The one and only German to play for Manchester United in the Premier League was holding midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was signed for the Red Devils by Louis van Gaal, on a three-year contract, on July 13, 2015. Schweinsteiger made his Premier League debut on August 8, 2015, replacing Michael after an hour during a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in the opening match of the 2015/16 season.
However, he subsequently fell out of favour with José Mourinho, who replaced van Gaal on May 27, 2016 and was, at one point, banished to training with the under-23 squad, thereby limiting his opportunities for first-team football. All told, Schweinsteiger made just 18 appearances for the Manchester United first team, before completing a move to Chicago Fire on March 21, 2017, where he remained until his retirement from professional football on Pctober 8, 2019.
Bavarian town of Kolbermoor, near Munich, on August 1, 1984, Schweinsteiger originally signed for Bayern Munich as a 14-year-old, but went on to become a mainstay of the senior first team, making 500 competitive appearances and earning himself the nickname of ‘Fußballgott’ or, in English, ‘Football God’. At international level, he was similarly ever-present, making 121 appearances for the German national between 2004 and 2016. Former manager Joachim Löw, who led Germany to victory in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, said that Schweinsteiger was ‘certainly one of the greatest players Germany has had’.
To avoid any confusion, two other German players, midfielder Markus Neumayr and goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler were on the books at Old Trafford, between 2003 and 2006 and 2005 and 2008, respectively, but neither ever played for the first time, in the Premier League or elsewhere. Zieler came the closest of the pair to first team action, being named as an unused substitute in a League Cup match against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on September 23, 2008. Every fan of English Premier League can bet online sport on the 1xbet bookmaker site
In international football, it is much less common to see a less-vaunted team pick up a win over a favoured contender. International teams play just a few games every year, and when those games are competitive as opposed to friendlies, they bring their full concentration to it. While club football needs a full-season shock to really grab the attention, an international team losing to a minnow is a big deal. They can call on players from the best clubs in the world; their opponents can scratch together any eleven people with boots and a passport. And that’s why international football shocks, when they come, are talked about for decades afterwards.
North Korea 1 Italy 0, 1966
After early defeats, both teams came into this game needing a win to reach the quarter-finals. The expectation was that Italy would more or less match the 3-0 blanking that the USSR had inflicted on the North Korean side. Instead, Pak Doo-Ik fastened on to a loose ball outside the Italian penalty area just before half-time. He unleashed a shot which flew into the Italian net, and despite intense second-half pressure, that would be the game’s only goal. On returning home, the eliminated Italian squad was pelted with rotten tomatoes. North Korea for their part took a 3-0 lead in the next round against Portugal, but a dream trip to the semis was denied by a second-half Eusebio-inspired comeback and a 5-3 defeat.
Ireland 1 England 0, 1988
Ireland have played – and beaten – better teams than the 1988 version of England, but in 1988 they entered the Euros as rank outsiders, the weakest of the eight teams taking part. The goal that sealed the game came in the sixth minute, and wasn’t the best you’ll ever see. Irish attackers couldn’t get a clean cross in, but English defenders couldn’t fashion a clearance and as the ball ballooned into the Stuttgart air Ray Houghton, then of Liverpool, met it with a looping header. Peter Shilton was beaten and so, 84 minutes later, were England. Jack Charlton, a former World Cup winner with England, became an Irish national hero for masterminding the upset victory, and the story was only beginning.
Saudi Arabia 2 Argentina 1, 2022
Lionel Scaloni’s side came into the tournament as one of the favourites, and an early Leo Messi penalty seemed to herald a comfortable entry to the 2022 World Cup. As the first half went on, an unusually profligate Argentina failed to add to their lead, and they paid for it within the first ten minutes of the second half. First Saleh Al Shehri fired in an equaliser, and then a stunning curling strike from Salem Al Dawsari in the 53rd minute put the Saudis 2-1 up. Even with the 2022 World Cup’s fashion for adding on huge swathes of time after the 90 minutes had elapsed, Argentina could not find an equaliser. Still, all’s well that ends well.
