7 May 2011 - A Tip Of The Hat For Ronaldo

On 7 May 2011, Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo scored the fastest hat-trick in club history as they beat Sevilla 2-6.

The match came on the heels of Madrid's loss to Zaragoza, which kept them eight points behind league leaders Barcelona with four matches remaining, so they had something to prove. Sevilla were no pushovers, sitting in the table's sixth spot, but they were no match for Madrid on the day.

Playing at Sevilla's Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, the visitors were already up 0-3 at the break with goals from Sergio Ramos (21'), Ronaldo (31'), and Kaká (42'). Sevilla striker Álvaro Negredo scored first in the second half (61'), but then Ronaldo delivered his record-breaking performance.

In the 65th minute, he intercepted a pass at the top of the Sevilla box, beat one defender, then fired the ball past the keeper from close range. Five minutes later, he beat the keeper again from inside the box after a pass beat Sevilla's offside trap. In the 75th minute, he latched on to a long cross and volleyed the ball home from just  a few feet away. In all, the three goals encompassed a span of just over 10 minutes, beating the previous club record of 26 minutes, 56 seconds (set by Ronaldo against Málaga two months earlier).

The flurry extended Madrid's lead to 1-6, though Negredo scored once more to end the day at 2-6. In an unusual coincidence, Madrid duplicated the scoreline in their next visit to the  Sánchez Pizjuán in December 2012 with three more goals from Ronaldo.

6 May 1998 - An Italian Affair In Paris

On 6 May 1998, Inter won their third UEFA Cup, beating Serie A rivals Lazio 3-0.

There had been three previous all-Italian UEFA Cup Finals, including Inter's first win in 1991 when they beat Roma. They won it again in 1994 over Casino Salzburg and returned to the Final in 1997, but lost to Schalke. Lazio, meanwhile, were making their first appearance in a Final.

For the 1998 edition, UEFA abandoned their previous two-legged format for a single match, which was played at the Parc des Princes in Paris. A crowd of 44,412 turned out to see the teams face each other for a third time that season--Lazio had gotten the better of Inter in the league, drawing 1-1 in Milan and winning 3-0 in Rome. But Inter wasted little time in staking their claim to the UEFA Cup, going up 1-0 when forward Iván Zamorano beat Lazio keeper Luca Marchegiani from close range in just the 5th minute. Zamorano nearly doubled the lead shortly after the break, but his shot rebounded off the post.

Center back Javier Zanetti did doubled the lead in the 60th minute with a blast from outside the box that curled into the top right corner of the net. Ten minutes later, Inter's record signing Ronaldo (pictured) capped the victory by beating Marchegiani with a dribble, then rolling the ball into the empty net.

It was Inter's last European trophy until they won the Champions League in 2010.

 

5 May 1998 - Boca's First Step To Forty

On 5 May 1998, Boca Juniors beat Huracán 2-4. It was the first of their Argentinian record forty-match unbeaten streak that included two league titles.

The run coincided with the arrival of manager Carlos Bianchi (pictured), who had won three league titles and the Copa Libertadores as the boss of Vélez Sársfield from 1993 to 1996 and had just spent a brief spell in charge of Roma.

Boca struggled in Bianchi's first season, the 1998 Clausura. The win over Huracán came in the fifteenth match of the season and Boca followed it with three more wins and a draw to finish in the table's sixth spot. But they continued their unbeaten run in the next season, the 1998 Apertura, to finish as undefeated champions with a record of thirteen wins and six draws.

The streak continued for another sixteen matches in the 1999 Clausura before Boca lost to Independiente 4-0 on 6 June 1999. The overall record of forty unbeaten matches beat the previous high mark of thirty-nine set by Racing in 1965-66 and also helped Boca claim the Clausura title to repeat as champions.

Although the streak stopped at forty, Bianchi continued to enjoy success at Boca, winning one more league title, two Copa Libertadores trophies, and one Intercontinental Cup before his departure in 2001. He then returned in 2003 and added another league title, another Copa Libertadores trophy, and another Intercontinental Cup before leaving again in 2005.

4 May 1996 - Tampa Bay Was Generous To A Fault

On 4 May 1996, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars got their first win, beating the Tampa Bay Mutiny in a shootout.

Playing in the inaugural MLS season, the MetroStars lost their first three matches before hosting Tampa Bay at Giants Stadium, where a crowd of 38,621 turned out to see the debut of new MetroStars midfielder Roberto Donadoni, who had just moved from AC Milan the previous week. They were missing first-choice keeper Tony Meola, however, who was replaced in goal by Zach Thornton.

