On 14 October 1878, Sheffield's Bramall Lane ground hosted a match between two sides pulled from local players. It was the first match in history to be played under floodlights. The lighting system, designed by electrician John Tasker, used four sets of lights on wooden towers, powered by Siemens generators.
The experiment in nighttime football was a success, as approximately 20,000 people attended the match (though it was perhaps a qualified success, as the darkness allowed a reported 6,000 of them to sneak into the match). That was a larger crowd than the one for that year's FA Cup Final.
Unfortunately, the lighting systems in use at the time proved unsafe and the Football League banned them at the start of the 1888-89 season. Lights were not used in the Football League until Portsmouth played Newcastle at Fratton Park on 22 February 1956.
On 13 October 1993, the Netherlands defeated England 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier played before a crowd of approximately 48,000 at Rotterdam's de Kuip Stadion. The defeat meant that England no longer controlled its own destiny with regard to qualification and the side ultimately missed the 1994 World Cup.
Going into the match, England were in second place of UEFA Group 2 on 10 points, three points behind group leaders Norway and one point ahead of the third-place Netherlands. A win would have secured them in second place and automatically qualified them for the World Cup, while a draw would have kept them ahead of the Dutch side.
After a scoreless second half, England captain David Platt was clear through to the goal in the 57th minute and appeared ready to score when his shirt was grabbed by the last man, Dutch captain Ronald Koeman. Although the foul happened a yard inside the box, the referee ignored England's clamor for a penalty and awarded a free kick on the 18-yard line. The Dutch wall safely charged down the kick, taken by defender Tony Dorigo.
Koeman then added to England's misery by scoring from a free kick in the 61st minute. His first attempt was blocked, but the referee ordered it to be retaken, claiming that midfielder Paul Ince had left the wall too early. Koeman took advantage of the second chance, chipping the ball into the top of the net past keeper David Seaman.
It only got worse for England, as Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp appeared to handle the ball before shooting it past Seaman to extend the lead in the 68th minute.
After the loss, England were two points behind the Netherlands for second place and needed a win against San Marino in the last match, combined with a Dutch loss or draw against Poland. England battered San Marino to a 1-7 win, but the Dutch killed off England's World Cup hopes by defeating Poland 1-3.
On 12 October 1902, Austria defeated Hungary 5-0 in a Vienna friendly. It was the first match for both national sides and the first international match in history to feature two non-British teams.
The match was played at the ground of Wiener A.C. and the Viennese club's players scored all five goals in the Austrian victory. Striker Josef Taurer put the Austrians ahead with a goal in the 5th minute, then striker Johann Studnicka (pictured) added a second in the 10th minute. Studnicka and Gustav Huber then extended the lead to 4-0 before Studnicka scored the final goal to complete his hat-trick.
Eventually, both sides went on to claim glory as two of Europe's most successful teams. Austria's "Wunderteam" rose to prominence in the 1930s, winning the 1932 Central European Cup (the predecessor of the European Championship), while Hungary's "Golden Team" went on a 50-match unbeaten run between 1950 and 1957 and won the gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
On 11 October 1958, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Everton 10-4 at White Hart Lane. It was the first match in charge for new manager Bill Nicholson, who had just been appointed that afternoon.
Nicholson got his start with Spurs in 1936 working for the grounds staff. In 1938, he signed a professional contract with them and spent his entire career with the London club, making 214 league appearances before hanging up his boots in 1955.
He joined the Tottenham coaching staff in 1955 and was the first-team coach in 1958 when then-manager Jimmy Anderson was sacked. At the time, Spurs were sixth from bottom of the First Division table. They finished the season at fifth from bottom, but Nicholson eventually turned the club around, winning the Double in 1961.
Nicholson went on to become one of Tottenham's most successful managers, winning two more FA Cups (1962, 1967), two League Cups (1971, 1973), the European Cup Winners' Cup (1963), and the UEFA Cup (1972). He took Spurs to the 1974 UEFA Cup Final, where they lost to Feyenoord, and resigned shortly afterward.
He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2003 and passed away the following year.
Nicholson's 10-4 debut victory over Everton was a club record at the time, but was broken the next season when Spurs defeated Crewe Alexandra 13-2 in the FA Cup on 3 February 1960.
