The owners of the Champions League

Since the Premier League was introduced in 1992 Liverpool have never won it. Their last League title was in 1990, and their last FA Cup triumph was in 2006. So compared to other English sides Liverpool does not seem to represent the best the Premier League can offer; since 1992 Manchester United has won 13 Premier League titles, Chelsea has won five, Manchester City three, Arsenal three (and 9 FA Cups!), etc. But when you look at the UEFA Champions League, Liverpool, who today qualified for the final against Real Madrid, have been dominant: three finals since 2000, including their legendary triumph in 2005. Only Manchester United have done (slightly) better since 1992 (when the Champions League was introduced in its current form): four finals with two wins (1999 and 2008) and two losses (2009 and 2011). But overall Liverpool's history far exceeds that of any other English side: with five wins in seven finals Liverpool is the all-time best English team in the European Champions Cup/Champions League, as well as the fifth best overall (behind Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona).
It is impossible to say what history means, but it is clear that Liverpool, despite not dominating their domestic league or cup, are simply much better at the biggest European stage than some of the better domestic English sides such as Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal. Liverpool showed their European strength when they eliminated Manchester City in this season's quarterfinals, in a tie that they pretty much always dominated against the new English champions.
Liverpool just seems to be the English side that most "owns" the Champions League, and in the Kiev final they will face the European "owners" of the tournament: Real Madrid have won a record 12 European Champions Cup/Champions League out of 14 finals. They are the defending Champions, having won the last two finals (2016, 2017), and have in fact not lost a final in this tournament since 1981.
And who defeated them in 1981?
Liverpool!

The final in Kiev will be huge, not just because these are two of the best sides historically, but also because both sides have been extraordinary in the tournament, fantastic players, and in particular because the two sides facing one another have whom I consider the two best managers in the world right now.

Forget the World Cup Final.
THIS MATCH WILL BE THE GREATEST OF 2018!

I guess on a personal note, before anyone starts bitching that I say something nice about Real Madrid, I must mention that I will never ever support Real Madrid (except when they play against the one team I dislike more, FC Copenhagen). I am a proud Anti-Madridista!

The finalists

Although Atletico Madrid gave Real Madrid a scare (and fans hope for a good game) in the first quarter of last nights' Champions League semifinal second leg, the result was never in doubt: although behind 2-0, when Real Madrid settled into the match they showed their quality and after Isco's goal, their place in the final was never really in doubt. And for any major threats, Keylor Navas was solid in goal.
Real Madrid can go all the way, although they will have to play their best against a Juventus side that did not need to make much of an effort to win 2-1 against Monaco at home. Juventus will be playing their ninth final against Real Madrid's record 15th. But Real Madrid have only lost three finals, while Juventus has been defeated 6 of their eight finals, their last victory coming in 1996 against Ajax Amsterdam (after they had earlier eliminated Real Madrid in the quarterfinals). Real Madrid are the defending champions and could become the first team to re-take the title in the 21st Century (and since the inception of the Champions League format).
No matter what happens, this Champions League season has been one of the best ever, and both of these teams deserve to be in a final that is set to be match of the year in 2018! History will be made!
Countdown for June 3rd has started!

Semi-final of Dreams: Barcelona-Bayern Munich

The second semifinal of this season's Champions League will see two giants of world football face one another: FC Barcelona, with seven finals and four titles in the tournament, against Bayern Munich, finalist 10 times with five titles.
That said, their history of mutual confrontations is only quite recent. First time they faced each other was in the group stages in 1998, where Barcelona were eliminated in the group of death, and Bayern eventually made it to a memorable final against Manchester United.
In 2009 the sides faced one another in the quarterfinals, where an incredible Barcelona first defeated Bayern 4-0 on goals by Lionel Messi (2), Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry (and that attacking trio is as least as scary as the current trio), and then went on to play 1-1 in Munich. After this Barcelona defeated Chelsea and Manchester to become one of the most awesome champions of the European Champions League with a side that has already gone into history. A central man in that history was Barcelona's then-coach Pep Guardiola, who is now managing Bayern Munich, and the clash between Guardiola and the club he was born into is one of the most expected things of this match.
But Bayern Munich have also been part of Barcelona's history even before today's match: in 2013 Bayern Munich had built up a side that thoroughly dethroned the Spanish side in the semifinals of this tournament. In the first match Bayern Munich destroyed Barcelona 4-0 with goals by Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben, and they completed the humiliation winning 0-3 in Barcelona.
In many ways that semifinal signaled the end of an era and the start of a new one: for Barcelona they went away from their characteristic tiki-taka, but have found a new strength with their awesome attacking force and a solid defense around a Pique and Mascherano who complement one another well.
That era also showed an end of Spanish national team dominance, to be replaced by a Germany built around Bayern Munich, who went on to become World Champions in 2014. As Barcelona and Spain seek to reclaim their position, this semifinal clash will be another mighty battle in the epic football history of this decade!!!

Anyone who misses this match will not have the right to speak about football ever again!!!

