30 April 1974 - That's The Penalty For Setting High Expectations

On 30 April 1974, the FA sacked England manager Alf Ramsey, who led the team to World Cup glory in 1966.

Ramsey took charge of England in May 1963 after a successful time at Ipswich Town. He began his new job in bold style, claiming that they would win the upcoming 1966 World Cup as hosts. And he made good on his promise. After opening the tournament with a scoreless draw against Uruguay, England reeled off five straight victories, including a 4-2 win over West Germany in the final to lift the cup.

But the decline started soon after. In 1968, England finished third out of four teams in the European Championships and, two years later, they were eliminated by West Germany in the first knockout round of the 1970 World Cup. West Germany again proved to be their nemesis in 1972, ending England's qualification campaign for the 1972 European Championships. 

The final straw for Ramsey came in October 1973, when a draw with Poland prevented England from qualifying for the next year's World Cup. Although he remained in charge for another six months, the failure to reach the World Cup effectively sealed his fate. The FA finally dropped the curtain on his tenure at the end of April despite his overall record of 69 wins, 27 draws, and only 17 losses in 119 matches played.

He later had a brief spell in charge of Birmingham City (1977-78) and another as technical director of Panathinaikos (1979-80) but could not recapture the success he had with Ipswich and England. He died of a heart attack in 1999 and, in 2002, was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame.

3 January 2003 - Nowak Calls Time On His Playing Career

On 3 January 2003, the Chicago Fire traded team captain Piotr Nowak to New England, but he retired about a month later before suiting up for his new club.

The Polish international midfielder joined Chicago in 1998 after a four-year tenure with 1860 Munich that saw him named Poland's Player of the Year (1996) and the Bundesliga's best playmaker (1995-96). He made an immediate impact with the fledgling MLS side, who named him the team MVP in his first season as they won the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup.

More successes followed, including another US Open Cup in 2000, as Nowak collected two more MVP awards in 2000 and 2001. By the end of the 2002 season, he set the club's current all-time assist record at 48. But salary cap considerations led Chicago to trade their then-38-year old captain to New England for the 2003 season. Later that year, Chicago made him the first inductee in their "Ring of Fire," honoring past players.

Just over one month after the trade announcement, Nowak chose to retire rather than continue his playing career in New England. He wasn't done with football altogether, however, as he took over as manager of DC United in 2004, winning that season's MLS Cup. He left DC in 2006 to work with the US national team and, in 2009, became the first head coach for the Philadelphia Union. He later took charge of Antigua and Barbuda and is currently the manager of Polish club Lechia Gdańsk.

14 October 1992 - Van Basten's International Farewel

On 14 October 1992, Dutch captain Marco van Basten made his last appearance for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Poland. A persistent ankle injury ended his career shortly afterward.

The match was only his 58th cap and came just over two weeks before his 28th birthday. Just four years earlier, he had starred for the Oranje in the European Championship, scoring a tournament-best five goals--including a hat-trick against England--as the Netherlands took the trophy. A disappointing early World Cup exit followed in 1990, however, with van Basten failing to find the net (the team scored only three goals in the tournament).

In 1991-92, van Basten finished the season with AC Milan as Serie A's top scorer and won a handful of individual awards, including the European Footballer of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year. But he missed a critical penalty in the Netherlands' Euro 1992 semifinal against Denmark and the Dutch went out 2-2 (4-5).

Van Basten hoped to turn the tide in the 1994 World Cup and captained the Netherlands for the start of their qualification campaign. But after only two matches, a 2-1 loss to Norway and the 2-2 draw with Poland, he missed the team's next two matches. Then, in May 1993, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the entire 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and the 1994 World Cup. The injury never fully healed and forced his early retirement in 1995.

Although he never played for Holland again, he did return to the team in 2004 as manager and spent four years in the role.

18 December 1921 - The Poles Get In Position

On 18 December 1921, Poland played their first official international, a 1-0 loss to Hungary. It was a humble start for a team that would later claim an Olympic gold medal and twice finish in third place at the World Cup.

