It’s easier to score a point in some sports than to score a goal, right? Well, I’m not sure if you would agree with that after seeing many cases of multiple goalscoring matches. In fact, some football games have featured so many goals that I began to question their regularity.
It’s not only that but the game rank leagues that matter here. If you’re used to watching tough matches with teams that have strong defence lines, get ready for something completely different, as I’ll show you football matches with most goals in history.
Portsmouth vs Reading (11 Goals)
To begin with a lightweight game, I present you with a Portsmouth vs Reading duel. The game took place in the Premier League 2007/8 season. This was actually the first Premier League match that featured as many as 11 goals.
We could see a bit more than half of the total number of goals in the first two-thirds of the encounter. Then, in the 75th minute, Kranjcar scored the seventh goal. It was very surprising to see both teams scoring additional two goals until the end of the game. The final score of this game was 7:4 Portsmouth, which amounted to the 11-goal record-breaking.
Austria vs Switzerland (12 Goals)
Going back in time, the World Cup tournament in 1954 had some more than weird matches. One of them was the Austria vs Switzerland clash that ended in Austria’s victory (7:5). Up until the 20th minute, Switzerland took the 3:0 lead.
While everything worked in their favour, the Swiss conceded three quick goals in the next ten minutes. The Red Crosses, however, scored two more goals before the second half.
It would be good if they didn’t allow two more goals before the break. Austria played much better in the second half and scored twice, setting the 7:5 final score.
Borussia Dortmund vs Legia Warsaw (12 Goals)
Not long ago, the season 2016/17 made us witness a game with 12 goals. It was BVB that played against the Polish Legia from Warsaw. It may sound unbelievable, but the Germans scored six goals in the first 30 minutes.
Legia did not give up easily. The mere fact that they scored four times before the end of the game says enough about their enthusiasm. Still, Dortmund netted twice more and won over them by 8:4.
Preston North End vs Hyde United (26 Goals)
Preston North End was known as one of the very strong teams in 19th-century England. This club won “ The Double” during the 1880s, meaning that they won the league and the FA Cup.
What seems to be equally impressive here is that they were part of one of the football matches with most goals. They single-handedly broke the record for the most goals scored in the history of the FA Cup in one game. That happened when they beat Hyde United by 26:0.
Villareal vs Navata (27 Goals)
It wasn’t a long time ago when Villarreal completely demolished a semi-professional club from Catalonia, Navata. The Yellow Submarine played a friendly game against Navata. This paved the way for numerous attackers to shine.
So, strikers like Pereira, Llorente, Marcos, and Pires scored multiple goals each. In fact, Pereira hit the target seven times. The whole Villarreal squad was in good shape at that time and didn’t concede any goals in this match.
Australia vs American Samoa (31 Goals)
Anyone who may wonder what’s the most goals scored in a football match should definitely know about the Australia vs American Samoa encounter. This may not be the highest-scoring game ever but is definitely one of the few football matches with most goals.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Kangaroos broke two records by beating American Samoa by 31:0. This was a new world record for the most convincing victory in international fixtures. Also, Archie Thompson scored 13 goals and set the record for the most goals scored in an international game.
Arbroath vs Bon Accord (36 Goals)
Another game that dates back to the 19th century included the Scottish teams Arbroath and Bon Accord. Even though Arbroath is now struggling to get to the best Scottish League, they were once known for terrorising their opponents.
Not long after their foundation, their stadium became the place where many clubs fell to their knees. One such team was Bon Accord. In 1885, the two clubs played in the first round of the Scottish Cup.
Usually, the cups confront teams that are of different strengths. But no one really expected that Arbroath would massively defeat Bon Accord, scoring 36 goals to nil. Be it as it may, this did happen, and it remains one of the football matches with most goals up to this day.
Vanuatu vs Micronesia (46 Goals)
It’s interesting that I constantly go back and forth in time. Maybe this means that football didn’t change much when it comes to excesses. So, the next story, answering the “what’s the most goals scored in a football match?” question, has Vanuatu and Micronesia starring in it.
This match I’m telling you about dates from 2015. The Pacific Games contest was ongoing, and Micronesia played three games, where it allowed an incredible amount of 114 goals. In the duel with Vanuatu, the Micronesians lost by 46:0.
The Micronesian squad did not really consist of professional players. This was one of the teams with limited budgets and as well as very limited selection of players. All this led to some fans naming this team the worst international team in the world.
Police Machine FC vs Bubayaro FC (67 Goals)
The next game takes us to Nigeria. More than ten years ago, the Police Machine faced Bubayaro in the lowest Nigerian Nationwide League Division. This may have been the match between the clubs of the same tier, but one team was far stronger than the other.
That club was Police Machine FC. As the game began, Police Machine went full steam ahead and scored six goals in the first half. No one knew at that time what happened, but Bubayaro’s players started to act weird in the second half.
They began to score their own goals. All this amounted to 67 goals to nil. Many fans claimed that this was a fixed match. So, the Nigerian Football Federation Organising Committee stepped in and tried to resolve one of the football matches with most goals.
Plateau United Founders versus Akurba (79 Goals)
In exactly the same league (Nigerian Nationwide League Division) on the exact same day as the previous match, Plateau United Founders played against Akurba.
While some football admirers and experts could give the benefit of the doubt to the game I discussed before, it became obvious that match-fixing was ongoing in this league, after the Plateau United Founders vs Akurba duel.
This clash had the same scenario as the Police Machine FC versus Bubayaro FC fixture. It started off more or less normally, after which Plateau United Founders scored a couple of goals.
Next, Akurba’s players scored a massive amount of own goals. The final result on the official notice was 79:0. This, and the other match played that day, was the subject of investigation.
The Nigerian Football Federation Organising Committee’s inspection concluded that both games were fixed. Both teams faced severe consequences as they were banned from the league for 10 years. All the players had a permanent ban from playing this sport.
AS Adema versus Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne (149 Goals)
The Nigerian clubs went down in history with their ridiculous games. But the real answer to the “what’s the most goals scored in a football match” question is the almighty number, which is 149. It was in 2002, during one of the four club round-robin style playoffs.
As Adema and Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne fought for the title. In the previous game that ended in a tie, AS Adema had already secured the trophy. SO de l’Emyrne’s coach and players revolted because they thought the referee made wrong decisions that later made them draw the game instead of winning it.
Their response created the number one among the football matches with most goals in the history of this sport. More specifically, the moment the duel began, the SO de l’Emyrne’s players started scoring own goals.
They were very persistent in their intention and reached the number of 149 own goals in 90 minutes. Needless to say, this led to some players and the coach getting banned from this sport for a couple of years. The referee of this game decided not to stop the match. Consequently, it became and is still known as the game with the highest number of goals ever.