Semi-final of dreams: Juventus-Real Madrid

Tomorrow evening we will see the first of two dream semifinals in the Champions League when the Italian champions from Juventus take on the Spanish giants of Real Madrid. This is a match between two of the greatest teams historically in European club competitions (Champions Cup and Champions League). Juventus has been in seven finals of this tournament and won two of them. Their latest victory was in 1996, but were also in the finals of 1997, 1998 and 2003. Real Madrid is, of course, the giant of this tournament, with ten victories in 13 final appearances, the latest one last year!
In fact, both side have already faced each other in both semifinals and in a final: in 1998 Real Madrid beat Juventus 1-0 on a goal by Predrag Mijatovic, which gave them their title after 32 years of waiting.
In 2003 the sides faced one another in a semifinal that is perhaps comparable to this year's: Real Madrid were defending champions with a side that included legends such as Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Raul. In the meantime, Juventus had a side with other great players such as Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet, Liliam Thuram, Edgar Davids and Alessandro Del Piero. Real Madrid had won the first match at home 2-1, but Juventus played a fantastic match to defeat the Spanish 3-1, and make it to an all-Italian final against AC Milan (which the Milanese won).
Since this legendary semifinal they have met six times in the Champions League: four in group matches and two knock out matches (2005 last-16, where Juventus carried the day).

There is no doubt that Real Madrid are probably the favourites to progress to the final. But do not discount a hungry Juventus side who, having already taken the Italian title, can focus entirely on this, while Real Madrid still need to concentrate on the Spanish league race. However, both teams have some injuries of central players: for Juventus Paul Pogba and Kwadwo Asamoah will both be absent. For Real Madrid Karim Benzema and Luca Modric are out. Modric will surely be missed, and he leaves a space in the defensive midfield that could be exploited by the skills of Carlos Tevez and the genius of Andrea Pirlo. In the meantime, the absolute genius of a Cristiano Ronaldo who is on fire these days, could surely upset any chance that Juventus may hope for.

No matter what, it will be a splendid match that you cannot miss if you even barely like football!!!

Legendary Moments

The UEFA Website has a pretty cool competition going right now where you have to vote for your favourite moments of the Champions League. With the (slim) chance of winning tickets to the Champions League final in Berlin, this is something I of course cannot let go. But of course, at the same time, it leads to a more personal reflection on the most memorable (and not necessarily best) moments of this fantastic tournament.
So here are ten memorable moments:
10) Lionel's Messi's one-man-show against Bayer Leverkusen in 2011
9) Bayern Munich's first half against Roma in 2014, which I watched in an airport before boarding a plane, but which is probably the best I have ever seen a team play in one half.
8) Rabah Madjer's heal goal for FC Porto in the 1987 final against Bayern Munich is a goal that is imprinted in my mind
7) Manchester United's late 2-1 victory in the 1999 final, which made me feel sorry for a Bayern Munich side that had played better throughout the match.
6) Bayern Munich's 2001 penalty victory in the final over Valencia which made me feel sorry for myself.
5) Chelsea-Liverpool's 4-4 quarterfinal in 2009.
4) The incredible final between Liverpool and AC Milan in 2005.
3) First time I was at the legendary Anfield was in December 2013, to see the great Liverpool against Basel in the Champions League. Incredible to be there, although Liverpool were not so great that day.
2) In 2000 when Valencia defeated FC Barcelona 4-1 in the semifinals of the tournament. 
1) The first Champions League match I went to was in Copenhagen in 1999 when Brøndby faced Bayern Munich in the first round. Allan Ravn gave Brøndby the victory and myself an out-of-body experience.

That said, I could think of quite a few more as I finish this list!!! The only ones I am completely sure about are the top 4.

Last time they won: Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are facing one another in what will be an exciting German invasion of Wembley! Both teams share a long national rivalry and play high quality attacking football so the final has all elements to become an epic clash. Furthermore, both teams have already won the Champions League before, and I vividly remember both finals where they won. In 1997 I was in university, and we were in the process of finalizing a heavy group assignment at a group member's place north of Copenhagen. We took the evening off to watch the final between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus. The final was played, of all places, in Munich, and the Italians, with a young superstar called Zinedine Zidane, were probably weak favourites after having eliminated Manchester United. But Dormund, with Ottmar Hitzfeld as coach, started attacking. Karl-Heinz Riedle scored two goals in the first half. In the second half Alessandro Del Piero scored one for Juventus but the young Lars Ricken sealed the victory for Dortmund with a goal 20 seconds after coming on as a substitute. Four years later was the last time Bayern Munich won the Champions League (but they have been in two finals since). I watched the final with my compadre Soren (whom I had also watched the 1997 final with) in a bar in downtown Copenhagen. The Germans were facing my dear Valencia, who started best, went 1-0 up, but ended up losing by penalties and breaking my heart. Incidentally, on the next day I travelled to Valencia but did not talk about football. One thing of the final in 2001 should be noted: the coach of Bayern Munich was Ottmar Hitzfeld! Same manager who four years before had led Dormund to the title. All these years after I will be watching this final in Caracas, Venezuela (who would have thought back then?), and one of these sides will be celebrating as they did many years ago!