The Polish national team was only 2 years old when they lost to Hungary, having been founded in December 1919. And it would take another 5 months before they recorded their first victory, beating Sweden 2-1 in Stockholm. By the 1930s, however, they had improved rapidly, led by prolific goalscorer Ernst Wilimowski (pictured, with the ball). Even without Wilimowski, who was suspended for a year for excessive partying, Poland nearly medalled at the 1936 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth after wins over Hungary and Great Britain.

Poland's greatest achievement came at the 1972 Summer Olympics, when they won the gold medal with a 2-1 victory over Hungary. They followed that performance with a third-place finishes at the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.

6 July 1974 - After 36 Years, Poland Gets Its Revenge

On 6 July 1974, Poland achieved their best finish in a World Cup, beating Brazil 0-1 in the third-place match. The match-winning goal was provided by speedy right-winger Grzegorz Lato (pictured), the tournament's highest scorer.

Poland were playing in only their second World Cup ever, with the first ending after one match in 1938 - a 6-5 loss to Brazil at the end of extra time. They had won the gold at the 1972 Olympics, however, thus establishing themselves as World Cup contenders. And indeed, they breezed through the first round with wins over Argentina (3-2), Haiti (0-7), and Italy (2-1). In the second-round group stage, they beat Sweden (0-1) and Yugoslavia (2-1) to set up the final match of the round against West Germany, with the winner advancing to the Final. It was the only match of the tournament in which the Poles could not score, losing 0-1 to a 76th-minute goal from Gerd Müller.

Playing before a crowd of 74,100 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, both sides played an open attacking style that created a handful of chances each. But it was Lato who turned one of those chances into the match's only goal, as he received the ball in his own half and sprinted down the right side past the Brazilian defense to knock the ball past the keeper in the 76th minute. It was his seventh goal of the tournament, making him the only Polish player to win a World Cup golden boot.

Poland repeated their success with another third-place finish in 1982, but have since gone into decline, qualifying for only three of the eight World Cups since then.

4 June 1950 - The Magical Magyars

On 4 June 1950, Hungary defeated Poland in a friendly, 5-2. It was the first of Hungary's record-setting 31-match unbeaten streak that lasted until the 1954 World Cup Final.

The previous record was held by Scotland, who went 22 consecutive matches without a loss. Hungary eclipsed that mark on 15 November 1953, when they drew 2-2 with Sweden in a friendly. Not all of the matches in Hungary's streak were friendlies, however; it included a five-match run in the 1952 Olympics that ended with Hungary, nicknamed the "Magical Magyars," winning the gold medal with a 2-0 win over Yugoslavia. They also won the Central European Cup in 1953 over fellow competitors Italy, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.

Hungary's record stood at 27 when they arrived in Switzerland for the 1954 World Cup and they promptly extended it with lopsided group-stage wins over South Korea (9-0) and West Germany (8-3). The Hungarians, led by their star pairing of forwards Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskás, then advanced through the knockout rounds with tough wins over 1950 runners-up Brazil and holders Uruguay, before meeting West Germany again in the Final, where the streak finally ended with a 3-2 loss.

Hungary's streak remained a record for 55 years until it was beaten by Spain's 33rd consecutive unbeaten match on 14 June 2009. Spain won two more matches to set the current record at 35.

6 September 2011 - The Wait Wasn't As Long For The Next One

On 6 September 2011, striker Robert Lewandowski gave Poland their first goal against Germany in over 31 years as they played to a 2-2 draw.

Poland has, over the course of the team's existence, had a very poor record against Germany (counting games against West Germany before unification). Prior to the 2011 match, the two teams had met sixteen times, with the Germans winning twelve of those and the other four ending as draws. The last Polish player to score against Germany was Łódź striker Zbigniew Boniek in May 1980 (two years later, Boniek moved to Italy where he enjoyed successful spells with Juventus and Roma). Since then, the teams had met only four times, with Germany winning each one.

