On 7 February 1891, Ireland beat Wales 7-2 to record only their second-ever victory--almost four years after the first one.
The Irish FA was founded in 1880 and fielded their first side in 1882, making them the fourth country to produce a national team (after England, Scotland, and Wales). That first match did not augur good things, however, as Ireland were on the wrong end of a 13-0 pounding by England. They finally got their very first victory in March 1887, beating Wales 4-1.
By 1891, Ireland had returned to form, losing 11 consecutive matches (including a crushing 11-0 defeat to Wales in 1888). The last two defeats in that run of futility came in the 1891 British Home Championship, where the Irish lost a close 2-1 decision to Scotland, then fell to England 6-1. So there was little reason for optimism other than the fact that Wales had performed almost as poorly, suffering their own losses to Scotland (4-3) and England (6-1).
On the day, however, Ireland overwhelmed the visiting Welsh team with a four goals from forward Olphie Stanfield en route to a dominant 7-2 victory. The Irish team that day included Ulster half-back Jack Reynolds (pictured), whose play attracted the attention of West Brom. After moving to the Hawthorns later that year, Reynolds revealed that he had been born in England. He subsequently switched to the English national team and remains the only person to play for both nations.
On 6 February 1965, Sir Stanley Matthews made the last of his 704 English league appearances. He was 50 years old.
A talented outside right forward known equally for his sportsmanship and dedication to fitness, Matthews played in England for an incredible 30 seasons. He spent the first 11 of them with Stoke City, joining the Potters in 1931 when they were in the Second Division and helping lead them to promotion in 1933. In 1947, at the age of 32, he moved to Blackpool for a fee of £11,500.
There, partnered with center forward Stan Mortensen, he advanced to the 1948 FA Cup Final, but lost. After finishing as runners-up again in 1951, they finally claimed the Cup in 1953 with a dramatic 4-3 win over Bolton in a match that has been dubbed "the Matthews Final" (even though Mortensen scored three of Blackpool's goals).
In 1961, the then-46 year old Matthews returned to Stoke, who had fallen back into the Second Division in his absence. He again helped them earn promotion in 1963, making 31 appearances that year. But age began to take its toll at last and he was reduced to 9 appearances in 1963-64 and had not played at all in the 1964-65 season until called upon for the match against Fulham on 6 February.
He took the field at 50 years old--the oldest player to appear in the English top flight--and lifted Stoke to a 3-1 victory. It was his only appearance of the season, after which he became the manager of Maltese side Hibernians.
On 5 February 1985, three-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Portugal.
A right winger, Ronaldo started his professional career in 2002 with Lisbon's Sporting CP. Only 16, he broke into the first team that year, making a total of 31 appearances and scoring 5 goals. In a friendly against Manchester United in the summer of 2003, he so impressed the opposing player that they urged manager Alex Ferguson to sign him. Ferguson complied, bringing Ronaldo to Manchester for £12.24 million.
Although frequently criticized by opposing fans and the media for simulation, Ronaldo blossomed at United, making 40 appearances in his first season as United lifted the FA Cup. More silverware followed, including three straight league titles (2007, 2008, 2009) and the UEFA Champions League trophy (2008). In the double-winning 2007-08 season, he scored a career-best 41 goals in all competitions and won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.
In the summer of 2009, he consummated a year-long courtship with Spanish giants Real Madrid, who paid a world-record £80 million to pull him away from United. Since then, he's made 328 appearances for them and scored 343 goals, while winning La Liga in 2012 and the Champions League in 2014. He also won the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014.
On 4 February 1917, Barcelona hosted their first-ever testimonial match in honor of midfielder Ramón Torralba.
Torralba, nicknamed "la Vella" (the Old One), joined the club in 1913 and became a regular starter by his second season. A holding midfielder, he was partnered with Agustín Sancho and Josep Samitier in what many consider to be Barça's best-ever midfield. Together, they the Copa del Rey five times (1920, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1928), with Torralba retiring after the last one.