On 10 October 1998, Roma midfielder/second striker Francesco Totti earned his first cap for Italy in a 2-0 win over Switzerland in a Euro 2000 qualifer.
Totti, who was born in Rome in 1976, has played his entire club career for hometown club Roma, whom he joined as a youth player in 1989. By the time the 22-year old Totti received his first call-up to Italy's senior side, he had already won international honors for his country, claiming the 1996 UEFA U-21 European Championship.
In the Euro 2000 tournament, Totti helped the Azzurri reach the Final, contributing a goal to their 2-0 win over Belgium in the group stage, another in their 2-0 win over Romania in the first knockout round, and a penalty kick in their 0-0 (1-3) win over Holland in the semi-finals. Italy lost to France 2-1 in the Final, however, after French striker David Trezeguet scored the golden goal in the 103rd minute. Totti's play earned him inclusion in the 23-player UEFA Team of the Tournament.
Totti and Italy got their revenge on France six years later when they defeated Les Bleus in the 2006 World Cup Final, Totti's last match for Italy. In all, he made 58 appearances for the Azzurri, scoring 9 goals.
On 9 October 1949, future US international and New York Cosmos goalkeeper Shep Messing was born in the Bronx, New York.
Messing first rose to prominence as the goalkeeper for New York University's football team, for whom he played during his freshman and sophmore years (1968-69). In his second season, he was named second team All-America. He transferred to Harvard University for his junior and senior years (1970-71), again earning second team All-America honors in 1971.
He joined the US national team at the 1971 Pan American games in Colombia and again for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. His only appearance was a 7-0 loss to Germany in the United States' final group stage match of the Olympics.
Messing graduated from Harvard in 1973 and signed for the New York Cosmos of the NASL as a backup keeper. He appeared for them only nine times before being transferred to the Boston Minutemen in 1975. Reportedly, his transfer was partially due to the Cosmos management's unhappiness with his having posed for a nude photo shoot that appeared in Viva magazine. Messing later joked that the photo shoot gave the Cosmos more media exposure than they had received up to that point.
Messing rejoined the Cosmos in 1976 and was the starting keeper for the side that won the 1977 Soccer Bowl, alongside Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, and Giorgio Chinaglia. He left New York after the 1977 season and played for several teams from 1978 to 1987, spending six years (1979-1984) with the Rochester Lancers/New York Arrows.
He is currently a broadcaster and analyst covering the MLS and European matches.
On 8 October 2005, African qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup came to an exciting conclusion, as four nations secured spots for their first-ever World Cup Finals on the final day.
In Group 1, Togo came from behind twice to defeat Congo 2-3 in Brazzaville. Forward Mohamed Kader (pictured) scored the 70th minute matchwinner after netting an equalizer in the 60th minute. The win put Togo two points clear of Senegal at the top of the table.
Ghana, who needed only a draw to secure their first World Cup berth, topped Group 2 with an 0-4 away drubbing of Cape Verde. The win sent them five points clear of both Congo and South Africa, who played to a 2-2 draw on the final day.
Group 3 was won by Côte d'Ivoire with a 1-3 away win at Sudan. They finished one point ahead of Cameroon, who drew 1-1 at home against Egypt after Cameroonian back Pierre Wome failed to convert a penalty kick in added time, hitting the outside of the post.
Angola guaranteed their trip to Germany with a 0-1 away victory over Group 4 bottom-dwellers Rwanda. The win put Angola level on points with group favorites Nigeria, but Angola advanced on their head-to-head record, having earned a win and a draw against Nigeria earlier in qualification.
The four debutants were joined in the World Cup by Group 5 winners Tunisia, who were making their fourth appearance in the tournament. Of the five African sides, only Ghana advanced out of the group stages with wins over the Czech Republic (2-0) and the United States (2-1), but then fell to Brazil in the first knockout round.
On 14 October 1878, Sheffield's Bramall Lane ground hosted a match between two sides pulled from local players. It was the first match in history to be played under floodlights. The lighting system, designed by electrician John Tasker, used four sets of lights on wooden towers, powered by Siemens generators.
