31 January 2010 - A Multi-Record Setting Goal

On 31 January 2010, Egypt won the Africa Cup of Nations with a record nineteenth consecutive unbeaten match in the tournament, a streak that dates back to 2004.

The run of unbeaten games started in February 2004, when they played to a scoreless draw with Cameroon in the last group stage match (which was also Egypt's last match of that competition, as they failed to advance). And it continued through the 2006 and 2008 tournaments, both of which Egypt won (their fifth and sixth trophies overall).

Then, in 2010, they remained unbeaten to reach the final, where they faced Ghana. Played before a crowd of 50,000 at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in the Angolan capital of Luanda, the match remained scoreless until the 85th minute, when substitute midfielder Mohamed "Gedo" Nagy scored to put Egypt up 0-1. They held on to that margin to claim their record third consecutive Cup of Nations and seventh title overall.

In addition to being their nineteenth unbeaten match, it was also their record ninth consecutive win. Both streaks remain active as Egypt failed to qualify for the 2012 and 2013 tournaments.

30 January 2010 - A Classic Case Of Adding Insult To Injury

On 30 January 2010, the Confederation of African Football suspended Togo from the African Cup of Nations and fined them for withdrawing from the tournament after the team was attacked by gunmen.

The attack occurred on 8 January as the team was traveling by bus to the 2010 Cup of Nations. Shortly after crossing the border from the Republic of the Congo to the Angolan province of Cabinda, a group of Angolan rebels opened fire on the buses with machine guns, killing three people and wounding several others, including two players. Afterward, Togo withdrew from the competition and called for other teams to boycott it.

The CAF offered their condolences to the team, but took issue with Togo's withdrawal. In particular, the organization was bothered by the timing, as Togo did not formally give notice of their decision until the day after their first scheduled match.

The Confederation met on 30 January to consider Togo's actions and announced their decision that day. Citing the Togolese government's decision to bring the team home as an infringement on CAF regulations, they fined the team $50,000 and banned them from the next two editions of the Cup of Nations.

Togo Interior Minister Pascal Bodjona called the CAF's decision "insulting to the family of those who lost their lives and those traumatized because of the attack" and threatened to take immediate legal action. The CAF eventually lifted the bans in May 2010, but Togo failed to qualify for the 2012 tournament.

29 January 1966 - He Roamed Where He Wanted

On 29 January 1966, well-traveled Brazilian striker and 1994 FIFA Player of the Year Romário was born in Rio de Janeiro. Playing over the course of twenty-four years, he was a prolific goalscorer, with a career tally that--according to some estimates--topped 1,000 goals (though some discount that number, with several goals coming in youth matches and unofficial competitions).

Starting with Vasco da Gama in 1985, he played for several teams across Brazil and Europe, including PSV, Barcelona, Valencia, and multiple stints with Vasco, Flamengo, and Fluminense. In the 2000 season, during his second spell with Vasco, he scored an astonishing 65 goals in 71 appearances across all competitions.

But his Player of the Year performance came in 1994, when his 30 goals in La Liga helped Barcelona to the title. That same year, he scored five goals in the World Cup, winning the Golden Ball as Brazil took the trophy with a win over Italy in the final.

His milestone 1,000th goal came in May 2007, when, after joining Vasco for a fourth time, he scored a penalty kick in a league match against Sport Recife. FIFA recognized the accomplishment, but noted that the number was reached by Romário's "personal count."

28 January 1900 - Clearly, It Was A Step In The Right Direction

On 28 January 1900, the German Football Association was founded in Leipzig. It went on the create one of the world's top national teams and one of the top leagues.

German football traces its origins to 1874 with the formation of the country's first club, the Dresden English Football Club. As more teams sprouted up, they coalesced into a variety of regional leagues and competitions. By 1900, many of the clubs sought to introduce a national organization, including the establishment of a national championship and a national team.

So in 1900, representatives of 86 different clubs met in Leipzig to vote on the creation of a new national association. Out of a total of 84 votes cast, the final tally was 62 in favor and 22 against and the Deutscher Fußball-Bund was born.