But in Gdánsk in 2011, Robert Lewandowski--who had just moved to Germany after joining Borussia Dortmund the year before--completed the end of a 55th-minute counter-attack to put Poland up 1-0. The lead lasted only thirteen minutes before thee referee awarded a penalty to Germany, duly converted by Toni Kroos.

Poland received a penalty of their own in the 90th minute, with Jakub Blaszczykowski taking the honors and restoring the lead. But with just seconds left, the hosts were denied a landmark victory when second-half substitute striker Cacau scored in the 94th minute to end the game as a 2-2 draw.

30 April 1974 - That's The Penalty For Setting High Expectations

On 30 April 1974, the FA sacked England manager Alf Ramsey, who led the team to World Cup glory in 1966.

Ramsey took charge of England in May 1963 after a successful time at Ipswich Town. He began his new job in bold style, claiming that they would win the upcoming 1966 World Cup as hosts. And he made good on his promise. After opening the tournament with a scoreless draw against Uruguay, England reeled off five straight victories, including a 4-2 win over West Germany in the final to lift the cup.

But the decline started soon after. In 1968, England finished third out of four teams in the European Championships and, two years later, they were eliminated by West Germany in the first knockout round of the 1970 World Cup. West Germany again proved to be their nemesis in 1972, ending England's qualification campaign for the 1972 European Championships.

The final straw for Ramsey came in October 1973, when a draw with Poland prevented England from qualifying for the next year's World Cup. Although he remained in charge for another six months, the failure to reach the World Cup effectively sealed his fate. The FA finally dropped the curtain on his tenure at the end of April despite his overall record of 69 wins, 27 draws, and only 17 losses in 119 matches played.

He later had a brief spell in charge of Birmingham City (1977-78) and another as technical director of Panathinaikos (1979-80) but could not recapture the success he had with Ipswich and England. He died of a heart attack in 1999 and, in 2002, was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame.

3 January 2003 - Nowak Calls Time On His Playing Career

On 3 January 2003, the Chicago Fire traded team captain Piotr Nowak to New England, but he retired about a month later before suiting up for his new club.

The Polish international midfielder joined Chicago in 1998 after a four-year tenure with 1860 Munich that saw him named Poland's Player of the Year (1996) and the Bundesliga's best playmaker (1995-96). He made an immediate impact with the fledgling MLS side, who named him the team MVP in his first season as they won the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup.

More successes followed, including another US Open Cup in 2000, as Nowak collected two more MVP awards in 2000 and 2001. By the end of the 2002 season, he set the club's current all-time assist record at 48. But salary cap considerations led Chicago to trade their then-38-year old captain to New England for the 2003 season. Later that year, Chicago made him the first inductee in their "Ring of Fire," honoring past players.

Just over one month after the trade announcement, Nowak chose to retire rather than continue his playing career in New England. He wasn't done with football altogether, however, as he took over as manager of DC United in 2004, winning that season's MLS Cup. He left DC in 2006 to work with the US national team and, in 2009, became the first head coach for the Philadelphia Union.

14 October 1992 - Van Basten's International Farewell

On 14 October 1992, Dutch captain Marco van Basten made his last appearance for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Poland. A persistent ankle injury ended his career shortly afterward.

The match was only his 58th cap and came just over two weeks before his 28th birthday. Just four years earlier, he had starred for the Oranje in the European Championship, scoring a tournament-best five goals--including a hat-trick against England--as the Netherlands took the trophy. A disappointing early World Cup exit followed in 1990, however, with van Basten failing to find the net (the team scored only three goals in the tournament).

In 1991-92, van Basten finished the season with AC Milan as Serie A's top scorer and won a handful of individual awards, including the European Footballer of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year. But he missed a critical penalty in the Netherlands' Euro 1992 semifinal against Denmark and the Dutch went out 2-2 (4-5).

