30 November 1982 - But That's The One He Remembers Best

On 30 November 1982, Peñarol won their fourth Copa Libertadores, beating Cobreloa with a last-minute goal from Fernando Morena.

The Uruguayan champions had been to the final six times previously, winning it in 1960, 1961, and 1966 (and losing it in 1962, 1965, and 1970). Meanwhile, Cobreloa, winners of the 1982 Chilean Primera División, reached the final for the first time the previous year and lost to Flamengo in a replay.

After playing to a scoreless draw in the first leg at the Centenario in Montevideo on 26 November, the teams met at Santiago's Estadio Nacional for the second leg. There, it looked like they were headed for another scoreless draw and eventual replay when Morena (pictured on the left) scored in the 89th minute. Charging into the box between two Cobreloa defenders, he controlled a cross on the run with his left foot, then bundled the ball into the net.

Although it was the club's fourth Copa Libertadores trophy, it was the first for Morena, who had played for Peñarol from 1973 to 1979, then returned in 1981. A seven-time Uruguayan league top scorer, he led the tournament in goals in their unsuccessful 1974 and 1975 campaigns, and was again the top scorer in 1982.

29 November 1973 - The Iron Man Of Manchester

On 29 November 1973, Ryan Giggs, the most decorated footballer in English history, was born in Cardiff, Wales.

He moved to Salford in Greater Manchester when he was six. There, he drew the attention of Manchester City, who brought him into their youth program in 1985. But two years later, he switched to Manchester United, where he turned professional in 1990.

Since making his first appearance for the senior side in 1991, Giggs has gone on to make over 950 appearances total. Along the way, he has amassed an impressive collection of silverware that includes thirteen league titles, four FA Cups, and two Champions League trophies. His total of 35 major trophies makes him the most decorated player in the history of English football.

In addition to his club career, he also made 64 appearances for Wales and four for the unified Great Britain team at the 2012 Summer Olympics where, at the age of 38 years and 243 days, he set the record as the oldest player to score in the tournament's history.

Now 40 years old, he is currently playing in his 24th season at Manchester United.

28 November 1964 - A Real Hat-Trick Hero

On 28 November 1964, 18-year old Ross County striker Tommy Ross scored three times in 90 seconds to record the world's fastest hat-trick.

Ross County were hosting Nairn County in a Scottish Highland League match when Ross got his record. And that wasn't his only hat-trick of the day; he put the ball in the net a total of seven times, with Jim Hosie adding the other as Ross County won 8-1.

Although Ross's hat-trick beat the previous record of two and a half minutes, set by Motherwell's Ian St. John against Hibernian, the club did not submit the achievement to the Guinness Book of World Records because they mistakenly believed that they needed two timekeepers to authenticate it and they had only one. The mistake was eventually corrected, however, and Ross now holds the official record.

Hat-tricks were not unusual for Ross, who had scored four of them in the team's previous eleven games of the season. And he got four more by May, carrying his total goal tally to 35 for the season.

27 November 2001 - Bayern Beats Boca

On 27 November 2001, Bayern Munich won the Intercontinental Cup with an extra-time goal against defending champions Boca Juniors, who had been reduced to ten men.

Boca had beaten Real Madrid the previous year and were hoping to repeat as champions. Playing at the National Stadium in Tokyo, they had the better chances in the first half, with attempts from Cristian Traverso and Marcelo Delgado, but both teams went into the break scoreless.

Just after the restart, Delgado received a second yellow card for diving, taking Boca down to ten men. Despite the imbalance, Bayern could not crack their defense and the match remained deadlocked at 0-0 through regulation.

Finally, in the 109th minute, Bayern center back Samuel Kuffour scored off a corner kick. The ball initially fell to Claudio Pizarro, but his header was cleared off the line. After pinballing around the goalmouth, the rebound came to Kuffour, who knocked it home for the deciding goal and Bayern won 1-0.

26 November 2011 - Tragedy Hits Togo Again

On 26 November 2011, six members of Togolese club Étoile Filante de Lomé died when their bus crashed en route to a match.

The team were traveling north from Lomé for a league match against Sokodé Semassi when one of their tires burst, sending the bus off the road and down into a ravine near the city of Atakpame. According to witnesses, the bus (pictured) rolled several time and burst into flame.

While most of the passengers were able to escape, six people died. Subsequent reports did not confirm whether the fatalities were players or members of the technical staff. Another 25 people were injured and were rushed to a hospital in Lomé.

The tragedy occurred on the heels of the 2010 shooting that claimed the lives of two members of Togo's national team and a 2007 helicopter crash that killed 22 people, including the country's Sports Minister, Richard Attipoe.

25 November 1953 - The Continental Shift

On 25 November 1953, Hungary beat England 3-6 at Wembley, signalling a power shift in international football.

England were widely considered one of the world's best teams and had, to that point, lost only once at home (a defeat to Ireland in 1949). Hungary, however, were a rising power, propelled by their star forward Ferenc Puskás, who had scored 59 goals in 33 national team appearances. They were also riding a 24-game unbeaten streak that stretched back to May 1950 and included a victory over Yugoslavia in the gold medal match at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

The teams met at Wembley for the friendly, with a crowd of 105,000 in attendance. The home team and their supporters were stunned when Hungary took the lead in just the first minute with a goal from midfielder Nándor Hidegkuti. England's Jackie Sewell equalized twelve minutes later, but Hungary pushed back ahead with another goal from Hidegkuti (20') and a brace from Puskás (24', 27').

Puskás's first was emblematic of the day—Puskás evaded an attempted tackle from England captain Billy Wright by dragging the ball back with the sole of his foot, leaving Wright chasing air, then calmly put the ball past keeper Gil Merrick. It was an example of the creativity and style shown by the visitors that day which left the hosts flummoxed.

Stan Mortensen closed the gap to 2-4 at the break with a 38th-minute strike, but a goal from József Bozsik (50') and Hidegkuti's completed hat-trick (53') extended it to 2-6. By the time Alf Ramsey scored the last goal in the 57th minute, the game was all but over.

The result prompted England to re-evaluate their tactics, while Hungary went on to extend their unbeaten streak to reach the final of the 1954 World Cup, where they eventually lost to West Germany.

24 November 2010 - He Bit Off More Than He Could Chew

On 24 November 2010, Ajax striker Luis Suárez received a seven-match ban for biting PSV's Otman Bakkal.

After an impressive 2009-10 season in which he scored 49 goals for Ajax in 48 appearances across all competitions, Suárez was off to another strong start in the 2010-11 season when third-place Ajax hosted league leaders PSV Eindhoven on 20 November. In stoppage time, with the match headed to a scoreless draw, Suárez battled with Bakkal and bit the midfielder on the shoulder.

The referee did not see the incident, but post-match analysis prompted Ajax to suspend Suárez for two matches and fine him an undisclosed amount. Not satisfied with that punishment, the Dutch Football Federation stepped in on 24 November and issued a seven-match ban of their own, which Suárez did not protest.

As it turned out, he never made another appearance for Ajax. In January 2011, while still under suspension, he moved to Liverpool for £22.8 million. He did not leave controversy behind, however, as he has since been involved in another biting incident as well as being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra.