ON THIS DAY - 1954: Wunder von Bern

FOOTBALL - It was 4 July 1954. West Germany played against Hungary for the FIFA World Cup Final. Although he was not fully fit in time, Ferenc Puskás was back in the Hungarian lineup for the final match. In the 6th minute Ferenc Puskás scored the 0-1 for Hungary. One minute later Zoltán Czibor scored the 0-2. Exactly 11 minutes after the 0-2 it was 2-2 with goals of Max Morlock and Helmut Rahn. Six minutes from the end Helmut Rahn scored his second goal of the game. West Germany had beaten the mighty Magyars and won the 1954 World Cup.

ON THIS DAY - 1998: Owen wonder goal (and a red card)

FOOTBALL - The Last 16 match between England and Argentina at the 1998 FIFA World Cup was full of drama. A fabulous run and ditto finish by the 18-year-old Michael Owen sent English hearts soaring, only to be dampened by a quite astonishing red card challenge by David Beckham. Argentina won the tense affair after a penalty shootout.

ON THIS DAY - 1992: Denmark win Euro 1992

FOOTBALL - Denmark’s overall triumph at Euro 1992 may have ranked as one of the genuine upsets in major football competitions open to national teams. The Danish Dynamite had not even qualified for the final tournament in neighbouring Sweden, however replaced Yugoslavia, which was caught up in a civil war. The Danes only barely scraped through the group, then stunned titleholders Holland in a penalty shootout. They carried their momentum into the final, in which they coasted to a 2-0 victory against Germany.

ON THIS DAY - 1988: Van Basten wonder goal in Euro 88

FOOTBALL - Precisely 24 years ago, the final accolade to Holland’s Euro 1988 campaign was provided by Marco van Basten, who scored a magical goal to raise his tournament leading total to five. It has become one of the most memorable goals in the history of the competition.

ON THIS DAY - 2010: End of the match Isner - Mahut

TENNIS - The legendary battle between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon 2010 is to date the longest tennis match ever played. The match lasted a total of 11 hours and five minutes, and set multiple records. The match began on 22 June 2010 at 6:13 pm British Summer Time, and was only settled on 24 June 2010 at 4:48 pm. Inbetween, the match was interrupted several times. Eventually, John Isner won the match in 183 games. The final score was 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3) and 70-68.

ON THIS DAY - 1986: The Hand Of God: Diego Maradona

FOOTBALL - One of the most famous moments in football history came  in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, in a match between England and Argentina, which was played on 22 June 1986 in Mexico City. Chasing a loose ball, the diminutive Diego Maradona somehow leapt over England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The referee thought that Maradona had used his head and declared the goal valid. Argentina won 2-1. In the ensuing press conference, Maradona famously claimed that it was ‘partly his head and partly the hand of God’.

ON THIS DAY - 1976: The Antonin Panenka Penalty

FOOTBALL - It is quite rare to have a part of the game named after you, but such is the case with Czechoslovakia’s Antonin Panenka, whose penalty kick in the final of the European Championship in 1976 (36 years ago to the day) has reached legendary status. Leading 4-3, it was Panenka’s chance to decide it. The outcome was unexpected. In the next few days, you can read much more about penalties at this website.

ON THIS DAY - 1993: ‘Ball Of The Century’

CRICKET - It is Day Two of the First Test of the 1993 Ashes Series. The venue: Old Trafford, Manchester. The batsman: England’s Mike Gatting. The bowler: Australia’s Shane Warne. The outcome: something that is referred to as “The Ball Of The Century” or simpler even “That Ball”. Today, 19 years ago.

ON THIS DAY - 1999: United’s lightning strikes twice

FOOTBALL - 13 years ago, the 1998/1999 UEFA Champions League final in Camp Nou offered one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the competition. With Bayern Munich leading Manchester United 1-0 at full-time, United substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær each scored in the first minute of extra time to complete the most thrilling of comebacks.

ON THIS DAY - 2005: Liverpool’s crazy comeback

FOOTBALL - On this day, seven years ago, the 2004/2005 UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul became one of the most surreal contests in the history of the competition. AC Milan played Liverpool. At the half, AC Milan had a 3-0 lead. However, in a six-minute span from the 54th minute to the 60th minute Liverpool netted three times, making it 3-3. Liverpool won the trophy after winning the penalty shootout by 3-2.

ON THIS DAY - 2011: Weylandt tragically killed in Giro

CYCLING - Precisely one year ago, Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt tragically lost his life in the third stage of the 2011 Giro d’Italia, crashing to his death in the descent of the Passo del Bocco. Weylandt was only 26 years old. The dossard 108 he wore shall never been worn again in the Giro, which in its history mourned three other fatalities. This is a tribute to him.

ON THIS DAY - 1986: Ducadam’s penalty heroics

FOOTBALL - The 1985/1986 Champions Cup final took place in Seville and pitted local favourites FC Barcelona and Steaua Bucuresti of Romania. A full 120 minutes of football proved indecisive and in the penalty shootout that unfolded, Helmuth Ducadam emerged the hero, turning in one of the most remarkable performances ever by a goalkeeper. This transpired precisely 26 years ago.

ON THIS DAY - 1954: Four minute mile by Roger Bannister

ATHLETICS - One of those milestone moments in sports history occurred on 6 May 1954 at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. 3,000 spectators were on hand. Winds up to 25 miles per hour (40km/h) made conditions treacherous. Bannister’s time was 3 minutes 59.4, which was amazing because nobody had ever dipped under the four minute mark. 46 days later Bannister’s record was broken by his rival Landy with a time of 3 min 57.9. The legacy, however, remains.

ON THIS DAY - 1994: Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash at Imola

FORMULA ONE - Ayrton Senna was born 21 March, 1960. When he was 14 years old he began his motorsport career in karting. He made his Formula One debut in 1984. He  won the World Championship in 1988, 1990, 1991 and he recorded 41 Grand Prix victories. His 1994 season got off to a disappointing start, leaving him yearning for rehabilitation. The third race was coming and he started in pole position. In lap 7 it all went wrong as he flew out of curve. He died in that race at San Marino on 1 May 1994. 

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ON THIS DAY - 1997: O’Sullivan rattles in fastest maximum

SNOOKER - Oh, how fitting that the 2012 World Snooker Championship should start precisely 15 years after Ronnie O’Sullivan showed us all how the game should be played. He shoots a 147 maximum in 5 minutes and 20 seconds (averaging 8.8 seconds per shot), only two seconds shorter than it took Dave Brubeck’s jazz ensemble to produce the classic ‘Take Five’.