Greatest World Cup matches: USA-England (1950)

England, the home of football, had refused to participate in the first World Cups of the 1930s due to disagreements on their qualification as part of the British championship (where they competed against Scotland, Wales and Ireland) as well as some arrogance that England was the “King of football” anyway.
So there were big expectations as England went to their first World Cup with a team that was undoubtedly one of the best of the world at the time, and entered the tournament as one of the favourites to take the title. Their team counted many stars of the top English clubs, as well as the notable Stanley Matthews, who was considered the best player in the world at the time.
England started the tournament by defeating Chile 2-0, and confident ahead of the game against the US, the team selector (who was oddly not the same as the coach, Arthur Winterbottom), Arthur Drewry, decided not to select Stanley Matthews for the match in Belo Horizonte. Still, the English team was awesome, with players such as such as Roy Bentley, Stanley Mortensen, Billy Wright, Alf Ramsey and Tom Finney.
The US was a completely unknown side, composed wholly of amateurs and part-time players, three of them who didn’t even have US citizenship (the US rules at the times allowed this). The game of soccer had no interest in the US, and only one US journalist was present at Belo Horizonte for a match whose result everyone took for granted. Harry Keogh, a surviving players from the US 1950 side has said how they were just expecting to fight to limit their defeat: "We would have been happy with a 2-0 loss. In our wildest dreams we didn't think we'd ever win. We just thought, `Well do the best we can and hope for a good result'."
This was in line with the first match that the US had played against Spain, who although not as strong as England, had many difficulties in defeating the US side by 3-1, being held at 0-1 until ten minutes before the end of the match.
Still, aboslutely nobody thought that the US stood a chance as the two teams ran on the pitch in Belo Horizonte, where 10,000 Brazilians were there mainly to see the English stars, who had taken a day off before the match.
England started like they had to by attacking the US mercilessly. Within half and hour minutes they many clear shots on goal, with two of them hitting the post and one the crossbar, but unable to convert against the outstanding US goalkeeper, Frank Borghi, an ex-baseball player who had excellent reflexes and strong arms, but avoided kicking the ball.
The Americans were nevertheless fighting hard, but unable to get on the offense, when suddenly in the 38th minute of the match, the US spectacularly scored on one of their first chances: Walter Bahr made a long cross from the right into the far post in the English area. The English goalkeeper Bert Williams jumped for the ball, but Joe Gaetjens came across and deflected the ball into the English goal to give the US a surprising lead.
The Brazilian spectators, supporting the American underedogs, exploded in support of the Americans, who seemed to have renewed strength and faith in their abilities as they entered the second half. They even managed to create a few more chances on counter-attacks as the English attacked more.
In the last ten minutes of the match England had a great chance as Stanley Mortensen was brought down by Charlie Colombo at the edge of the penalty area. On the following free-kick Frank Borghi made a spectacular save on a header by Jimmy Mullen who was sure the ball would be going in.
As the game ended, the Brazilian spectactors ran unto the pitch to carry the vioctorious Americans as the English watched incredulously on at their defeat. Some English newspapers who received the result by telegraph believed that the result of 0-1 was a typing error, and instead publicized the result of 10-1 for England, which before the match would perhaps not have been unbelievable.
A humbled English side subsequently lost their last match to Spain, and were out of their first World Cup.
The heroes of the US travelled home to their normal jobs to a country that in 1950 barely noticed the prowess. In later years, as the sport has grown in the US, many of the players have been homaged, and even a book, “The Game of their Lives”, by Geoffrey Douglas, was also made into a film in 2005. There have been many upsets in World Cup history, but this is surely the biggest. Its immensity may not be properly understood by many today, but is similar to the Andorra defeating Spain in a World Cup match. It is a one in a million event, and it happened in 1950.

Matchs Stats:

• 29th June, 1950, Estádio Independência, Belo Horizonte
• Attendance: 10,000
• Referee: Datilo (Italy)

USA-England 1-0
Goals: Gaetjaens (38)

Teams:
USA: Borghi; Keough, Maca, Bahr, McIlvenny, Wallace, Colombo, Pariani, Gaetjaens, J. Souza, E. Souza

England: Williams; Ramsey, Aston, Wright, Hughes, Dickinson, Finney, Mullen, Mannion, Bentley, Mortensen

