Morocco's Ismael Saibari lit up the World Cup with a goal so swift it left Scotland stunned – just 70 seconds after kick-off! The lightning-fast strike was sparked by a defensive error, which Saibari seized upon to fire past goalkeeper Angus Gunn and leave the Scottish side reeling. It might not have stood as the fastest of the tournament for long, but that's no discredit to the 25-year-old PSV ace – his goal was still an instant show-stopper!
Of course, Saibari's strike doesn't crack the top ten fastest World Cup goals in history, a list that's still dominated by Turkey's Hakan Sukur, who blasted one in just 11 seconds against South Korea back in 2002. Other notables include England's Bryan Robson (28 seconds vs France in '82) and Clint Dempsey (30 seconds for the USA at Brazil 2014). These speedsters show you need to be lightning-quick to join their exclusive club!
Further down the rankings, North Korea's Pak Seung-zin scored in a blistering 50 seconds against Portugal in 1966, while Denmark's Mathias Jorgensen netted in 55 seconds against Croatia in 2018. These examples highlight just how tough it is to break into the top echelons of World Cup goal records – even sub-minute efforts often fall short.