After a scoreless first half, Tampa Bay started the second in blistering form, taking a 3-goal lead with a brace from striker Diego Viera (51', 58') and a penalty kick from midfielder Carlos Valderrama (55'). But they extended a lifeline to the MetroStars by scoring two own goals in just over one minute as Evans Wise found his own net in the 72nd minute, then Martin Vasquez did the same just 59 seconds later. MetroStars striker Giovanni Savarese completed the comeback in the 75th minute with his team's first goal of the day.

With the match level at the end of regulation, MLS rules required a shootout. Each team got five attempts, with the shooters starting 35 yards out, then having five seconds to take their shot. Ruben Hernandez and Tab Ramos scored for the MetroStars, while only Valderrama found the net for Tampa Bay, giving the hosts the victory.

Tampa Bay went on to have the league's best record at the end of the regular season, but lost to DC United in the MLS Playoffs, to end the year without an official trophy (though they did claim the fan-created Supporters' Shield).

3 May 1952 - Newcastle Takes Two

On 3 May 1952, Newcastle repeated as FA Cup champions, beating Arsenal in the Final, 1-0.

The match paired the winners of the two previous FA Cups, with Arsenal beating Liverpool in 1950 and Newcastle besting Blackpool in 1951. Newcastle had already gotten the better of the Gunners on the league, with one win and a draw in their two meetings that season.

Playing before a capacity crowd of 100,000 at Wembley, Arsenal suffered a first-half blow when they lost right back Wally Barnes to a 35th-minute knee injury. The rules at the time did not allow substitutes, so they had to play on with ten men, but still managed to remain level through the break, 0-0.

In the second half, three more Arsenal players--center forward Cliff Holton, outside left Don Roper, and center half Ray Daniel--picked up injuries. They remained on the pitch, but with limited effectiveness. Newcastle took advantage of the opportunity and took the lead with an 84th-minute goal from their Chilean inside-left George Robledo. It ended up being the match-winner, as Newcastle claimed their second consecutive FA Cup and their fifth overall.

2 May 1998 - The Death Of Justin Fashunu

On 2 May 1998, Justin Fashunu, Britain's first openly gay professional footballer, killed himself after being accused of sexual assault. He was 37 years old.

The London-born forward started his professional career in 1978 with Norwich and scored 35 goals for them in 90 league appearances, including one against Liverpool that was named the BBC Goal of the Season in 1980. In 1981, he moved to Nottingham Forest, who made him the first black player to command a £1 million transfer fee. He failed to settle at Forest, however, and left after one season, starting a journey that saw him at nineteen different clubs over the next fifteen years.

In 1990, he become the first (and, to date, only) professional footballer to openly identify himself as homosexual. Although his brother John--who was also a professional footballer--immediately disowned him, Fashunu said that his teammates were more accepting.

He retired in 1997 and, one year later, was in the United States to interview for a coaching position. In March 1998, a 17-year old accused Fashunu of sexually assaulting him after a party at Fashunu's rented Maryland apartment. After being questioned by police, Fashunu fled back to England and, on 2 May 1988, hanged himself in a garage. In a note, he claimed that his actions had been consensual and that his accuser was trying to blackmail him. He also said that he "had already been presumed guilty" and did "not want to give any more embarrassment to" his friends and family.

Fashunu was the inspiration for the Justin Campaign, formed in 2009 to combat homophobia in football.

1 May 2005 - Pelé Remained Unimpressed, However

On 1 May 2005, Lionel Messi notched his first goal for Barcelona in a 2-0 win over Albacete. He has since become the club's all-time leading scorer.

The forward made his league debut for the first team the previous October at the age of 17 years and 114 days, making him the youngest player to appear for the club in La Liga (though that record was subsequently broken by Bojan Krkić in 2007). He went on to make a total of seven league appearances that season, but scored only a single goal.

That goal came late in the match against Albacete, as manager Frank Rijkaard made a late substitution, putting Messi on for forward Samuel Eto'o in the 87th minute. Barcelona were already leading 1-0 and  Messi nearly doubled the lead in the  89th minute when he received a short lobbed pass from Ronaldinho, then chipped the keeper from inside the box. The referee disallowed the goal as offside, even though replays confirmed that Messi had been onside when Ronaldinho made the pass.

But just one minute later, the pair executed a nearly-identical move. Although Messi was under more pressure from the defense, he again sent a left-footed chip over the Albacete keeper from inside the box to push the final score to 2-0.

Barcelona proceeded to win the league that year for the first time since 1999. Messi, meanwhile, has since scored a total of 245 goals in 325 appearances, making him the top scorer in club history.