DUNDALK may have lost their marquee Europa League showdown with Arsenal – but they broke a record in the process. The Irish minnows slumped to a 3-0 defeat against a youthful Gunners XI. And while the loss will be disappointing, they have etched their name in the history books. After the full-time whistle sounded, Dundalk […]
DUNDALK may have lost their marquee Europa League showdown with Arsenal – but they broke a record in the process.
The Irish minnows slumped to a 3-0 defeat against a youthful Gunners XI.
And while the loss will be disappointing, they have etched their name in the history books.
After the full-time whistle sounded, Dundalk officially became the first team in Europa League history to complete a match without committing a single foul.
The Gunners failed to draw a single free-kick during their win, in which Nicolas Pepe, Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock found the net.
Incredibly, no Champions League match has ever finished without one team failing to foul an opponent.
And it hasn’t happened in the FA Cup either, since records began.
The League Cup last saw the bonkers feat occur in 2016, when Derby put in an angelic performance against Grimbsy.
But a foul-free game has come about in the Premier League very recently – just last year in fact.
And it came from one of the most-unlikely of games – the fierce London derby between Chelsea and West Ham.
During last November’s match – a 1-0 win for the Hammers at Stamford Bridge – the Blues managed to not commit a single foul.
Another Europa League record was broken on Thursday night, too.
Ex-Wigan star Jordi Gomez shattered the record for longest-range goal – with his effort, from his own half, giving his Omonia side the lead against PSV Eindhoven.
Bizarrely, Rangers star Kemar Roofe had only broken the record himself a week earlier – against Standard Liege – only for Gomez to one-up him just days later.
Elsewhere during Arsenal’s clash with Dundalk, Kieran Tierney rocked up for the game in freezing Russian conditions wearing just a T-shirt.
