5 iconic incidents in this week of football history - November (17-23)

Infuriated Barcelona fans burn Luis Figo’s posterFootballing incidents good or bad, are something that remains attached to our memories for a lifetime. The joyous performances of a player, the fights, the mistakes or an act of kindness, all of them are chapters to this story of the beautiful game.And, coincidence is another thing that works frequently in the world of football. From some heroic individual outings to shameful acts of fans, we take a look at five uch unforgettable incidents in footballing history that occurred this week.

#1 A dramatic day in International football - November 17, 1993

Perhaps this was the most dramatic day in International footballing history as it involved several nations fighting to book their tickets to USA for the 1994 World Cup finals.

Portugal, Switzerland and Italy battled for the two final spots and Italy managed to edge past Portugal after a 1-0 victory. Meanwhile, England needed a miracle to qualify against San Marino. Seven goals were required while Poland had to beat Netherlands. Although, Poland didn’t manage to beat them, San Marino did the unthinkable and scored the fastest goal in WC qualifying history in just 8.3 seconds.

England went on to score seven but didn’t make it through to the USA. Denmark on the other hand, messed up in the last game even after being group leaders as they exited while Spain and Ireland went through.

Wales came close but couldn’t achieve their dream of playing in the World Cup finals come true while France’s David Ginola and Eric Cantona messed it up on a night that saw them go down 2-1 against a Bulgarian side.

#2 Thiery Henry turns villian in Ireland - November 18, 2009

As one of the Invincibles of Arsenal, Thiery Henry was one of the most loved footballers at the time. Even if he played for a rival club, it was difficult not to acknowledge the Frenchman’s talents as a forward. But for an Irish, that’s not the case.

In the UEFA qualifying groups for the 2010 World Cup, France won 1-0 in the first leg after Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal of the game. Four days later in Paris Ireland overturned the deficit through a first-half Robbie Keane goal and the game appeared to be heading to a shootout.

Then, Thierry Henry controlled the ball with his hand, twice. Once to stop the ball from going out of play, and then to put the ball into a good position for him to cross it.

Henry cut the ball back and William Gallas tapped in. He had cheated, perhaps by accident, but footballers often do, and it’s no big deal when the referee notices such blatant offenses.

But Swedish ref Martin Hansson nor his assistants saw the handball, the goal stood and France had qualified for the World Cup leaving a very bitter taste in the mouths of the Irish.

#3 Luis Figo welcomed with a Pig\'s head at the Camp Nou - November 23, 2002

Luis Figo was viewed as the next icon by the Camp Nou faithful after he won two consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2000 and 2001. Six seasons had already passed since Figo joined in 1995 and the Portuguese star seemed to be at home in FC Barcelona following in the footsteps of club legends like Johan Cryuff, Hristo Stoichkov and more.

But come the summer of 2000, Figo made one move that changed his image and stature in Catalonia forever. He decided to break the “no transfer” tradition between two arch rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid by signing for the whites. Thus, Figo became one of Florentino Perez’s Galacticos, leaving Catalonia as an eternal enemy.

He returned to familiar territories as an enemy of the Camp Nou in October 2000. It was one of the most hostile receptions ever and it was hard to believe that he once was a beloved Blaugrana.

But two years later, in 2002, the hatred of the Barca supporters went up further after an entire pig’s head was thrown at the Portuguese while he over to take a corner for Madrid. Since that day, Figo himself must have erased the fact that he ever played for the club.

#4 Tottenham 9-1 Wigan Athletic - November 22, 2009

On November 22, 2009, Tottenham recorded the second biggest win in the history of the Premier League as they put nine goals past an awful Wigan Athletic side. It was the second time that a team had scored nine goals in the first tier of English football only after Manchester United.

This game also boasts the record number of goals scored by both teams in one half of Premier League football (nine), and by one team in one half of Premier League football (eight, by Tottenham).

Jermaine Defoe emerged as the top scorer as he netted five times during the game.

#5 Ronaldinho gets a standing ovation at the Bernabeu - November 19, 2005

We have seen Lionel Messi enjoy so much success against Barcelona’s biggest foes Real Madrid. The Argentine is the all-time top scorer of the El Clasico which is a fixture he has often thrived in. The four-time Ballon d’or has scored a double hat-trick against Los Blancos and is widely considered as the best player of this generation.

But he hasn’t managed to do one thing yet which his smiling predecessor achieved on November 19, 2005. Win over the Bernabeu faithful.

That night is forever etched in football fans’ memories as it was arguably one of the best individual performances ever. Against a Galacticos side on the opposite end, Ronaldinho totally put on a one man show where he completely got the better of Sergio Ramos and the entire Madrid defence. Barcelona won 3-0 on the night courtesy of the Brazilian’s two goals, including a brilliant solo goal which got the Bernabeu crowd on their feet as they acknowledge the masterclass of the Catalan genius.

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Edited by Staff Editor