The DFB originally maintained the regional competitions, but consolidated them into a national title, first won by Leipzig in the 1902-03 season. Five years after that, the German national team played their first match, a 5-3 loss to Switzerland.

Since then, the national team has become one of the world's most successful, reaching the World Cup final seven times and winning it three. They have also won three European Championships. Along the way, the DFB reorganized the domestic leagues into the Bundesliga, which has become one of the world's most successful and prestigious leagues.

27 January 2011 - Surely The Loss Was Punishment Enough

On 27 January 2011, the Premier League fined Blackpool £25,000 for fielding a weakened team against Aston Villa earlier that season.

The match in question was played on 10 November. Blackpool, playing in their first top-flight season since 1971, had risen to 11th in the table after a win over West Brom and a draw with Everton over the previous week. With upcoming games against West Ham and Wolves, who occupied the table's last two spots, Blackpool manager Ian Holloway (pictured) made ten changes to his side for the Villa match, resting key players.

Holloway acknowledged that the line-up was not his strongest, but defended his decision, saying "We've got four games in twelve days and the lads I've played every week are struggling to keep up the level." Even with the changes, Blackpool nearly got a result, but fell 3-2 (they then got a win and a draw in their next two games).

Afterward, the Premier League accused Blackpool of deliberately fielding a weakened side in contravention of league rules. An offended Holloway threatened to resign in the league levied any fine against his team.

Nevertheless, on 27 January, the Premier League announced its decision to fine the club £25,000. Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston labeled the decision "unjust" and said they would appeal, but they ultimately decided against it. Holloway remained with the club, who finished the season in nineteenth and were relegated.

26 January 2000 - That Was Probably Some Kind Of Record For Guam, Too

On 26 January 2000, China matched what was, at the time, the world's biggest margin of victory in international football, beating Guam 19-0. That record didn't last long, though.

China had held the record for several years after beating the Maldives 17-0 in 1992, but it finally fell when Tahiti got an 18-0 win over American Samoa in June 2000, then Iran pushed the record to 19-0 with a November 2000 win over Guam in a World Cup qualifier. So the Chinese were motivated to reclaim the title when they began their Asian Cup qualification campaign in January 2000.

On the first day for their qualification group, China beat the Philippines 8-0, while Guam lost to Vietnam 11-0. That set the stage for China to make a run at the top score, and run they did.

Playing at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, striker Hao Haidong (pictured) got the ball rolling with the opening goal in the second minute, the first of four he scored on the day. He was joined on the scoresheet by Qu Shengqing (5), Su Maozhen (3), Yao Xia (2), Li Weifeng, Shen Si, Qi Hong, and Li Tie before Ma Mingyu scored the final goal with ten minutes remaining.

Unfortunately for the Chinese, however, their reign as joint record holders was short, as about three weeks later, Kuwait beat Bhutan 20-0 in another Asian Cup qualifier. Even that number did not hold up for long; Australia set the current record with a 31-0 win over American Samoa on 11 April 2001.

25 January 1942 - Portugal Reaps The Benefit Of Colonization

On 25 January 1942, Portuguese star forward Eusébio, the 1965 European Footballer of the Year, was born in what is now Mozambique.

At the time of his birth, Mozambique was under the control of Portugal and was known as Portuguese East Africa. Eusébio grew up there and signed his first contract there in 1957 with his neighborhood club, Sporting de Lourenço Marques, and remained there until he signed with Benfica in December 1960.

He quickly made his mark at his new club, scoring a hat-trick in his first appearance, a May 1961 friendly against Atlético Clube de Portugal. He went on to score a total of 473 goals for them in 440 appearances across all competitions while winning eleven league titles, five Portuguese Cups, and the 1962 European Cup, scoring the last two goals in Benfica's 5-3 win over Real Madrid.

In the 1964-65 season, he scored a career-high 48 goals, leading to his European Footballer of the Year award. He remains the club's all-time appearances and scoring leader.

He left Benfica in 1975 and spent time with several different clubs in the United States, Mexico, and Portugal before retiring in 1980.