99 matches

This is my very personal list of 99 matches I can come up with, which I remember I have watched, remember the results, and the circumstances that I have watched it in. It is not necessarily in prioritised order; I have just listed them as I come up with them!
1) Denmark-Germany, 1992: I think every Dane remembers this match, the 1992 Euro final, where Denmark sensationally defeated the German world champions by 2-0 to kick-start the greatest party ever in Denmark. I watched the game in Ikast, where I was with family, before heading to Spain.
2) Argentina-West Germany, 1986: This was the world cup where I started following football, so many memories are from then. I had just been living in Argentina, and I was an eager follower of Argentina (and have remained so), and was more than happy to see them win 3-2.
3) Argentina-England, 1986: The legendary quarterfinal also meant a lot to me, who had been living in Argentina until then. And of course, who can forget Maradona's two moments in this match which ended 2-1 to Argentina?
4) Netherlands-Denmark, 1992: One of the most dramatic matches I feel I have watched, where a hard-fighting and brave Danish side defeated the Dutch super team of Gullit & Co. by penalty kicks after a 2-2 drama of blood, sweat and tears. In fact, I watched the game in Sweden, although not in the stadium where it took place.
5) Brøndby-Bayern Munich, 1998: I was in Parken when Brøndby made their Champions League debut against mighty Bayern Munich, and sensationally won 2-1 on Allan Ravn's incredible late goal. Brøndby lost the rest of their matches, and Bayern Munich didn't lose any more until the final against Manchester United!
6) Denmark-Uruguay, 1986: The Danish side in 1986 was amazing, and their 6-1 defeat of Uruguay was their most spectacular match. I remember being delighted at watching the match at my grandparents house in Denmark.
7) France-Brazil, 1986: I also watched this match at my grandparents. What was most impressive was the quality and level of these two teams that were surely two of the most talented of their generation. France won the game of penalties after 1-1.
8) Colombia-West Germany, 1990: I have Colombian background, and thus have a natural sympathy for the country, although they have never done really well. In 1990 they qualified for the World Cup, and in their last match in the first round they needed not to lose against West Germany to continue to the last-16. Colombia played a marvelous game, but Germany went ahead by Pierre Littbarski, until Freddy Rincon equalized in the dying minutes. I was at my parents place in Spain, and jumped up and down on the couch!
9) Brazil-Argentina, 1990: Argentina was not very good this year, and as a fanatic Argentina fan I was very nervous about them playing Brazil in the second round of the World Cup. Brazil was far the better team, but Argenina won 1-0 on a goal by Claudio Canniggia after a great play by Maradona. I jumped up in happiness at my grandparents place, where I watched the match.
10) Brøndby-IFK Göteborg, 1987: This is the first match I remember where I started becoming a Brøndby fan. It was the UEFA Cup, and IFK was one of the best teams in Europe, so this match was dubbed the battle for Scandinavia. Brøndby won 2-1 on goals I vividly remember by Claus Nielsen and Bent Christensen.
11) Valencia-FC Barcelona, 2000: This was an all-Spanish semifinal of the Champions League. I was in Castellón, north of Valencia, and watched the game in a local bar with a friend who was an avid Barcelona fan. I had a hard time hiding my delight though, since Valencia crushed Barcelona 4-1 and made it to the CL final!
12) Valencia-Bayern Munich, 2001: This was a devastating match for me. After losing the CL final the previous year, Valencia made it to the final again. I was in Copenhagen, but was travelling to Valencia on the following game, and watched the game on a big screen with my Valencia shirt. When Valencia went ahead, I was full of hope; when they lost on penalty kicks, I realized that God doesn't watch football!
13) Liverpool-AC Milan, 2005: Whoever doesn't remember this amazing CL final? 0-3 down, Liverpool managed to equalize and win on penalty kicks, of the most amazing final of recent times! I watched the match alone in a hotel room in Wa, northern Ghana, where I was working. I missed the penalty kicks, as connection suddenly disappeared, and I almost destroyed the TV in desperation!
14) Ghana-Czech Republic, 2006: I was on a beach in western Ghana for this match. We had to set up an extra generator for the match, who everybody was eager to watch! When Ghana won, a huge celebration ensued, and it was indeed very special to be watching this game in Ghana!
15) Ghana-USA, 2006: Not long after the previous game I was in Accra, and watched the match with friends in a local bar in Osu. The atmosphere was amazing in the entire city as Ghana won 2-1 and qualified to play Brazil in the last-16 of their first World Cup participation ever!
16) Borussia Dortmund-Juventus, 1997: I was writing a big university assignment with some other students and we agreed to stop work in the evening to watch this Champions League final, where the German side surprised by defeating the Italian favourites. Besides me winning 250 Danish Crowns in a bet, I remember Lars Ricken's late 3-1 goal for Dortmund.
17) Real Madrid-Valencia, 2000: A sad day, I could hardly speak to anyone at the university I was attending in Spain the day after Valencia had lost the final 3-0 to the arch-rivals of Real Madrid. Like all Valencia fans, I had been set for a massive party, just to be disappointed, and I actually stopped watching and went home and to bed after Real Madrid scored its third goal.
18) Real Madrid-Barcelona, 2009: I believe Barcelona in the 2008-2009 season is one of the best sides I have ever seen, and their superiority was cemented in the away match against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga, where Barcelona trashed the Merengues 6-2!
