7 April 2001 - Enough Cards For A Round Of Poker

On 7 April 2001, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich battled to a 1-1 league draw that included a total of fourteen yellow cards and three ejections.

The match was part of a tight title race--Bayern were in first, just one point clear of second-place Dortmund, who would claim the top spot with a win in front of their home supporters. 

The visitors started strongly, with forward Roque Santa Cruz putting them ahead with a 6th-minute strike. Shortly afterward, the contest degenerated into a brutish display that held little resemblance to a football match. Bayern were the main culprits, accumulating a total of six yellow cards before the break, including two for left back Bixente Lizarazu, who was ejected in the 35th minute.

With Bayern a man down, Dortmund equalized in the 52nd minute with a goal from striker Fredi Bobic. Just three minutes later, Bayern went down to nine men as midfielder and captain Stefan Effenberg (pictured, from a different match) received a straight red, but the hosts could not capitalize on their numerical advantage and the game ended 1-1. By that time, Dortmund had a player of their own sent off, with right back Evanilson receiving a straight red in the 90th minute. In all, the referee showed ten yellows and two reds to Bayern, and two yellows and a red to Dortmund, for a league single-match record total of 15 cards.

Bayern went on to win the league that year, while Dortmund finished in third.

6 April 1996 - Someone Had To Win Eventually

On 6 April 1996, Metz won their second Coupe de la Ligue, beating Lyon on penalties, 0-0 (4-5). It was the first of three consecutive finals to go to a shootout.

Metz won the cup for the first time in 1986, when they defeated Cannes 2-1. Lyon, however, were making their first trip to the final. Despite the presence of some of Ligue 1's top scorers, including Lyon's Florian Maurice and the Metz duo of Robert Pirès and Cyrille Pouget, the teams battled to a scoreless standstill through extra time.

Their struggles continued in the shootout, as Lyon's Stéphane Roche sent the first kick over the bar (and was consoled by Metz keeper Jacques Songo'o), then Metz's Sylvain Kastendeuch did the same (but without the consolation).

They finally found the net with their next kicks, including shots by Maurice, Pirès, and Lyon goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta, to draw level at 4-4. But then, with Lyon's sixth kick, defender Marcelo sent it to his left, where a diving Songo'o met it and pushed it wide. Pouget then converted his attempt to give Metz the victory.

Metz returned to the final in 1999, but lost to Lens. Lyon returned in 2001 and won, then finished as runners-up again in 2007, 2012, and 2014.


Metz - Lyon 1996 tirs aux buts by fabgrenat

5 April 1931 - Johnny Nelson's Last Match

On 5 April 1931, a knee injury ended the playing career of forward Johnny Nelson, one of the top all-time scorers of the original American Soccer League. He was 26. 

The Scottish-born Nelson started his professional career with Yonkers Thistles, but moved to Brooklyn Wanderers (pictured) in 1923. In five years there, he made 126 appearances, scoring 101 goals. In 1928, he moved to Fall River, scoring 10 goals in 14 appearances for the Marksmen, then moved again later that year to J&P Coats, where he finished out the 1928-29 season, adding another seven goals in 12 appearances.

For the start of the 1929-30 season, he joined the New York Nationals, where he would finish his career (though they changed their name to the New York Giants in 1930). He finished as the league's top scorer for the Spring 1930 season and, in all, knocked home a staggering 105 goals for New York in 98 appearances and helped them win the title for the Spring 1931 season.

Unfortunately, he did not make it to the end of that season, as he suffered a career-ending knee injury that April. Though he was only 26, his career tally of 223 goals in 250 games ranks him second on the ASL's all-time scoring list, behind Bethlehem Steel's Archie Stark (253 goals in 293 appearances over ten seasons).

Afterward, Nelson worked as a carpet designer. He passed away in Yonkers in 1984 at the age of 79.

4 April 1998 - This Cup Runneth Over

On 4 April 1998, Paris Saint-Germain won their second Coupe de la Ligue, beating Bordeaux on penalties, 2-2 (4-2). It was the third straight final to go to a shootout.

