Andreas “Andi” Brehme wasn’t supposed to be the hero of the 1990 World Cup final. Striker Rudi Voller was down to take penalties, but didn’t want to when the time came because he had been the man brought down in the box; in the eyes of referee Edgardo Codesal, at least. German football superstition had … Read more
In Argentina’s most iconic footballing arena, in front of 50,000 frenzied Argentinians, a historic night was orchestrated by an Argentine man. For Uruguay. South America’s second-smallest country is sandwiched right between its two biggest, but in consecutive games, they have beaten them both. A 2-0 win at La Bombonera was Uruguay’s first over Argentina in … Read more
Graham Arnold, manager of Australia, is smiling as he scrolls back to last December, to the World Cup in Qatar and to facing Argentina in the last 16, Lionel Messi and all. “Mind games,” Arnold says of Messi, “mind games.” Arnold laughs as he explains. “Messi, he scored the first goal and that was their … Read more