19) Chelsea-Liverpool, 2009: This quarterfinal in the Champions League was one of the most spectacular matches of the tournament ever! I went crazy while watching it at my parents place in Denmark, as goals seemed to be pouring down in this incredible and dramatic match which ended 4-4, and put Chelsea in the semifinal.
20) FC København-Brøndby, 2002: This is the modern classic in Danish football, and in the spring 2002 I went to watch this match in Parken in Copenhagen. Copenhagen had to win to get the title, and went ahead 1-0. In the last minute of the match, Mads Jørgensen equalized for Brøndby, who became Danish champions, and I was shouting in happiness with all other Brøndby fans!
21) Valencia-Manchester United, 2000: This is the best of the most boring matches I have ever seen. I was in the stadium, Mestalla, for the match, were a tie would see both teams go through in the Champions League instead of Fiorentina. The match ended 0-0, and fans from both teams celebrated it like a victory!
22) Spain-Yugoslavia, 2000: My experience with the Spanish national team was generally one of disappointment from Spanish fans, who preferred to support their clubs after so many disappointments of the national team. I watched this match in Spain with a bunch of Spanish friends (and one Yugoslav!), and it was the first time I saw Spanish friends celebrate, when Spain won an incredible match by 4-3.
23) Manchester United-Bayern Munich, 1999: A legendary final where Bayern was the better team, and were winning 1-0 until the last minute where Manchester United scored two goals for a spectacular victory. I watched the game in my room at the student residence where I was living, and didn't particularly support either side, although most Danes were surely with Manchester, whose captain was Peter Schmeichel.
24) Valencia-Olympique Marseille, 2004: I watched this match in my apartment in Copenhagen, thinking of the celebration they might be having in Valencia. Of course, I was delighted to finally see Valencia take a European triumph by defeating the southern French by 2-0 in the UEFA Cup final. In the same weeks Valencia also took the Spanish title, so it was the perfect time to be a Valencia fan!
25) Italy-Denmark, 1999: I was living at a student residence in Denmark, and watching this Euro 2000 qualifier with everyone in the common room. When Denmark went down I left in anger to watch the match alone in my room, where I was nevertheless witness to the best comeback a Danish team has ever done: Denmark won 3-2!
26) Portugal-Denmark, 2008: Another great match by a Danish side where Denmark won a world cup qualifier against all odds and a superior team. Down 1-2 the Danes scored two goals in the dying minutes of the match to take the important 2-3 away victory!
27) Spain-Germany, 2008: Finally Spain won something! They had a great team and played excellent as they defeated Germany 1-0 in the final of Euro 2008. I watched the game in a small restaurant in Borgarness, Iceland, with some friends during a roadtrip from Denmark to Iceland. Earlier in the day, we had been rafting on an icy-river, and only the Germans fell into the water.
28) Turkey-Germany, 2008: The Turkish side was incredible in the Euro 2008, and in the semifinal against Germany also played a spectacular match that Germany won 3-2. I watched this drama in the bar-lounge of a large cruise-ship from the Faroe Islands to Iceland. There were many Germans on the ship, but not much of an atmosphere.
29) Argentina-England, 1998: Another of the classic matches between these two arch-rivals in the last-16 of the 1998 World Cup. An amazing goal by a young Michael Owen, a red card to David Beckham, and a 2-2 match that Argentina to my delight won on penalty kicks. I watched the match at my parents house in Denmark, and was carried away by the drama.
30) England-Germany, 1996: The Euro 1996 semifinal in Wembley was another classic between Germany and England. I was with some friends biking around the Danish island of Bornholm, but we found a local pub to watch the match. There were many Germans in there, but all Danes supported England. However, the Germans were the happiest, as they won the dramatic match on penalty kicks.
31) Brøndby-Ikast, 1989: My father took me to watch this Danish Cup final in "Idrætsparken" in Copenhagen. It was an incredible match on a beautiful game which ended 3-3, with Brøndby winning 6-3 after extra time. The Brøndby team was full of players that would eventually become international stars: Peter Schmeichel, Brian Laudrup, Kim Vilfort, John "Faxe" Jensen, Lars Olsen, Bent Christensen...
32) Denmark-Brazil, 1989: It was the 100th anniversary of DBU, so they prepared a friendly tournament in Copenhagen between Denmark, Sweden and Brazil. Although it was a Brazilian side with many reserves, Denmark won 4-0. Perhaps the game is most remembered for Michael Laudrup scoring with the head!
33) USSR-Netherlands, 1988: The Euro 1988 final saw the mighty Dutch win 2-0 an excellent victory against a strong USSR side (and this was the last time they participated as USSR in an international tournament), where Marco Van Basten's incredible goal from a very narrow angle stands out as the best moment.
34) Bolivia-Germany, 1994: This was the opening match of the 1994 World Cup. Germany won 1-0 on a Klinsmann goal. It was the day I graduated from Gymnasiet, and we were doing the horse-tour to everyone's home in and around Copenhagen.
35) Argentina-Romania, 1994: I was in Colombia, and watched this match with a cousin. I was of course supporting Argentina, which was not very popular in Colombia. It was a great match, although I was not too happy about the result; Romania won 3-2 and Argentina was eliminated from the World Cup.
36) Argentina-Cameroun, 1990: Another of those sad matches that I would rather forget. I was living in Spain, and had been looking forward to the World Cup, only to see my favourite Argentina sensationally lose the opening match to Cameroon. Although I thought that Cameroon didn't play well, this match spelled the entry of strong African teams into world cup football (although Morocco, Algeria and Cameroon itself had all had fine performances in 1986 and 1982).
37) Chelsea-Manchester United, 2008: A very dramatic but not too beautiful Champions League final in Moscow that had blood, sweat and tears. It ended 1-1, and Manchester United won the super-dramatic penalty kicks, where John Terry's miss must be one of the most famous misses of all time.
38) AC Milan-Liverpool, 2007: Hoping for a repeat of the spectacular 2005 final, this was a rather disappointing final that AC Milan won 2-1. I watched the match in a classroom at the Training Center for Development Cooperation (TCDC) in Arusha, Tanzania, where I was attending a training at the time.
39) Argentina-Netherlands, 1998: We were painting the kitchen in the student residence, but took a break to watch this World Cup quarterfinal. I was very disappointed that Argentina lost an otherwise excellent match, where Denis Bergkamp's winning goal for the Dutch nevertheless still stands out as one of the best goals in World Cup history.
40) Denmark-England, 2002: This was the last-16 of the 2002 World Cup and Denmark was hoping to outplay the English. With many friends I went to the national stadium, Parken, to watch the match on a huge screen, almost as being there! It was a disappointment though: Denmark lost 3-0 and was out of the World Cup.
41) Denmark-Sweden, 2004: Last match of the first round in the Euro 2004. The only result that would get both teams through ahead of Italy was 2-2 - and that is what it ended! In spite of the Italians complaining about foul play, it is doubtful, as both teams went for the victory, but when the score was 2-2 just five minutes before the end, neither team understandably risked anything.
42) Valencia-Arsenal, 2003: Valencia had to win against Arsenal to continue in the Champions League, and managed to get a 2-1 victory that put Arsenal out. I watched the match in a bar in Accra, Ghana, in my Valencia shirt. What made the victory better was that an Arsenal supporter had been very obnoxious and unpleasant during the entire match, only for me to taste the sweet victory!
43) Spain-Denmark, 1993: Denmark could not lose, or would not qualify to the 1994 World Cup, while Spain had to win to qualify. In spite of everything going Denmark's way, Spain won 1-0 on a goal by Fernando Hierro. It was devastating, and at my Danish High school where I watched it on a large screen, many bottles were broken in anger at this result.
44) Argentina-Denmark, 1993: My two favourite national teams played this match in Buenos Aires between the South American and European champions. I watched it in my Danish boarding school, and supported Argentina, as I could not let go of Maradona! The match ended 1-1, and Argentina won on penalty kicks.
45) Lyngby-Silkeborg, 1993: Having lived in Silkeborg, I had an appreciation for the team, and while studying in Birkerød, I would go to Lyngby games. So I went to this Danish league game which ended 2-2 on a cold day. Silkeborg eventually won their only Danish league title that season.
46) Lyngby-Brøndby, 1999: This was the last match of the season in the Danish league, and I went to watch it with some friends. It was also a match that had international observers due to a curious mathematical invention which had resulted in Lyngby actually having to lose in order to qualify for a tournament the following year. The international observers were there to find that there was no foul play as Brøndby won 5-2, and every single fan was delighted!
47) Brazil-Denmark, 1998: After defeating Nigeria, Denmark was to play mighty Brazil in the quarterfinal of the World Cup, and gave the Brazilians a tough fight in an outstanding match, only losing 3-2. I watched the game with thousands of other fans in the Central Square in Copenhagen, where the atmosphere was electric when Denmark went ahead 1-0 by Martin Jørgensen in the early minutes of the match!
48) Denmark-Nigeria 1998: Nigeria had been the revelation of this world cup, and were behaving somewhat arrogantly before facing a Danish side that had been quite poor in the first round. However, the Danes destroyed Nigeria 4-1 in a marvelous match where Ebbe Sand's goal on a pass by Michael Laudrup stands out. I watched the match at my parents place in Denmark.
49) Brøndby-Barcelona, 1998: I went to watch this Champions League which Barcelona won 2-0 without problems. Nevertheless, the match is perhaps most remembered by Pep Guardiola's red card, as he attacked John Jensen, who five years before had viciously slaughtered Guardiola in a match that had left Guardiola out of football for a long time.
50) Barcelona-Manchester United, 2009: The outstanding Barcelona team played around with Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final which I watched at a friend's house in Copenhagen over beers and bets. Barcelona won 2-0, and little Lionel Messi scored on a header!
51) Spain-Ukraine, 2006: I was on a roadtrip through Ghana with some friends, and this was a particularly difficult day, where leaving Mole National Park early in the morning, we drove through a thunderstorm. We made it to Sunyani in the afternoon to watch this match in a local hotel over lunch. Spain played excellently and won 4-0!
52) France-Italy, 2000: I watched this Euro 2000 final at some friend's house in Barcelona. I was totally supporting the French, and was delighted when Wiltord equalized for France in the last minute, and France winning after extra time!
53) Roma-Real Madrid, 2001: September 11th 2001 is perhaps mostly remembered for a more important and tragic event. I was at a friend's house in Copenhagen watching this Champions League match which Real Madrid won 1-2 (an important away victory!), while we would switch over to watch CNN in half-time.
54) Galatasary-Arsenal, 2000: I was studying in Spain while this UEFA Cup final was being played in Copenhagen, which I was sad to see suffering the ravaging of hooliganism before the match. I watched the game in a local bar in Benicassim with an Irish professor, and saw Galatasaray deservedly win after penalty kicks.
55) Italy-France, 2006: I watched this 2006 World Cup final in my favourite spot in Accra, Duncans, where it rained like crazy as the game ended 1-1, Zinedine Zidane was red carded, and Italy won on penalty kicks.
