Cup. But even more dismal is Paraguay’s current number one ranking in the categories of quickest own-goal and substitution of a goalkeeper, as well as being the only team ever to have been defeated in a match with only an own goal.

And, of course, there are the cards, a topic of much dispute for this year’s tournament. There should be little surprise that the number of cards, both red and yellow, which have been doled out thus far have set an all-time record with 310 yellows and 25 reds making their appearance as of Tuesday.

The most colorful match of this year has been the infamous game between Portugal and the Netherlands, which tied the record for most yellow cards (16) in a single match , and set a new high for most total (and the most possible) red cards (4). Thanks to referee Valentin Ivanov, Portugal now holds claim to being the recipient of the most yellow cards assessed to a single team, having received nine in the match.

But a set of statistics would certainly not be complete without the most embarrassing record for most yellow cards given to a player in a single match when Croatia’s Josip Šimunić somehow managed to accumulate three yellow warnings in the game against Australia.

This mark is likely not to be surpassed for a long time to come. But if what’s past is prologue, I have little doubt that this year’s referees will find some way to outdo even that blunder.