5 October 1973 - Kempes Reaches The Top

On 5 October 1973, striker Mario Kempes made his top-flight debut for Instituto de Córdoba in a 1-0 win over Newell's Old Boys. He went on to become one of Argentina's greatest players.

Nineteen years old at the time, Kempes had already spent three years with Instituto, helping them reach Argentina's Primera División for the 1973 season, the team's first time in the top flight. Kempes made thirteen appearances for them that season, scoring eleven goals, before moving in 1974 to Rosario Central, where he scored eighty-five goals in three seasons.

That performance earned him a move to Spain to play for Valencia. He was the league's leading scorer in 1977 and 1978 and won his first silverware there, winning the 1970 Copa del Rey, the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup (though he missed the first kick in the final's penalty shootout), and the 1980 UEFA Super Cup.

Despite those successes, Kempes is best known for leading Argentina to their first World Cup trophy in 1978. He was the tournament's top scorer with six goals, including two in Argentina's 3-1 win over the Netherlands in the final.

He continued to play for several teams in Argentina and Europe until he called time on his career in 1996, then spent five years in management before retiring in 2001.

25 August 2002 - Deportivo's Game Of Threes

On 25 August 2002, Deportivo de La Coruña won their third Supercopa de España, beating Valencia 4-0 over two legs. 

They had all but secured the trophy in the first leg played one week earlier at the Estadio Riazor in La Coruña. It had been a heated battle that spilled over into the stands, as Valencia keeper Santiago Canizares was struck by an object thrown from the crowd at the end of the match, which Deportivo won 3-0. 

The emotions carried into the second leg, played at Valencia's Estadio Mestalla. In only the third minute, Valencia defender Roberto Ayala was sent off for elbowing striker Roy Makaay. Down to 10 men, the hosts were unable to create much of an attack while Deportivo were content to protect their 3-goal aggregate lead. 

Tempers continued to flare and Valencia nearly had a second player sent off after left back Fabio Aurelio delivered a nasty challenge on midfielder Juan Carlos Valeron. Although the challenge could have earned a red card, the referee saw fit to issue a yellow. 

There were a few other dust-ups before Deportivo midfielder Victor Sanchez scored in the 90th minute to end the competition as a 4-0 aggregate win. It was Deportivo's third win in three tries and they are the competition's third most successful team, after Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

23 May 2001 - You Want Penalty Kicks, We Got Penalty Kicks

On 23 May 2001, Bayern Munich won their fourth European Cup/Champions League trophy, defeating Valencia on penalties before a crowd of 71,500 at the San Siro in Milan.

Just days earlier, Bayern had won their third consecutive Bundesliga title and entered the Champions League Final after knockout stage victories over Manchester United (3-1) and Real Madrid (3-1). Valencia, who had finished fifth in La Liga, defeated Arsenal (2-2, Valencia advancing on the away goal rule) and Leeds United (3-0) on their way to the Final.

Valencia drew first blood quickly, benefiting from a handball in the Bayern box to earn a penalty in the 2nd minute. Valencia's captain, midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, took the shot and scored, putting the Spanish side ahead 1-0.

Bayern then received a penalty call in the 6th minute, as Valencia's French right back Jocelyn Angloma fouled Bayern's captain, midfielder Stefan Effenberg, on the edge of the area. Midfielder Mehmet Scholl took the shot, but it was saved by Valencia keeper Santiago Cañizares. Bayern got another chance in the 49th minute, however, as Valencia left back Amadeo Carboni was flagged for a handball in the box. This time, Effenberg took the penalty and converted it.

The teams were deadlocked at 1-1 for the rest of the second half and all of extra time, forcing a decision by penalty kicks. Through the first five kicks, each team had missed two, sending it to sudden death. The match ended when Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn guessed correctly, lunging to his right to stop the shot from Valencia's Argentinian center back Mauricio Pellegrino. Bayern won by the score of 1-1 (5-4).

16 April 1960 - A Long, Strange Trip Indeed

On 16 April 1960, Rafael Benítez Maudes was born in Madrid.

A midfielder, he played his youth football for Real Madrid Aficionados, the secondary reserve team for Real Madrid C.F. His senior career started in 1974, when he joined Real's primary reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla C.F. He played there from 1974 to 1981, making 247 appearances and scoring 73 goals. He subsequently played for Spanish sides A.D. Parla (1981-85; 124 appearances, 28 goals) and C.D. Linares (1985-86; 34 appearances, 17 goals) before injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 26.

Benítez stayed in football, however, joining Real Madrid's coaching staff from 1986 to 1994, working at first with the reserve squads, then advancing to assistant manager for the first team. After the 1993-94 season, he left Real to become manager of Real Valladolid in the Primera División, but was sacked after winning only two of his first 23 matches in charge. He then moved to C.A. Osasuna in the Segunda División, but was again sacked after achieving only one win in his first nine matches.