56) Manchester United-Villarreal, 2005: I watched most of this Champions League match on the waiting room of a clinic in Accra, where I was waiting to be tested for malaria. The test came out positive, while the match ended 0-0.
57) Liverpool-Juventus, 2005: I went to the Sports bar Champs in Accra to watch this match after a long day at work. Liverpool won 2-1, made it to the Champions League semifinal, and I relaxed with football and beer.
58) Norway-Brazil, 1998: I watched this game at my student resident in Denmark, and I was incredibly annoyed that cynical little Norway could defeat mighty Brazil, and I promised I would never watch football again (it lasted about a day...).
59) Spain-Poland, 1991: Spain's and Poland's Olympic teams played this friendly match in the town of Ronda, which I went to watch with many friends. It ended 1-1, was a horrible match, and nobody could imagine that these team would go to the Olympic final in 1992.
60) Spain-Poland 1992: The Olympic 1992 final, which Spain won 3-2, and which I watched on TV in Ronda, where I had seen these two teams play barely a year before.
61) Czech Republic-Denmark, 2004: The Czechs were amazing and destroyed Denmark 0-3 in a Euro 2004 quarterfinal that was a huge disappointment for Denmark. I watched the match in a pub in Copenhagen, but besides a lot of beers, not much to remember.
62) Spain-Denmark, 1986: A match that I am sure most Danes would rather forget. I stopped watching at 2-1, and left crying... The spectacular Danish side was humiliated by Emilio Butragueño, who with four goals, cementer Spain's 5-1 victory in the World Cup's last-16.
63) USSR-Belgium 1986: I think this is the first match I remember for scandalous refereeing and the realization that justice and football refereeing are very vague concepts. It was the last-16 of the 1986 World Cup and a splendid USSR side was playing a Belgium-Anderlecht side. Belgium won 4-3, and three of the Belgian goals were patently off-side.
64) Ikast-AGF, 1986: The only reason I remember this match is because it was the first I ever went to. AGF won 0-1, and won the Danish league that year. I managed to get an autograph from the goalie Troels Rasmussen.
65) Ikast-Groningen, 1989: The first time I went to an international match was this UEFA Cup match in Ikast, which Dutch Groningen won 2-1.
66) FC Porto-Monaco, 2004: I think what most people remember from this Champions League final is the surprise that these two teams were the ones who made it to the final. FC Porto under José Mourinho was the far better team and was outstanding in the 3-0 victory which I watched in a pub in Copenhagen.
67) West Ham-Liverpool 2006: I had been on a night plane from Accra to Nairobi, and after lunch with a friend in the Kenyan capital, I returned to my hotel very tired, switched on the TV, where this FA Cup final was starting. In spite of being tired, I was unable to sleep during this splendid final, which ended 3-3 and Liverpool won on penalty kicks.
68) Brøndby-Manchester United, 1998: One of Brøndby's CL matches that I went to watch in Parken. After defeating Bayern Munich, Brøndby fans like myself were full of hope, but there was nothing to do against Manchester United, who won 6-2.
69) Czech Republic-Germany, 1996: The 1996 Euro final is remembered for the surprising Czechs, whom I would have loved to win, and the fighting Germans, who deservedly won on one of the only "Golden Goals" in football history.
70) Portugal-England, 2000: I watched this splendid match of Euro 2000 with a group of international friends in Castellón Spain, which included both English and Portuguese. Food, wine and fun made the atmosphere great! It was also a great match, which Portugal won 3-2, and I particularly remember a splendid goal by Luis Figo.
71) Brazil-France, 2006: Nobody expected the ageing French team to do well against Brazil, but they won a well-deserved 1-0 victory. I watched the match with a French friend in the pub Champs, in Accra, Ghana. A particular funny incident was when a French lady on another table got somewhat annoyed with me as I made a funny comment about French President Chirac: "Don't you support the French?!"
72) Liverpool-Chelsea, 2008: John Arne Riise scored a late own-goal in the CL semi-final to give Chelsea a good position before the second leg with 1-1. I watched the match in a pub in Nampula, Mozambique, as I was starting to drive from Nampula to Mozambique.
73) Barcelona-Manchester United, 2008: I was eager to watch this CL semifinal on my drive through Mozambique, and found a hotel in Quelimane, where I was able to watch it on a small scratchy TV. It ended 0-0, and eventually Manchester United progressed to the final in Moscow.
74) Denmark-Sweden 1989: As part of the 100th anniversary of DBU, Denmark destroyed the Swedish arch-rivals with 6-0! I was just happy, although the match didn't say much of the level between Sweden and Denmark.
75) Valencia-Zaragoza, 2000: Valencia was splendid in the 1999-2000 season, and this was the last home match of the season, only a few days before they were to play the Champions League final. I was in Mestalla with 50,000 other fans, to celebrate the team, and say goodbye to "Piojo" Lopez, who was playing his last match for Valencia. Valencia won 2-1, and Piojo scored.
76) Spain-Uruguay, 1990: This World Cup match ended 1-1, although Spain played poorly. However, I remember it as I watched it with some friends in Ronda, Spain, and got into a big argument since I was certainly not supporting Spain.
77) Italy-Argentina, 1990: This was a very dramatic semi-final of the 1990 World Cup in Naples. Italy had everything going for them, including a very sympathetic referee who had some questionable calls. Still, Argentina, not playing well but fighting hard, managed 1-1, and eventually won on penalty kicks, thanks to the splendid goalkeeper Goycoechea.
78) Danmark-Hungary 1994: I was in the stadium, Parken, in Copenhagen for this friendly match which Denmark won 3-1. However, what I remember this match for was my vain attempt at getting an autograph from the legendary Ferenc Puskas, whom I had spotted among the spectators.
