30 June 2002 - The Worst Team In The World

On 30 June 2002, while Germany and Brazil met in the World Cup Final, Montserrat and Bhutan faced off to determine which one of them was the worst team in the world.

The match, a friendly, was the idea of Dutch filmmaker Johan Kramer. When the Netherlands failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, he decided to make a movie about the world's two worst teams. He chose Montserrat and Bhutan, who, at the time, were the two lowest-placed teams in the FIFA world rankings.

The match was played before a crowd of 25,000 at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan. It wasn't much of a contest--Bhutan won 4-0 with a hat-trick from forward Wangay Dorji (4', 67', 78') and a goal from Dinesh Chetri (76').

Kramer's film, titled The Other Final, went on to win Best Documentary at the 2003 Avignon Film Festival and the Documentary Prize-Special Mention at the 2003 Burmuda International Film Festival.

29 June 2003 - A Saadi Day For Perugia

On 29 June 2003, Perugia announced their new signing, a forward who also happened to be the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Saadi Gaddafi started his career in Libya with Al-Ahly Tripoli in 2000, but moved across town in 2001 to Al-Ittihad. That year, he was named Libyan striker of the year and went on to score 20 goals for Al-Ittihad in 74 league appearances.

In mid-June 2003, Gaddafi started training with Perugia. Then, on the 29th, the club announced that they had signed him to a two-year contract. In order to join them, however, he first had resign from the board at Juventus and relinquish his shares in the Turin club. The move immediately drew criticism as a publicity stunt, but Perugia president Luciano Gaucci claimed the move was made for football reasons, saying "Above all, I believe in him as a person and in his ability as a player."

His ability never really manifested, however, and Gaddafi made only one appearance for Perugia in two seasons. And that appearance came after he served a three-month ban for testing positive for steroids. In 2005, he moved to Udinese for a season, but again made only a single appearance before moving on to Sampdoria (where he made no appearances), then retiring in 2007.

28 June 1999 - Palmeiras Get Their Hands On The Cup

On 28 June 1999, Palmeiras won their first (and to date only) Copa Libertadores, beating Deportivo Cali on penalties. The win concluded Brazil's domination of the tournament in the 1990s, with six out of ten titles.

Palmeiras had to go through two Brazilian teams to reach the final, including defending champions Vasco da Gama in the Round of 16 and rivals Corinthians in the quarterfinals. They then beat River Plate over two legs in the semifinals to advance to the final. Meanwhile, Deportivo Cali reached the final over Colo-Colo, Bella Vista, and Cerro Porteño.

The final was played over two legs, with Deportivo Cali winning 1-0 at home thanks to a 42nd-minute goal from striker Víctor Bonilla. For the second leg, the teams met at the Estádio Palestra Itália in São Paulo, where a crowd of 32,000 gathered to watch.

After a scoreless first half, Palmeiras went ahead with a penalty kick in the 65th minute, but Deportivo Cali equalized five minutes later with a penalty kick of their own. Penalties would go on to decide the title, after Palmeiras forward Oséas Reis dos Santos scored the final goal of regulation in the 76th minute to level the series at one win each. From there, the match went into a shootout, which Palmeiras won 4-3.

27 June 1984 - For France, There's No Place Like Home

On 27 June 1984, France won their first international trophy, beating Spain 2-0 in the Final of the European Championship. Perhaps not coincidentally, France hosted the tournament.

Les Bleus had enjoyed some prior international success, finishing in third at the 1958 World Cup, fourth in the 1982 World Cup, and fourth at the 1960 European Championship, but had not reached a final. That changed in 1984, when, as hosts of that year's European Championship and led by midfielder Michel Platini, they successfully navigated through their first-round group, winning all three matches. Platini scored in all three and recorded hat-tricks in two of them. In the semi-finals, they defeated Portugal in extra time thanks to a 119th-minute Platini goal to advance to the final against Spain.

The final was played before a capacity crowd of 47,368 at the Parc des Prince in Paris. After a scoreless first half, Platini struck again with a 57th-minute goal to give France the lead. Platini's tournament-best ninth goal, it came from a free kick that slipped through the hands of Spanish keeper Luis Arconada. Striker Bruno Bellone sealed the win with a 90th-minute goal.

