World Cup Countdown Quiz #5

Only 105 days to go…

1. Since 1877, referees had the right to dismiss rule-breakers from the playing field, but it was in 1909 that the rules relating to how it's done was codified. Yellow and red cards were devised later.

In which World Cup were yellow and red cards first used?

A) 1938 (France)
B) 1954 (Switzerland)
C) 1970 (Mexico)

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C) 1970. In the first game under the new procedure, four Soviets and one Mexican received yellow cards. There were no red cards issued in that year's tournament, however.

Above, England's Wayne Rooney applauds Danish referee Kim Milton Nielsen's decision to give him a yellow card during a 2005/06 Champions League game. Nielsen, encouraged by Rooney's enthusiasm, decided to show Rooney a red card as well.

2. Between June 4, 1950 and February 18, 1956, Hungary lost only one game. That loss came against West Germany in the 1954 World Cup final game in Bern, Switzerland. Hungary defeated Germany earlier in tournament. What was the final score?

A) 6:1
B) 7:2
C) 8:3

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C) 8:3. They then scored two goals within the first 8 minutes in the final, but West Germany came back to win on a soaked field 3:2 in a game Germans call Das Wunder von Bern ("The Bern Miracle"). Helmut Rahn scores the winning goal in the picture above. The Hungarians in 1953 were the first country to defeat England on English soil, defeating them 6:3 at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 people. Six months later, Hungary beat England 7:1 at home, England's worst loss ever.

3. What is the name of the Italians' famous, and feared, system of defending?

A) Calcio
B) Catenaccio
C) Difendissimo

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B) Catenaccio. The word means "door bolt" and the playing system refers to a defense working in a chain formation using another defender behind to pick up loose balls, look for unmarked attackers and redouble marking. Catenaccio should not be confused with Cicciolina, an Italian porn star/politician who has offered to sleep with Saddam Hussein in order to achieve peace in the Middle East.

4. The 2010 World Cup, the sixteenth World Cup tournament, will be held on the African continent for the first time. Who will be the hosts?

A) South Africa
B) Libya/Tunisia (co-hosts)
C) Morocco

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A) South Africa. The final vote for allowing South Africa to host was over Morocco (14-10). Libya was interested in co-hosting the tournament, but this was not going to be allowed. Tunisia withdrew once it knew it would not be allowed to co-host with Libya. Complicating matters even further, Libya stated they would not allow Israel to play there if they qualified. No word on whether Cicciolina tried to get involved here.

World Cup Countdown Quiz #4

Only 112 days to go!

1. You've got to have guts to call a penalty after only 1 minute of a World Cup final game, and against the home team, no less. But that's what England's Jack Taylor did in 1974.

What team did he call it against?

A) Holland
B) Brazil
C) West Germany

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C) West Germany. Uli Hoeness fouled Johan Cruyff of Holland. Taylor later called a penalty against Holland, which the Germans converted, and Germany later won the game through a goal by Gerd Mueller (below).

2. The first World Cup game I remember watching was the Spain 1982 semifinal between France and Germany, a classic game which featured Germany coming from two goals behind in extra time to tie the game 3:3.

The game was marred by a brutal challenge on Patrick Battiston of France during extra time which left Battiston missing a few teeth and the German goaltender, who committed the foul, completely unpunished.

The German goaltender who committed the foul was:

A) Bodo Illgner
B) Eike Immel
C) Toni Schumacher

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C) Toni Schumacher. The Germans won the game on penalty kicks but lost a lot of support.

When asked about Battiston's lost teeth, Schumacher said, "I'll pay for his dental work."

3. Still controversial after 40 years (and the subject of some scientific research) is the 3:2 goal for England against Germany in the 1966 World Cup final.

Who scored the goal?

A) Geoff Hurst
B) Bobby Moore
C) Martin Peters

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A) Geoff Hurst. This goal was the second of three for Hurst who was only appearing in his eighth game for England and was not a regular on the national team.