Benítez's fortunes soon turned, however, as the peripatetic coach led both C.F. Extremadura (1997-99) and C.D. Tenerife (2000-01) to promotion to the Primera División. In 2001, he moved to Valencia C.F., where he won La Liga twice (in 2002 and 2004) and the UEFA Cup (2004).

After his double-winning season in 2004, Benítez resigned from Valencia over disagreements with the sporting director and moved to Liverpool for the 2004-05 season. He led them to immediate success by winning the 2005 UEFA Champions League, followed shortly after by the FA Cup trophy in 2006.

In 2010, he left Liverpool, spending time with Inter (2010) and Chelsea (2011-12) before taking charge of his current club, Napoli, in 2013.

5 October 1973 - Kempes Reaches The Top

On 5 October 1973, striker Mario Kempes made his top-flight debut for Instituto de Córdoba in a 1-0 win over Newell's Old Boys. He went on to become one of Argentina's greatest players.

Nineteen years old at the time, Kempes had already spent three years with Instituto, helping them reach Argentina's Primera División for the 1973 season, the team's first time in the top flight. Kempes made thirteen appearances for them that season, scoring eleven goals, before moving in 1974 to Rosario Central, where he scored eighty-five goals in three seasons.

That performance earned him a move to Spain to play for Valencia. He was the league's leading scorer in 1977 and 1978 and won his first silverware there, winning the 1970 Copa del Rey, the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup (though he missed the first kick in the final's penalty shootout), and the 1980 UEFA Super Cup.

Despite those successes, Kempes is best known for leading Argentina to their first World Cup trophy in 1978. He was the tournament's top scorer with six goals, including two in Argentina's 3-1 win over the Netherlands in the final.

He continued to play for several teams in Argentina and Europe until he called time on his career in 1996, then spent five years in management before retiring in 2001 and is currently a commentator for ESPN.

25 August 2002 - Deportivo's Game Of Threes

On 25 August 2002, Deportivo de La Coruña won their third Supercopa de España, beating Valencia 4-0 over two legs.

They had all but secured the trophy in the first leg played one week earlier at the Estadio Riazor in La Coruña. It had been a heated battle that spilled over into the stands, as Valencia keeper Santiago Canizares was struck by an object thrown from the crowd at the end of the match, which Deportivo won 3-0.

The emotions carried into the second leg, played at Valencia's Estadio Mestalla. In only the third minute, Valencia defender Roberto Ayala was sent off for elbowing striker Roy Makaay. Down to 10 men, the hosts were unable to create much of an attack while Deportivo were content to protect their 3-goal aggregate lead.

Tempers continued to flare and Valencia nearly had a second player sent off after left back Fabio Aurelio delivered a nasty challenge on midfielder Juan Carlos Valeron. Although the challenge could have earned a red card, the referee saw fit to issue a yellow.

There were a few other dust-ups before Deportivo midfielder Victor Sanchez scored in the 90th minute to end the competition as a 4-0 aggregate win. It was Deportivo's third win in three tries and they are the competition's third most successful team, after Real Madrid and Barcelona.

25 February 2005 - Apparently, Thomas Wolfe Was Right

On 25 February 2005, Valencia sacked manager Claudio Ranieri after only eight months into a three-year contract, proving the adage "you can't go home again."

It was Ranieri's second stint at the Estadio Mestalla. He had first joined the club in July 1997 and soon delivered their first major silverware in 18 years with the 1998 Intertoto Cup, followed by the 1999 Copa del Rey. In June 1999, he left to join Valencia's league rival Atlético Madrid.

His time in Madrid was less successful; Ranieri resigned in March 2000 amid rumors of his imminent sacking while Atlético ended the season with relegation. He landed at Chelsea in September 2000 and guided the Londoners to a second-place league finish in 2004, their best position in the final table in 49 years. But he was not around for long to enjoy their newfound success, as he was sacked in May 2004 by owner Roman Abramovich.

Ranieri then returned to Valencia in June 2004, but was unable to recapture his prior magic. A strong start soon gave way to a slump in October. Supporters criticized his tactics, claiming he failed to settle on an established rotation. By February 2005, Valencia had been eliminated from European competition and, even though they were in sixth place in La Liga, the club chose to part ways with their once-loved manager.

Since then, he has taken charge of Parma (2007), Juventus (2007-09), and Roma (2009-11). He resigned from Roma earlier this month after a string of three defeats dropped them from fourth place to eighth in Serie A.