Testimonial matches are ways for clubs to raise money to reward highly-regarded players. Torralba was still an active player for his 1917 testimonial match, played against fellow Barcelona side Terrassa. Barça won, 6-2.
Torralba received a second testimonial upon his retirement in 1928, having played 475 matches for the team.
On 3 February 1960, Tottenham Hotspur secured their record win, a 13-2 victory over Crewe Alexandra in a Fourth Round FA Cup replay. It is also Crewe's record loss.
The fact that the tie had gone to a replay was surprising, since, at the time of the original match, Crewe were sitting 16th in Division Four--83 places below Spurs, who were at the top of the First Division. But Crewe managed to hold the league leaders to a 2-2 draw on 30 January, forcing a replay at White Hart Lane.
There, the hosts wasted no time in establishing their dominance. By the 30th minute, Spurs had a 6-1 lead which they extended to 10-1 by the break en route to the final score of 13-2. Inside forward Les Allen had the day's highest tally with 5, followed by center forward Bobby Smith (4), winger Cliff Jones (3), and inside forward Tommy Harmer (1).
Unfortunately, Spurs were not as prolific in the next round where they lost to Blackburn, 1-3. They got their reward the following season, however, winning a league and FA Cup double (including another Fourth Round victory over Crewe in the FA Cup by the relatively modest score of 5-1).
On 2 February 2004, K-League side Anyang LG Cheetahs returned to their former home of Seoul, but not without controversy.
Originally founded in 1983 as Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso FC, the club was first based in the Chungcheong region. But in 1990, they moved to Seoul as part of a K-League initiative to improve the league's attendances and overall financial health. Two others teams joined them in Seoul. It was a successful move for Lucky-Goldstar, who won the league that year. The following year, they changed their name to the LG Cheetahs.
In 1996, the K-League reversed its position in favor of a decentralization policy, forcing all three Seoul-based clubs out of the capital. LG Cheetahs moved to Anyang, where they won the 2000 league title as finishing as runners-up in the 2001-02 Asian Club Cup. But after the 2002 World Cup, the K-League again reversed itself, deciding that it needed a club to fill the Seoul World Cup Stadium. The Cheetahs pushed for selection, spurred by their owners, the LG Group, who saw it as an opportunity to improve their marketing presence in the city.
Local supporters were incensed by the decision, however, and formed protest groups. LG still pushed the move through, but as a conciliatory measure toward supporters in Anyang and Seoul, it change the name of the club to FC Seoul. They continue to enjoy success, winning the league in 2010 and 2012, and are the current FA Cup holders.
On 1 February 2006, Blackburn winger David Bentley became the first person to score a hat-trick against Manchester United in the Premier League as Rovers won 4-3.
The match was Bentley's first as an official Blackburn player--he signed with them the day before after spending the first half of the season with them on loan from Arsenal. Playing at home before a crowd of 25,484, he celebrated the move by putting Rovers ahead in the 35th minute, finishing off a free kick that United keeper Edwin van der Sar tipped onto the bar.
United striker Louis Saha returned the favor in the 37th minute, but a poor clearance from Rio Ferdinand allowed Bentley to double his tally four minutes later. Rovers extended the lead to 3-1 before the break when Lucas Neill converted a 45th-minute penalty kick. Then, in the 56th minute, Robbie Savage found Bentley unmarked in the United box; the winger took the chance, claiming the first hat-trick against United since QPR's David Bailey did it in January 1992 when the top flight was still called Division One.
United's Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had come on as a second-half substitute, scored a brace of his own in the 63rd and 68th minutes, but the rally ended when referee Phil Dowd sent Ferdinand off in the 88th minute--Ferdinand's first career red card, earned by having drawn a second yellow card for a challenge on Savage that left the Welshman with a gash on his shin.
The win completed a Blackburn double over United that season, which ended with Rovers in sixth place and United in second.
On 7 February 1891, Ireland beat Wales 7-2 to record only their second-ever victory--almost four years after the first one.