Bonus question. I couldn't work a picture of German model Heidi Klum in this week, but Twiggy was popular in England around the time of the 1966 World Cup.

Twiggy's real name is

A) Leslie Hornby
B) Samantha Taylor
C) Penelope Wallace

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A) Leslie Hornby

UEFA Champions League Matchday 7

UEFA Champions League 2005/06 is being covered by TSN, Telelatino (TLN), and RDS.

Champions League Matchday 7 (the first legs of the Round of 16 games) is this Tuesday and Wednesday, February 21 and 22. In Victoria, on free TV we'll get to see matches played in three countries by teams from five countries, including between two titans of European football, FC Barcelona of Spain and Chelsea FC of England.

Here's the rundown of the week ahead:

Tuesday, February 21

UEFA Champions League Weekly
Highlights, Previews, Profiles and Features
1:00 AM and 11:00 AM TSN (5)

Arsenal FC (England) vs. Real Madrid (Spain) LIVE
11:30 AM TSN (5)

Benfica (Portugal) vs. FC Liverpool (England)
9:00 PM TSN (5)

Wednesday, February 22

Chelsea FC (England) vs. FC Barcelona (Spain)
9:00 PM TSN (5)

Thursday, February 23

Werder Bremen (Germany) vs. Juventus (Italy)
12:30 AM TSN (5)

Sunday, February 26

UEFA Champions League Highlights
Matchday 4 Highlights (30 minutes)
12:00 AM Midnight TSN (5)

Round of 16 - Match kick-offs are listed in CET

	Agg.		First leg	Second leg
Bayern	-	Milan	21/02 »	08/03 »
Benfica	-	Liverpool	21/02 »	08/03 »
Real Madrid	-	Arsenal	21/02 »	08/03 »
PSV	-	Lyon	21/02 »	08/03 »
Chelsea	-	Barcelona	22/02 »	07/03 »
Rangers	-	Villarreal	22/02 »	07/03 »
Bremen	-	Juventus	22/02 »	07/03 »
Ajax	-	Internazionale	22/02 »	14/03 »

World Cup Countdown Quiz #3

Just 120 days to go.

1) Which World Cup was the first to have games broadcast on live television?

A) 1938 (Uruguay)
B) 1954 (Switzerland)
C) 1962 (Chile)

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B) 1954. Germany won the World Cup in Bern, Switzerland over the Mighty Magyars of Hungary. At the time, there were 50,000 TVs in Germany--it was the days of gathering in the street to watch the games.

2) When the World Cup was conceived, FIFA's plan was to have 16 teams participate in the final tournament. This wasn’t easy, but it was finally achieved in 1954. Starting in 1982, 24 teams started participating in the final tournament.

How many teams are taking part in the final tournament in Germany this year?

A) 24
B) 32
C) 36

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B) 32. Here Heidi Klum determines the fate of Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup draw in beautiful Leipzig.

3) Many people regard Lev Yashin as the greatest World Cup goaltender of all time, even though his teams were not able to win the tournament. Who did Yashin play for?

A) Yugoslavia
B) Hungary
C) Soviet Union

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C) Soviet Union. The trophy for the best goalkeeper at the World Cup tournament is named after him.

4) The leading scorer of the 1982 World Cup was suspended for his part in a match-fixing scandal in Italy in 1980. He had his suspension lifted just in time for the World Cup, and he led Italy to its second World Cup title.

Who was he?

A) Alessandro Altobelli
B) Giuseppe Bergomi
C) Paolo Rossi

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C) Paolo Rossi. He scored six goals in the World Cup tournament, including one against Germany in the Final.

Bonus question:

The current coach of FC Barcelona (Spain) was ejected from an Italy '90 game against Germany for spitting at Rudi Voeller. Who is this Dutch player?

A) Ruud Gullit
B) Ronald Koeman
C) Frank Rijkaard

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C) Frank Rijkaard. Voeller was also sent off at the same time. Germany defeated the then European Champions 2:1 in the Round of 16 game.