In 1998, France claimed their second international trophy by winning the World Cup, which they also hosted. Two years later, they won their first international trophy on foreign soil, beating Italy in the European Championship final in Rotterdam.

26 June 2006 - The Great Swiss Wind-Up

On 26 June 2006, Switzerland set a couple of World Cup records. Unfortunately for them, however, neither of them was one they wanted to set.

The Swiss had surprised most observers by winning their first-round group with a scoreless draw against France and a couple of 2-0 victories over Togo and South Korea. That performance sent them through to the Round of 16, where they met the Ukraine.

Playing before a crowd of 45,000 in Cologne, the two teams were locked in a defensive struggle. The Ukraine's best chance came from Andriy Shevchenko, who sent a header off the bar, while Switzerland's Alexander Frei also hit the woodwork. But nobody managed to find the back of the net through extra time, so the match went to a penalty shootout.

Shevchenko took the first kick, but sent it right into the arms of Swiss keeper Pascal Zuberbuehler. Switzerland's euphoria was short-lived, however, as their first shooter, Marco Streller, did the same. Then, after Ukraine converted their next two kicks, Switzerland proceeded to miss theirs, sending one over the bar and the other right to Ukraine keeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy (pictured). Ukrainian midfielder Oleh Husyev then scored on the next kick to send the Ukraine through, 0-0 (3-0).

The result earned Switzerland the dubious distinction of becoming the first team to get eliminated from the World Cup without conceding a single goal. They also became the first team in a World Cup to miss all of their kicks in a penalty shootout.

25 June 1960 - Buchan's Goodbye

On 25 June 1960, former Sunderland and Arsenal forward Charlie Buchan died in Monte Carlo at the age of 68. One of the best footballers of his age, he is also remembered for his post-playing career as a football journalist and editor of Charlie Buchan's Football Monthly.

Born in Plumstead, London, Buchan began his career in 1909 as an amateur with Woolwich Arsenal, but left the club over a disagreement with the manager about expenses. In 1911, he signed with Sunderland and proceeded to win the league with them in 1913. That same year, Sunderland advanced to the FA Cup Final, but lost to Aston Villa 1-0.

Buchan made 370 league appearances for Sunderland between 1911 and 1925 (a period interrupted by World War I), and was their leading scorer in seven of those seasons. In 1925, he returned to Arsenal (who had dropped the "Woolwich" by then). He returned to the FA Cup Final with them in 1927, but was again on the losing side.

By the time he retired in 1928, he had scored 257 league goals, making him the Football League's all-time sixth-highest goalscorer. But he contributed more than goals, helping Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman develop the influential new W-M formation that led to great success for the Gunners in the 1930s.

After his playing days ended, he turned to journalism, writing for the Daily News and co-founding the Football Writer's Association. In September 1951, he started Charlie Buchan's Football Monthly, which ran until June 1974, fourteen years after his death.

24 June 2004 - Ricardo Rises To The Occasion

On 24 June 2004, goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira was the hero of the day, first saving a kick from England's Darius Vassell in a penalty shootout, then converting the next kick to send Portugal through to the Euro 2004 semifinals.

Playing before a crowd of 65,000 at Lisbon's Estádio da Luz, England led for most of the match thanks to a 3rd-minute goal from striker Michael Owen. But in the 83rd minute, substitute striker Hélder Postiga equalized for the hosts to send the match into extra time. There, the two teams traded goals from Rui Costa (110') and Frank Lampard (115') to force a decision by penalty shootout.

The first kick was taken by England's David Beckham, who, in a shocking miss, sent the ball well over the bar (later reports claimed he had slipped a bit on the sandy pitch). But England were handed a reprieve five kicks later as Rui Costa also drove his shot over. After six kicks each, the teams were level at 5-5. Darius Vassell then stepped up to the spot for England, having come on as a first-half substitute for an injured Wayne Rooney.

Vassell fired the ball to Ricardo's left, but the keeper--who had inexplicably removed his gloves before the kick--guessed correctly and pushed it away. He then stepped up to take his own attempt and confidently blasted it to the right of England keeper David James and into the bottom corner. Portugal won 2-2 (6-5) and advanced, making it all the way to the Final where they lost to Greece.

Ricardo and Portugal beat England again in a penalty shootout during the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup, winning 0-0 (1-3).