For the uninitiated, the FIFA World Cup match which became known as the ‘Battle of Berne’ was the quarter-final between Hungary, a.k.a. the ‘Mighty Magyars’, and Brazil, played at the Wankdorf Stadium in Berne, Switzerland on June 27, 1954. History records that Hungary won the match 4-2, before beating Uruguay 4-2, after extra time, in the semi-final and losing 3-2 to West Germany in the final.
However, the final scoreline was no reflection of the quality of the play on the field during what was, arguably, the most eventful 90 minutes. In a match played in treacherous, rainy conditions, Hungary took an early 2-0 lead, courtesy of goals from strikers Nándor Hidegkuti and Sándor Kocsis, before Brazilian right-back Djalma Santos pulled a goal back, from the penalty spot, after 18 minutes.
The scoreline remained 2-1 until half-time but, when Hungary were awarded a penalty, scored by left-back Mihály Lantos, after an hour, all hell broke lose. The Brazilian entourage invaded the pitch and, thereafter, the match descended into a free-for-all, with cynical, professional fouls and violent conduct very much the order of the day. Brazilian striker pulled another goal back after 65 minutes but, six minutes later, Hungarian midfielder József Bozsik and Brazilian left-back Nilton Santos came to blows after a foul by the latter and both were sent off. Brazilian striker was also dismissed for violent conduct after 71 minutes.
Kocsis scored his second goal of the game after 88 minutes to seal a 4-2 victory for Hungary but, by that stage, the final score was almost immaterial. After the final whistle, the violence continued, on the pitch, in the tunnel and even in the dressing rooms but, remarkably, FIFA took no disciplinary action against either country.
The man charged with maintaining order on that fateful day was Yorkshire-born Arthur Ellis. He would later become a familiar face on the BBC television game show ‘It’s A Knockout’ but, at that time, was one of the most famous referees in England. Having awarded 42 free kicks and two penalties, and issued four cautions and three dismissals, Ellis said, ‘Whether politics and religion had something to do with it I don’t know, but they behaved like animals. It was a disgrace. It was a horrible match….My only thought was that I was determined to finish it.’
While many could have predicted the long-unbeaten Argentina side of 2022 reaching the last four in Qatar, Croatia are a different prospect. Despite being the finalists four years ago, Hrvatska have gone back the way in terms of results, playing style, and of course the age of key players. Despite the passing of time, though, the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic are still going strong.
Can the tiny Balkan nation, though, overcome an Argentina team that feels like it is playing against an act of destiny?
Argentina News
Argentina are going to feel the loss of two players – one more important than the other. The main miss is Marcos Acuna. The left-back is going to miss out with suspension, having picked up a yellow card in the brawl against the Netherlands. He will be a huge miss; his energy, power, and ability to fill in across midfield when needed makes him a very useful asset for this Argentina team.
The other miss will be Gonzalo Montiel. The full-back came on as a sub in the Netherlands game and was quickly booked, meaning that he will miss out. Argentina went for a 3-5-2 in the last game, but that was a tactical counter to the Dutch system. Expect them to return to their more traditional 4-3-3 for this one. Definitely the favourite going into this game, but the loss of Acuna could become a major detriment later.
Croatia News
Croatia will only be missing one player, Josip Stanisic, who has not even played a minute at the showpiece tournament. It is likely that goal scoring striker Bruno Petkovic will get a chance after his heroics against Brazil. However, it has to be noted that until his deflected winner Petkovic spent most of his time on the pitch losing the ball and genuinely being a nuisance to his team, not the opposition.
Zlatko Dalic is expected to stick with a Luka Modric-Marcelo Brozovic-Mateo Kovacic midfield. All three can control the ball, and as the Dutch made the Argentines suffer with possession football so can Croatia.
Verdict
It is hard to call for sure, as this should be a tight and challenging game for both sides. Extra time was played by both, and both have found relative success in penalty shootouts. We think it might go all the wa again.
Score: 1-1 (Argentina win on penalties)