7 May 2003 - Because "The Forty-Niners" Was Already Taken

On 7 May 2003, Arsenal defeated Southampton at Highbury by the score of 6-1. That match was the first in the Gunners' record 49-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, a run which saw them claim the league title for the 2003-04 season.

Three days earlier, Arsenal had lost at home to Leeds United. That loss ensured that Arsenal would finish the season in second place behind Manchester United, thus ending their title bid. Few expected that it would be their last league loss for over a season.

The Gunners took out their frustrations on the Saints, scoring early and often. Winger Robert Pires scored the first goal in the 9th minute, on his way to a hat-trick (23', 47'). Arsenal midfielder Jermaine Pennant, making his league debut, added a hat-trick of his own in the span of ten minutes in the first half (17', 20', 26'). The match was never in doubt and Arsenal cruised to an easy victory.

Arsenal carried their momentum through the last two matches of the 2002-03 season, then through the following season, in which they won 26 of their 38 league matches, drawing the other 12. They finished that season as champions with 90 points, 11 more than runners-up Chelsea. Throughout the streak, Arsenal played 49 matches, of which they won 36, drew 13, and lost 0, earning the name "The Invincibles."

6 May 1970 - They Don't Look Very Excited, Though, Do They?

On 6 May 1970, Feyenoord became the first Dutch team to win the European Cup, beating Celtic 2-1 in the Final.

Founded in Rotterdam in 1908, Feyenoord are one of the most successful clubs in the Netherlands, rounding out the Dutch "Big Three" along with Ajax and PSV. They earned a place in the 1969-70 European Cup by winning their ninth Eredivisie title the previous season.

Feyenoord started their European campaign with a flourish, demolishing Icelandic side Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur in the first round by an aggregate score of 16-2. They faced defending champions A.C. Milan in the second round, losing the first leg in Italy 1-0, but winning the second leg 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. They repeated that pattern against A.S.K. Vorwärts Berlin, again winning 2-1 on aggregate, then beat Legia Warszawa 2-0 in the semifinal.

The Final was held at the San Siro in Milan. Celtic defender Tommy Gemmell scored first, putting the Scottish side ahead in the 29th minute. The lead was short-lived, however, as Feyenoord defender and captain Rinus Israël scored the equalizer in the 31st minute. The teams failed to score through the end of regulation, forcing the match into extra time. In the 117th minute, Feyenoord's Swedish forward Ove Kindvall scored the winning goal.

As title-holders the next season, Feyenoord were upset in the first round by Romanian side U.T.A. Arad.

5 May 1918 - The World Cup's Older Frère

On 5 May 1918, Olympique de Pantin won the inaugural Coupe de France, defeating F.C. Lyon by the score of 3-0.

Founded in a Paris suburb in 1895, Olympique de Pantin was one of 48 clubs participating in the 1917-18 tournament. On their way to the final, they beat Légion Saint-Michel (4-1), Lyon Olympique Universitaire (5-1), Club Français (3-2 aet), and C.A. Société Générale (2-1).

The final was played at Légion Saint-Michel's field in Paris before a crowd of 2,000 spectators. A. Fievet scored the first two goals for Pantin before Louis Darques added a third.

Olympique de Pantin never won another trophy, though they were runners-up in the Coupe de France in 1919 and 1921. In 1926, then known as Olympique de Paris, they merged with rival Parisian club Red Star F.C.

The competition, originally known as the Coupe Charles-Simon, was created on 15 January 1917 by the French football governing body at the time, the Comité Français Inter-fédéral. It was proposed by Henri Delaunay and supported, among others, by Jules Rimet, who went on the become the president of the French Football Federation (1919-1945) and FIFA (1921-1954), and who was the driving force behind the creation of the FIFA World Cup.

4 May 1949 - Superga

On 4 May 1949, an airplane carrying 18 members of A.C. Torino crashed into a hill outside Turin, killing all 31 passengers.

The club was founded in 1906 as part of an acrimonious split from Juventus, which led to a heated rivalry between the two sides known as the Derby della Mole.

Torino won its first Scudetto in 1928, but enjoyed their greatest success in the 1940s. From 1943 to 1948, the team called Grande Torino won four consecutive Scudettos (there were no Serie A matches in 1944 or 1945 due to World War II). The team also regularly provided the majority of the players for the Italian national team during that period. For a friendly against Hungary on 11 May 1947, all ten field players in the Azzurri starting lineup were from Torino (the goalkeeper was from Juventus).

On the day of the crash, the team were returning from Lisbon, where they had played a friendly against Benfica. The weather around Turin was poor, with rain and mist limiting visibility. As the plane approached the Turin airport, it drifted off course and crashed into a hill called Superga on the outskirts of the city. All 31 people on board died, including the 18 team members; their coach, Englishman Leslie Lievesley; his staff; the airplane's crew; and three journalists. The only Torino player not killed that day was Sauro Toma, who had missed the match against Benfica due to injury.