Van Basten hoped to turn the tide in the 1994 World Cup and captained the Netherlands for the start of their qualification campaign. But after only two matches, a 2-1 loss to Norway and the 2-2 draw with Poland, he missed the team's next two matches. Then, in May 1993, he suffered an ankle injury that forced him to sit out the entire 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons and the 1994 World Cup. The injury never fully healed and forced his early retirement in 1995.

Although he never played for Holland again, he did return to the team in 2004 as manager and spent four years in the role.

18 December 1921 - The Poles Get In Position

On 18 December 1921, Poland played their first official international, a 1-0 loss to Hungary. It was a humble start for a team that would later claim an Olympic gold medal and twice finish in third place at the World Cup.

The Polish national team was only 2 years old when they lost to Hungary, having been founded in December 1919. And it would take another 5 months before they recorded their first victory, beating Sweden 2-1 in Stockholm. By the 1930s, however, they had improved rapidly, led by prolific goalscorer Ernst Wilimowski (pictured, with the ball). Even without Wilimowski, who was suspended for a year for excessive partying, Poland nearly medaled at the 1936 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth after wins over Hungary and Great Britain.

Poland's greatest achievement came at the 1972 Summer Olympics, when they won the gold medal with a 2-1 victory over Hungary. They followed that performance with a third-place finishes at the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.

They have struggled lately, failing to qualify for 4 of the last 6 World Cups, but hope to turn things around in 2012, when they host the UEFA European Championships with the Ukraine.

6 July 1974 - After 36 Years, Poland Gets Its Revenge

On 6 July 1974, Poland achieved their best finish in a World Cup, beating Brazil 0-1 in the third-place match. The match-winning goal was provided by speedy right-winger Grzegorz Lato (pictured), the tournament's highest scorer.

Poland were playing in only their second World Cup ever, with the first ending after one match in 1938 - a 6-5 loss to Brazil at the end of extra time. They had won the gold at the 1972 Olympics, however, thus establishing themselves as World Cup contenders. And indeed, they breezed through the first round with wins over Argentina (3-2), Haiti (0-7), and Italy (2-1). In the second-round group stage, they beat Sweden (0-1) and Yugoslavia (2-1) to set up the final match of the round against West Germany, with the winner advancing to the Final. It was the only match of the tournament in which the Poles could not score, losing 0-1 to a 76th-minute goal from Gerd Müller.

Playing before a crowd of 74,100 at the Olympiastadion in Munich, both sides played an open attacking style that created a handful of chances each. But it was Lato who turned one of those chances into the match's only goal, as he received the ball in his own half and sprinted down the right side past the Brazilian defense to knock the ball past the keeper in the 76th minute. It was his seventh goal of the tournament, making him the only Polish player to win a World Cup golden boot.

Poland repeated their success with another third-place finish in 1982, but have since gone into decline, failing to qualify for four out of the last six World Cups.

4 June 1950 - The Magical Magyars

On 4 June 1950, Hungary defeated Poland in a friendly, 5-2. It was the first of Hungary's record-setting 31-match unbeaten streak that lasted until the 1954 World Cup Final.

The previous record was held by Scotland, who went 22 consecutive matches without a loss. Hungary eclipsed that mark on 15 November 1953, when they drew 2-2 with Sweden in a friendly. Not all of the matches in Hungary's streak were friendlies, however; it included a five-match run in the 1952 Olympics that ended with Hungary, nicknamed the "Magical Magyars," winning the gold medal with a 2-0 win over Yugoslavia. They also won the Central European Cup in 1953 over fellow competitors Italy, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.

Hungary's record stood at 27 when they arrived in Switzerland for the 1954 World Cup and they promptly extended it with lopsided group-stage wins over South Korea (9-0) and West Germany (8-3). The Hungarians, led by their star pairing of forwards Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskás, then advanced through the knockout rounds with tough wins over 1950 runners-up Brazil and holders Uruguay, before meeting West Germany again in the Final, where the streak finally ended with a 3-2 loss.

Hungary's streak remained a record for 55 years until it was beaten by Spain's 33rd consecutive unbeaten match on 14 June 2009. Spain won two more matches to set the current record at 35.