Nov 18, 2000: the first Manchester derby in four years – and the 125th league meeting between City and United. We trace the rivalry back to Newton Heath and Ardwick, through title deciders and relegations, before landing at Maine Road: City newly back under Joe Royle, United top of the league, Ferguson at a wedding, Steve McClaren in charge, and David Beckham winning it with a free-kick after 95 seconds past Alf-Inge Haaland.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 17, 1993: the wildest final night of qualifying for USA ’94. Italy edge Portugal in Group 1; England concede after 8.3 seconds to San Marino; France collapse to Bulgaria in Paris; Wales hit the bar vs Romania; Spain’s ten men dump out Euro champs Denmark while Ireland cling on in Belfast; Greece complete a first-ever qualification; and in Buenos Aires, Argentina survive a playoff vs Australia after a 0–5 loss to Colombia and Maradona’s dramatic recall.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 16, 1991: China 4–0 Norway in Guangzhou — the first match (and first goal, by Ma Li) in Women’s World Cup history. We track the tournament arc (Norway in the opener and the final; USA lifting the trophy), the century-long backstory (Dick, Kerr Ladies, the FA ban, the 1970/71 “unofficial” World Cups), and how the modern game shifted toward Europe’s elite clubs while the U.S. stayed a perennial force.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 15, 1966: Oceania gets its own confederation. We trace OFC’s birth, Australia’s will-they/won’t-they before moving to AFC, then New Zealand’s modern dominance, island breakthroughs (Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Fiji), giant scorelines, clubs at the Club World Cup, and the rise of OFC referees. Plus a roll call of famous Oceanian players—from Wynton Rufer to Chris Wood.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 14, 1934: England 3–2 Italy at Highbury. Seven Gunners start; Brook (2) and Drake score inside 14 minutes; Meazza drags the champs back to 3–2. A brutal, brilliant “friendly” that doubled as a referendum on football’s 1930s balance of power—England’s league might vs Pozzo’s method and Mussolini’s spectacle. We set the stage (FA outside FIFA, why Highbury), go minute-by-minute, and track the fallout through 1936 and 1938.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 13, 1927: Sparta Praha win the first Mitropa Cup—Meisl’s cross-border creation to fund professionalism and cement Central Europe’s lead. We track the café culture behind the style, the inaugural eight (Sparta, Slavia, Rapid, Admira, MTK, Újpest, Hajduk, BSK), the two-leg final, and the Meisl-Pozzo rivalry that peaks in 1934 as Italy rises and Austria’s golden age wanes. Mitropa Cup’s DNA runs straight into today’s European nights.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 12, 2016: A phantom handball gives South Africa a penalty vs Senegal. FIFA later annuls the game, CAS upholds a life ban for the referee, and the tie is replayed—Senegal win and reach Russia 2018. We walk the incident, the legal logic, and the bigger story of match fixing and modern integrity monitoring.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 11, 1871: the FA Cup kicks off with seven ties—Barnes beat Civil Service; Clapham Rovers’ Jarvis Kenrick scores the Cup’s first ever goal; Maidenhead top Marlow; Palace–Hitchin finishes 0–0 (and both go through); Queen’s Park–Donington not played; Wanderers and Royal Engineers advance by walkover. We set the scene, celebrate the founders, and trace how this amateur trophy became a national ritual.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 10, 1879: a nine-goal charity thriller at Bramall Lane draws a huge crowd—and a touring team with painted faces, feathers, and “Zulu” stage names. We explain who the Zulus were, why these exhibitions mattered before professionalism and the Football League, how Sheffield’s rules shaped the game, and why this spectacle reads so differently today.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 9, 1997: Dundee United v Aberdeen. Dean Windass is sent off… then shown two more reds for abusing the ref and booting the corner flag. We walk the incident moment by moment, explain the Law-12 logic (why extra reds are shown), and zoom out to where cards came from (1970) and how dismissals shape results in the modern game.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 8, 1968: Sudan 4–2 Zambia (aet) levelled a 6–6 aggregate—but CAF’s quirky bylaw sent Sudan through: the team with more goals in the second match advanced. We setthe scene from Lusaka to Omdurman, then tour WCQ’s decider oddities from draw of lots over coin tosses to the first-ever PSO. Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 7, 1964: Everton 0–1 Leeds. A first-minute scythe, a fourth-minute punch and red, coins pelting the physio, and referee Ken Stokes marching both teams off to cool down. We rewind to FA News’ 1963/64 discipline tables, a season already running hot (Baker & Yeats sent off in Feb), and show how Goodison forged the “Dirty Leeds” tag—then trace its afterlife through the 1974 Charity Shield and the era’s global edge. Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 6, 1974: Bayern beat Magdeburg in the European Cup, months after East Germany shocked West Germany at the ’74 World Cup. We set the tie inside 1970s Germany—Wall, RAF, “Ossies” vs “Wessies”—explain the Super Cup that neverhappened, relive both legs (Sparwasser scores again and again), sketch Bayern’s dynasty and Magdeburg’s Cup Winners’ Cup high, and sprint through other East–West club duels before the Wall falls.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Nov 5, 1933: Palestra Itália (Palmeiras) 8–0 Corinthians — still the biggest margin in São Paulo’s Dérbi. We place the rivalry alongside the world’s great derbies, tell the match (Romeu 4, Imparato 3, Gabardo 1), explain why it counted for two competitions, trace the Corinthians board fallout (and rumored HQ fire), and show how rare an 8–0 is in true derbies. Plus: 1974’s “É 21!”, Democracia Corinthiana, the 2018 VAR final, and even the 2024 pig’s-head incident.Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Montevideo, 1967: Celtic (European champions) vs Racing (Libertadores winners) in a playoff at the Centenario in Montevideo. A trilogy turns toxic—knocks in Glasgow, missiles in Buenos Aires, then six red cards in Uruguay, and a stunning 30-yard winner by Juan Carlos Cárdenas. Alfio “Coco” Basile is sent off here, later becomes the only Argentina coach to call up both Maradona and Messi. How the Intercontinental Cup’s chaos pushed Europe away—and how we ended up with today’s Club World Cup.
Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com
Lisbon, 1971: Sporting 4–3 Rangers (a.e.t.) makes it 6–6 on aggregate. Under UEFA’s away-goals rule (in the CWC since 1965–66), Rangers had already advanced—but referee Lau van Ravens ordered a penalty shootout. Sporting won, chaosfollowed, a journalist produced the rulebook, UEFA voided the PSO, and Rangers went through… then won the 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup.Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com — please rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & share.
Stoke 1–1 Southampton, but the opening 13 seconds became legend: Asmir Begović’s drop-kick rode a gale 91.9 m (almost 100 yards) and bounced over Artur Boruc—the fastest Premier League goal by a goalkeeper. We break down wind, bounce, trajectory; then zoom out to the rare world of scoring keepers.Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com — please rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & share.
In the very first European Cup, a club from the French-administered Saar Protectorate stunned AC Milan at San Siro—just days after a referendum on the Saar’s future. We set the scene, meet the cast (Schiaffino, Liedholm & co.), relive the swing from a 1–3 defeat to the stunning 4–3, win then tracethe return leg and why this upset helped define Europe’s new tournament. Tips/corrections: otd@17lawsguy.com. Please rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & share.