16 December 2006 - An Expensive Sheet Of Stationery

On 16 December 2006, a note belonging to German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sold at auction for €1 million. It was the cheat sheet that helped him guide Germany past Argentina in a quarterfinal shootout at the 2006 World Cup.

Although Lehmann made his national team debut in 1998, he spent the first several years stuck behind Oliver Kahn and did not play in the 1998 or 2002 World Cups. But he finally supplanted Kahn as Germany's number one for the 2006 tournament and had an impressive run, giving up two goals in their opening match, then keeping three straight clean sheets to set up the quarterfinal meeting with Argentina.

The Argentines took a 49th-minute lead with a goal from Roberto Ayala, but Miroslav Klose's 80th-minute equalizer sent the match into extra time, which finished 1-1 to set up a penalty shootout. In preparation, Germany's goalkeeper coach, Andreas Koepke, gave a note to Lehmann with a listing of some of Argentina's likely shooters and their tendencies. Lehmann kept it in his sock and checked it before every kick.

Argentina's Julio Cruz converted their first kick, but Lehmann stopped their second attempt, diving to his left to catch Ayala's shot (for Ayala, the note said "long wait, long run right"). He nearly stopped their third attempt, then--with Germany up 4-2--he again dove to his left to deny the shot from Esteban Cambiasso (whose name wasn't even on the list) and secure the victory.

Lehmann kept the note, then donated it to a charity auction where it was purchased by a German utility company, Energie Baden-Wuerttenberg.

31 May 2009 - Capo Di Tutti Capocannoniere

On 31 May 2009, Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimović's 81st-minute backheel on Serie A's last day won the match and made him the season's top scorer.

Playing at home against mid-table Atalanta, Inter had already secured their fourth consecutive Scudetto (including the 2006 title, awarded to Inter after being stripped from Juventus due to a bribery scandal), starting the day 10 points clear of second-place finisher AC Milan.

The match began with a flurry of goals. Inter went ahead early with a Sulley Muntary goal in the 6th minute. But Atalanta's Cristiano Doni headed his team level four minutes later. Two minutes after that, Ibrahimović got onto the scoresheet, slipping behind the Atalanta defense to retrieve a lobbed ball and powering it low past keeper Andrea Consigli. The lead did not last long, however, as Luca Cigarini provided another equalizer for Atalanta in the 25th minute.

In the second half, Doni scored again--this time from a 25-yard free kick--to send the visitors ahead. Inter then equalized after an 80th-minute scramble in front of the Atalanta goal resulted in a driving shot from Esteban Cambiasso. Only one minute later, Ibrahimović, standing in front of the Atalanta goal, muscled a defender off the ball and slotted it home with a backheel.

In addition to securing the 4-3 victory, the goal was his 25th of the season, pushing him past Genoa's Diego Milito and Bologna's Marco Di Vaio--both of whom had 24--for the Capocannoniere as Serie A's top scorer.

30 June 2006 - Try To Calculate That Cards-Per-Minute Ratio

On 30 June 2006, Argentina left back Leandro Cufré achieved the dubious distinction of receiving a red card after a match in which he hadn't even played.

The match in question was a World Cup quarter-final, which Argentina lost to Germany on penalties, 1-1 (4-2). It had been a tense affair, with referee Ľuboš Micheľ issuing a total of seven yellow cards, four to Argentina and three to Germany. The first one--to German striker Lukas Podolski--came in just the third minute, while Micheľ showed four of them after the 88-minute mark.

After goalkeeper Jens Lehmann ended the shootout by saving the attempt from midfielder Esteban Cambiasso, the two sides clashed near the touchline. According to a BBC report, "[p]unches and kicks were thrown between both sides," but the only player to receive a card was Cufré, an unused Argentina substitute for the match. He kicked German defender Per Mertesacker in the knee to become the first player to receive a  post-match red card in World Cup history.

Afterward, FIFA fined Cufré 10,000 Swiss francs and suspended him for four matches.

16 December 2006 - An Expensive Sheet Of Stationery

On 16 December 2006, a note belonging to German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sold at auction for €1 million. It was the cheat sheet that helped him guide Germany past Argentina in a quarterfinal shootout at the 2006 World Cup.

Although Lehmann made his national team debut in 1998, he spent the first several years stuck behind Oliver Kahn and did not play in the 1998 or 2002 World Cups. But he finally supplanted Kahn as Germany's number one for the 2006 tournament and had an impressive run, giving up two goals in their opening match, then keeping three straight clean sheets to set up the quarterfinal meeting with Argentina.

The Argentines took a 49th-minute lead with a goal from Roberto Ayala, but Miroslav Klose's 80th-minute equalizer sent the match into extra time, which finished 1-1 to set up a penalty shootout. In preparation, Germany's goalkeeper coach, Andreas Koepke, gave a note to Lehmann with a listing of some of Argentina's likely shooters and their tendencies. Lehmann kept it in his sock and checked it before every kick.

Argentina's Julio Cruz converted their first kick, but Lehmann stopped their second attempt, diving to his left to catch Ayala's shot (for Ayala, the note said "long wait, long run right"). He nearly stopped their third attempt, then--with Germany up 4-2--he again dove to his left to deny the shot from Esteban Cambiasso (whose name wasn't even on the list) and secure the victory.

Lehmann kept the note, then donated it to a charity auction where it was purchased by a German utility company, Energie Baden-Wuerttenberg.

[Click here to see the penalty shootout on YouTube.]

31 May 2009 - Capo Di Tutti Capocannoniere

On 31 May 2009, Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimović's 81st-minute backheel on Serie A's last day won the match and made him the season's top scorer.

Playing at home against mid-table Atalanta, Inter had already secured their fourth consecutive Scudetto (including the 2006 title, awarded to Inter after being stripped from Juventus due to a bribery scandal), starting the day 10 points clear of second-place finisher AC Milan.

The match began with a flurry of goals. Inter went ahead early with a Sulley Muntary goal in the 6th minute. But Atalanta's Cristiano Doni headed his team level four minutes later. Two minutes after that, Ibrahimović got onto the scoresheet, slipping behind the Atalanta defense to retrieve a lobbed ball and powering it low past keeper Andrea Consigli. The lead did not last long, however, as Luca Cigarini provided another equalizer for Atalanta in the 25th minute.

In the second half, Doni scored again--this time from a 25-yard free kick--to send the visitors ahead. Inter then equalized after an 80th-minute scramble in front of the Atalanta goal resulted in a driving shot from Esteban Cambiasso. Only one minute later, Ibrahimović, standing in front of the Atalanta goal, muscled a defender off the ball and slotted it home with a clever backheel.

In addition to securing the 4-3 victory, the goal was his 25th of the season, pushing him past Genoa's Diego Milito and Bologna's Marco Di Vaio--both of whom had 24--for the Capocannoniere as Serie A's top scorer.