79) Brøndby-Widzew Lodz, 1996: Another of those matches I would rather forget, but still remember for the sad emotions I went through. It was a CL qualifier, and Brøndby had lost 1-2 way. At the home-match, they went ahead 3-0, and everything seemed perfect until the Poles scored two late goals that put them in the Champions League.
80) Silkeborg-AGF, 1996: One of the few matches I have been at in Silkeborg Stadium. The reason I remember this, and Silkeborg winning 2-1, is because I played on it before the match (to make it a bit more exciting) and won 400 Danish Crowns.
81) England-Sweden 2006: I watched this match with some Danish friends in the bar Champs, in Accra Ghana. We were the only Danes, and decided to root for Sweden, singing Pippi Langstrømpe and ABBA songs, much to the dislike of the largely pro-English audience but much to our own drunken amusement. The match ended 2-2, and is perhaps most remembered by Joe Cole's incredible goal.
82) England-Paraguay, 2006: England won 1-0 in this World Cup 2006 match that was also the first match we watched on our Ghana roadtrip, at a small spot near Akosombo.
83) Chelsea-Barcelona, 2009: Chelsea played a good and disciplined, but way too tactical match against the brilliant Barcelona team. Although the referee was very bad, it was nevertheless well-deserved when Iniesta scored a beautiful equalizer for 1-1 in the dying seconds to put Barcelona in the final against Manchester United (that they eventually won).
84) Valencia-Liverpool, 2002: I was in Accra and went to Champs in my Valencia shirt to watch this Champions League match. Before the game started, a guy in a Liverpool shirt told me that Liverpool would surely win against such Spaniards. But he was wrong: Valencia was far superior to Liverpool and was leading 3-0 at half-time on three splendid goals. The Liverpool fan left at half-time, and Valencia decided not to score any more goals.
85) Barcelona-Zaragoza, 2006: This is the only time I have been to a match in the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Barcelona won 3-1, and it was very special to see the team with Ronaldinho, Messi, Xavi, Eto'o...
86) FC København-Brøndby, 2009: A hugely disappointing match where arch-rivals FCK destroyed Brøndby 4-0. Brøndby was a huge disappointment the entire season, and this just underlined it. I stopped watching the match at 3-0.
87) Silkeborg-AaB, 1994: I had lived in Silkeborg, so it was nevertheless a bit of a special feeling for me when Silkeborg won their only Danish championship in 1994, after defeating AaB 2-0. I watched the match on TV in my boarding school in Birkerød, and I must admit that I celebrated when Heine Fernandez scored the second for SIF.
88) Real Madrid-Juventus, 1998: Real Madrid won the 1998 Champions League final 1-0 on a goal by former Valencia player Pedrag Mijatovic. I watched the match in my student residence.
89) Denmark-Spain, 1988: Both Denmark and Spain were poor in Euro 1988, but gave each other an interesting match which Spain won 3-2. Michael Laudrup's goal gave hopes that Denmark might pull a good result against the Spaniards.
90) Denmark-Wales, 1987: The Danish team had decayed after the 1986 debacle, and was having some difficulty qualifying for Euro 1988. It came down to this last match against Wales, which Denmark won 1-0 and barely qualified. I believe this was Preben Elkjær's last goal on the national team.
91) Hearts of Oak-Asante Kotoko, 2005: I went to watch this first leg of the African Confederations Cup between the two Ghanaian teams on a boiling hot day in Accra. It ended 1-1 and the Accra side Hearts of Oak eventually won the tournament.
92) AC Milan-Barcelona, 1994: A spectacular AC Milan side defeated a poor and tired Barcelona side 4-0 in the least dramatic Champions League final ever. I watched the match in boarding school in Birkerød, and vividly remember Savicevic's goal where he lifted the ball over Zubizarreta from a distance.
93) Chelsea-Manchester United, 2007: I watched this boring and disappointing FA Cup final in a small bar in Arusha, Tanzania, after I had been walking around in the heat trying to find a place to watch the match. Chelsea won on a Didier Drogba goal in extra time.
94) Ghana-Italy, 2006: This was also part of our Ghana-roadtrip, and on this day we had driven from the Volta region to Mole National Park, where we watched Ghana's first World Cup match ever. It was somewhat disappointing, as Ghana lost 2-0 to the later world champions in spite of not playing that bad.
95) Turkey-Croatia, 2008: These two teams have always been entertaining and this Euro 2008 quarterfinal was no exception. After a long match, Croatia went ahead 1-0 in the last minute of extra time, but then Turkey equalized in the dying seconds, only to win on penalty kicks. I watched the dramatic match with some friends in a half-empty pub in Viborg, Denmark, over many beers.
96) Denmark-Croatia, 1996: Croatia's excellent team's rise to fame came in the Euro 1996, where they thoroughly defeated the defending champions of Denmark by 3-0. Of course, as a Dane it was disappointing, but I was charmed by the Croats whom I have since always had certain sympathy for.
97) Ghana-Nigeria, 2003: The only time I went to watch a national match in Ghana was this friendly match between Ghana and Nigeria. It wasn't a good match, and I am not even sure I remember what the match ended (I think it was 1-1). But the most memorable thing was that they had forgotten to play the national anthems at the start of the match, so instead played them in half-time.
98) FC Porto-Bayern Munich, 1987: An excellent European Champions Cup final which FC Porto surprisingly won 2-1 (never underestimate Porto!), and I particularly remember Madjer's goal with the heel!
99) AC Milan-Juventus 2003: I watched this game in a pub in Copenhagen, and a few days later re-watched it on video as I was working as "shotter" for Viasat Sport, the TV channel. It was not a great match, and I would probably have forgotten it had it not been for this. Predictably, the match had ended 0-0, and AC Milan won after penalty kicks.