12 March 2009 - The Ukraine Is Not Weak!

On 12 March 2009, Dynamo Kyiv and Metalist Kharkiv became the first Ukranian sides to meet in a UEFA competition. Their historic meeting came in the Round of 16 of that season's UEFA Cup.

One of the most successful clubs in Ukraine, Kyiv entered the competition with an established European pedigree, having previously participated in numerous Champions League/European Cup and UEFA Cup matches, as well as winning the 1975 and 1986 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups and the 1975 UEFA Super Cup. They had qualified for the 2008-09 Champions League, but their third-place finish in that competition's group stage sent them into the UEFA Cup Round of 32. There, they advanced over Valencia on away goals to set up the meeting with Metalist in the Round of 16.

Metalist, on the other hand, was a relative novice. The 2008-09 UEFA Cup was only their second time in European competition, with the first being the previous season's UEFA Cup (where they were eliminated in the first round by Everton). They got off to a much stronger start in 2009-10, opening their campaign with a 4-2 aggregate win over Besitkas to advance to the group stage. There, they finished at the top of their group, over more experienced European sides Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Hertha Berlin, and Benfica, then rolled over Sampdoria 3-0 in the Round of 32.

The Round of 16 match-up was held in Kiev, where the home side staked their claim with a 1-0 win thanks to a 54th-minute header from midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic (pictured). Metalist battled back to win the second leg 3-2, but Kyiv again advanced thanks to their two away goals.

Kyiv advanced all the way to the semifinals where they ran into yet another Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk who beat Kyiv 3-2 on aggregate and went on to win the title with a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen.

23 May 2001 - You Want Penalty Kicks, We Got Penalty Kicks

On 23 May 2001, Bayern Munich won their fourth European Cup/Champions League trophy, defeating Valencia on penalties before a crowd of 71,500 at the San Siro in Milan.

Just days earlier, Bayern had won their third consecutive Bundesliga title and entered the Champions League Final after knockout stage victories over Manchester United (3-1) and Real Madrid (3-1). Valencia, who had finished fifth in La Liga, defeated Arsenal (2-2, Valencia advancing on the away goal rule) and Leeds United (3-0) on their way to the Final.

Valencia drew first blood quickly, benefiting from a handball in the Bayern box to earn a penalty in the 2nd minute. Valencia's captain, midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, took the shot and scored, putting the Spanish side ahead 1-0.

Bayern then received a penalty call in the 6th minute, as Valencia's French right back Jocelyn Angloma fouled Bayern's captain, midfielder Stefan Effenberg, on the edge of the area. Midfielder Mehmet Scholl took the shot, but it was saved by Valencia keeper Santiago Cañizares. Bayern got another chance in the 49th minute, however, as Valencia left back Amadeo Carboni was flagged for a handball in the box. This time, Effenberg took the penalty and converted it.

The teams were deadlocked at 1-1 for the rest of the second half and all of extra time, forcing a decision by penalty kicks. Through the first five kicks, each team had missed two, sending it to sudden death. The match ended when Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn guessed correctly, lunging to his right to stop the shot from Valencia's Argentinian center back Mauricio Pellegrino. Bayern won by the score of 1-1 (5-4).

16 April 1960 - A Long Strange Trip, Indeed

On 16 April 1960, Rafael Benítez Maudes was born in Madrid.

A midfielder, he played his youth football for Real Madrid Aficionados, the secondary reserve team for Real Madrid C.F. His senior career started in 1974, when he joined Real's primary reserve team, Real Madrid Castilla C.F. He played there from 1974 to 1981, making 247 appearances and scoring 73 goals. He subsequently played for Spanish sides A.D. Parla (1981-85; 124 appearances, 28 goals) and C.D. Linares (1985-86; 34 appearances, 17 goals) before injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 26.

Benítez stayed in football, however, joining Real Madrid's coaching staff from 1986 to 1994, working at first with the reserve squads, then advancing to assistant manager for the first team. After the 1993-94 season, he left Real to become manager of Real Valladolid in the Primera División, but was sacked after winning only two of his first 23 matches in charge. He then moved to C.A. Osasuna in the Segunda División, but was again sacked after achieving only one win in his first nine matches.

Benítez's fortunes soon turned, however, as the peripatetic coach led both C.F. Extremadura (1997-99) and C.D. Tenerife (2000-01) to promotion to the Primera División. In 2001, he moved to Valencia C.F., where he won La Liga twice (in 2002 and 2004) and the UEFA Cup (2004).

After his double-winning season in 2004, Benítez resigned from Valencia over disagreements with the sporting director and moved to his current home, Liverpool F.C., for the 2004-05 season. He led them to immediate success by winning the 2005 UEFA Champions League, followed shortly after by the FA Cup trophy in 2006.