At the time, Torino were four points clear in Serie A with four matches left to play in the season. Torino was forced to field its youth team for the remaining matches, while its opponents fielded youth teams as well as a show of respect. Torino won all four matches to claim their fifth consecutive Scudetto, in what was certainly a small consolation for their loss. They have won only won Scudetto since, in 1976.

3 May 1998 - City On The Move

On 3 May 1998, Manchester City F.C. were relegated to England's third division.

It was their second relegation in three years, as City had just dropped from the Premier League in 1996. They went through a series of managerial changes, sacking manager Alan Ball at the start of the 1996-97 season. He was replaced by Steve Coppell, who resigned just a few weeks later, claiming that the job was too stressful. City then turned to former Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark, who led them to a 14th place finish. As City continued to struggle the following season, Clark was sacked in February 1998 and replaced by former Oldham and Everton manager Joe Royle (pictured). 

City's battle for Division One survival went down to 3 May 1998, the final day of the season. City started the day in the second bottom position with 45 points, just one point behind Port Vale, Portsmouth, and Stoke City. City defeated Stoke 5-2, but Port Vale and Portsmouth also won their matches, so that City finished third bottom, one point away from safety, and were relegated to Division Two.

Royle managed to improve City's fortunes, earning immediate promotion back to Division One in 1999 and then to the Premier League in 2000, but was sacked in 2001 as City slipped back down to Division One.

2 May 1962 - That's A Hat-Trick Gone To Waste

On 2 May 1962, Benfica defeated Real Madrid 5-3 in Amsterdam to claim their second consecutive European Cup.

1962 was the seventh season of the prestigious competition and the Final matched the only two clubs with European Cup trophies in their cabinets - Real Madrid won the first five tournaments, while Benfica had won the previous year's cup, defeating Barcelona 3-2.

Real were heavy favorites, having moved through the tournament with relative ease. In the preliminary round, they defeated Hungarian side Vasas 5-1 on aggregate, then overwhelmed Denmark's Boldklubben 1913 in the first round by the aggregate score of 12-0. Their only real test leading up to the Final was against Juventus, who held them to a 1-1 draw, but then lost 3-1 to Real in the ensuing play-off. Real returned to form in the semifinals, beating Standard Liège 6-0.

Benfica's road was nearly as smooth, with a 6-2 first-round defeat of Austria Vienna, a 7-3 win over Nuremberg in the second round, and a 4-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the semifinals.

In the Final, Real took an early lead as their Hungarian forward Ferenc Puskás scored goals in the 17th and 23rd minutes. Benfica pulled even after goals from José Águas (25') and Domiciano Cavém (34'), but Puskás completed his hat trick with a goal in the 38th minute.

The scoring pace continued in the second half, as Benfica's Mário Coluna scored an equalizer in the 51st minute. Then came Eusébio. Benfica's soon-to-be legendary forward, making his first European Cup Final appearance, put Benfica ahead for the first time when he scored in the 65th minute. He scored again three minutes later to seal the win for the Portuguese side.

Benfica has appeared in the Finals five more times, finishing as runners-up each time. Real went on to win four more European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, most recently in 2002, and is playing for another title when they meet Atlético Madrid in this year's final in Lisbon on 24 May.

1 May 2002 - Diamonds In The Rough

On 1 May 2002, Scottish First Division club Airdrieonians F.C. officially went out of business due to crippling debts.

The club, commonly known as Airdrie and nicknamed the Red Diamonds, began in 1878 as Excelsior F.C., but changed its name to Airdrieonians in 1881 to reflect the North Lanarkshire town of Airdrie in which it was based. They joined the Scottish League as a member of the Second Division and regularly moved between the top two flights.

Airdrie won the Second Division title three times, in 1903, 1955, and 1974, and also won the Scottish Challenge Cup three times, first in 1995, then in their last two seasons, 2001 and 2002. They also qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup after finishing as runner-up to Rangers in the 1992 Scottish Cup Final. Their greatest success, however, was winning the Scottish Cup in 1924, beating Hibernian 2-0.

At the time they went out of business, Airdrie had just missed out on promotion to the Scottish Premier League, finishing in 2nd place of the then second-tier First Division. The club's debts had been steadily rising, however, and Airdrie had been in administration for the previous two years. By 1 May 2002, administrator KPMG had failed to find a buyer for the club and ordered it to shut its doors.

Their last match was away to Ayr United on 27 April 2002, but was abandoned by the referee when Airdrie supporters staged a protest pitch invasion, breaking the crossbar of one of the goals. The match was never replayed, but was officially recorded as a 1-0 loss for Airdrie.

In 2002, ardent Airdrie supporter Jim Ballantyne purchased Second Division side Clydebank F.C., relocated it to Airdrie, and renamed it Airdrie United. In 2013, the club took the name Airdrieonians.