The teams met before a crowd of 77,700 at the Stade de France, Bordeaux started as the stronger side, with midfielder Johan Mocoud sending one shot off the post before burying a strike in the 30th minute. But the momentum shifted in PSG's favor by the end of the half, with one near miss and one shot cleared off the line.

The Parisians finally drew level in the 80th minute, after a missed penalty rebounded to forward Marco Simone, who fired the ball into the net. A few minutes later, Simone nearly put PSG ahead, but his shot hit the bar. They did take the lead in extra time thanks to a header from their captain, Raí (pictured) (107'), but Bordeaux's Jean-Pierre Papin restored equality seven minutes later with a goal from a free kick.

In the shootout, Bordeaux fell behind early, as PSG goalkeeper Vincent Fernandez blocked their first attempt, then Papin sent their second attempt wide. PSG, meanwhile, converted their first four, which was enough to secure the cup without the need for a fifth kick.

3 April 2008 - The Death of Hrvoje Ćustić

On 3 April 2008, NK Zadar striker Hrvoje Ćustić died after getting injured in a match 5 days earlier. He was 24 years old.

Ćustić started his career with the Croatian club in 2000, but spent two season with NK Zagreb from 2005 to 2007 before returning to Zadar in the summer of 2007. 

During the first few minutes of a match against HNK Cibalia on 29 March 2008, Ćustić was challenging for a loose ball and collided with an opposing players. The force of the collision pushed him over the touchline and into a concrete wall, which he struck with his head. 

Medical personnel rushed him to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. His condition remained stable until 2 April, when his body temperature began to rise due to a post-surgical infection. His conditioned deteriorated and he died the following day.

Afterward, the Croatian federation postponed all league matches for the following weekend to honor his memory.

2 April 2005 - Columbus Discovers A Record

On 2 April 2005, the Columbus Crew extended their streak of unbeaten league matches to an MLS-record nineteen with a 3-0 win over the L.A. Galaxy.

Columbus had finished the previous season with a string of eighteen consecutive unbeaten matches that gave them the league's best regular-season record, but they lost to New England in the post-season tournament's first round.

They returned to league play on opening day of the 2005 season, hosting Los Angeles at Crew Stadium. There, they rolled to a 3-0 victory with goals from Edson Buddle (8', 47') and Ante Razov (54'). That nineteenth consecutive league victory set a league record that remains unbeaten, though it was matched in 2010 by FC Dallas.

1 April 2009 - Bolivia Rises To The Occasion

On 1 April 2009, Argentina matched their record loss with a crushing 6-1 defeat to Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier.

It came in the twelfth round of CONMEBOL qualification. Argentina had a record of five wins, four draws, and only one loss, falling 1-0 to Chile the previous October. Bolivia, meanwhile, racked up an unimpressive collection of two wins, three draws, and six losses, including a 3-0 loss to Argentina in the teams' previous meeting.

But the rematch was played in La Paz, whose altitude had proven a hindrance to many teams in the past. Needing the win to preserve any hope of reaching South Africa, Bolivia attacked from the start and were rewarded with an 12th-minute goal from Marcelo Moreno.

Argentina drew level with a long-range blast from Lucho González in the 24th minute, but the match was all Bolivia's after that. A foul by Javier Zanetti ten minutes later led to a Bolivia penalty, converted by Joaquín Botero, who scored twice more (55', 66') to net a hat-trick on the day. As Argentina stars Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi struggled, Bolivia got additional goals from Álex da Rosa (45') and Didí Torrico (87').

The final score matched their 6-1 loss to Czechoslovakia in 1958, a margin equaled by 5-0 losses to Uruguay in 1959 and Colombia in 1993.

Unfortunately for Bolivia, they followed their performance with only one more win and five losses, which prevented them from qualifying. Argentina reached the World Cup and made it to the quarterfinals before falling to Germany.