8 December 1929 - The Beginning Of A Beautiful Rivalry

On 8 December 1929, Lazio and Roma faced off for the first time, with Roma winning thanks to a late goal from striker Rodolfo Volk.

Tensions existed between the two teams even before that first match. Roma were founded in 1927, consolidating three other clubs based in the Italian capital in an effort to build a team that could compete with the more powerful northern clubs. Lazio, founded in 1900, resisted inclusion in that group, the only major team from Rome to do so.

Their first meeting was a Serie A match, played at Lazio's Campo Rondinella. Roma claimed victory as Volk's 73rd-minute goal was the only one of the day. Since then, they have played a total of 169 times, with Roma winning 48 to Lazio's 35. Roma have dominated the derby recently, winning seven of the last ten, but Lazio took the most recent honors with a 2-1 victory in October 2011. They also hold the record for the longest winning streak, taking six consecutive matches from 1950 to 1953.

The rivalry--known as the Derby della Capitale--has become one of the more heated derbies in football, with several incidents of violence on both sides. The worst moment came in 1979, when a Roma supporter fired a flare into the crowd, killing Lazio supporter Vincenzo Paparelli.

16 September 1979 - A Good Day To Tie

On 16 September 1979, the Serie A season kicked off with eight matches, seven of which ended in draws.

Goals were at a premium that day, as eleven of the sixteen teams in action failed to find the net, resulting in five scoreless draws: Ascoli-Napoli, Avellino-Lazio, Cagliari-Torino, Perugia-Catanzaro, and Roma-Milan. The other ineffective attack came from Pescara, who were on the wrong end of the day's only unbalanced result, losing 2-0 to Inter.

There were also two score draws, both of which ended 1-1: Fiorentina-Udinese and Juventus-Bologna.

Other leagues have experienced similar days, with eight draws out of eleven English First Division matches on 10 September 1966 and eight draws out of ten matches in the thirteenth round of the Argentine Clausura (though the matches occurred over a period of three days). On a percentage basis, the record goes to Scotland, with draws in all six Premier Division matches played on 22 January 1994.

[Special thanks to the Guardian's John Ashdown for the information, published in his Knowledge column on 3 May 2011.]

28 July 1925 - Before Forlan and Suarez, There Was Schiaffino

On 28 July 1925, Juan Alberto "Pepe" Schiaffino was born in Montevideo. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to come out of Uruguay, he went on to star for Peñarol and AC Milan and played for both the Uruguayan and Italian national teams.

He began his professional career in 1943 with his hometown team, Peñarol, and stayed with them for twelve seasons. An inside forward and a gifted passer, he scored 88 goals in 227 league appearances for the club and helped them to six national titles (1944, 1945, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954). During that time, he also made his first full international appearance, playing for Uruguay in a 1-1 draw with Argentina in December 1945.

He scored eight goals for Uruguay in 23 appearances and starred for them in two World Cups, including the 1950 World Cup title match against Brazil, which Uruguay went on to win, 2-1, after Schiaffino scored the equalizer in dramatic fashion.

In 1954, he moved to AC Milan for the then-world record fee of £72,000. He was an instant success in Italy, scoring a brace on his debut and leading Milan to the 1955 Scudetto, the first of four league titles in his six seasons there. In 1958, he scored the opening goal of the European Cup Final, though Milan eventually lost to Real Madrid 3-2 after extra time. When he moved to Milan, he also moved his national team allegiance to Italy, making four appearances for them between 1954 and 1958.

He finished his playing career with Roma, where he played from 1960 to 1962. He later returned to Uruguay, where he went on to manage both the national team (1974-75) and Peñarol (1975-76).

He died in 2002, shortly after being named Uruguay's Player of the Century.

20 July 2007 - Totti Gave Tutti

On 20 July 2007, midfielder Francesco Totti formally announced his retirement from the Italian national team, leaving them with 58 caps and one World Cup trophy.

Totti joined the senior side in 1998 after winning the UEFA U-21 European Championship two years earlier. He proved instrumental in Italy's Euro 2000 campaign and was named man of the match for the final, despite losing to France. His next two major tournaments did not go as well, with Totti getting ejected in Italy's second-round loss to South Korea in the 2002 World Cup, then receiving a three-match ban after spitting on Denmark's Christian Poulsen in the opening match of Euro 2004 as Italy were eliminated in the group stage.

He almost missed the 2006 World Cup after fracturing his fibula in February 2006, but recovered from the injury in time and played in every match for Italy. He started every match except against Australia in the Round of 16, where he came on as a substitute to score the match-winning goal from the penalty spot in the 5th minute of stoppage time. His performances earned him a spot on the tournament's All-Star team.

He debated retiring from international duty after the World Cup, but held off on the decision for over a year before finally stepping down to concentrate on his upcoming Serie A season with Roma. Although Totti suffered a season-ending knee injury in June 2007, Roma went on to win the Coppa Italia, making Totti the most successful captain in club history.

25 February 2005 - Apparently, Thomas Wolfe Was Right

On 25 February 2005, Valencia sacked manager Claudio Ranieri after only eight months into a three-year contract, proving the adage "you can't go home again."

It was Ranieri's second stint at the Estadio Mestalla. He had first joined the club in July 1997 and soon delivered their first major silverware in 18 years with the 1998 Intertoto Cup, followed by the 1999 Copa del Rey. In June 1999, he left to join Valencia's league rival Atlético Madrid.

His time in Madrid was less successful; Ranieri resigned in March 2000 amid rumors of his imminent sacking while Atlético ended the season with relegation. He landed at Chelsea in September 2000 and guided the Londoners to a second-place league finish in 2004, their best position in the final table in 49 years. But he was not around for long to enjoy their newfound success, as he was sacked in May 2004 by owner Roman Abramovich.

Ranieri then returned to Valencia in June 2004, but was unable to recapture his prior magic. A strong start soon gave way to a slump in October. Supporters criticized his tactics, claiming he failed to settle on an established rotation. By February 2005, Valencia had been eliminated from European competition and, even though they were in sixth place in La Liga, the club chose to part ways with their once-loved manager.

Since then, he has taken charge of Parma (2007), Juventus (2007-09), and Roma (2009-11). He resigned from Roma earlier this month after a string of three defeats dropped them from fourth place to eighth in Serie A.

10 April 2007 - The Red Devils Roll A Lucky Seven

On 10 April 2007, Manchester United staged a dramatic Champions League quarterfinal turnaround, overcoming a 2-1 first leg deficit by beating Roma 7-1 in the second leg and advancing 8-3 on aggregate.

The Italians entered the match at Old Trafford brimming with confidence. They had dominated United for most of the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico in a match that ended 2-1, but could have been much worse for the English side, who also saw midfielder Paul Scholes sent off in the first half of that match after receiving two yellow cards.

United, however, quickly dispelled any notions that they were going to roll over in the second leg, as midfielder Michael Carrick and forwards Alan Smith and Wayne Rooney scored three early first-half goals in quick succession (Carrick 12', Smith 17', Rooney 19'). Stunned, Roma pushed forward in attack, only to leave their defense exposed. Cristiano Ronaldo took advantage of the space, scoring goals on either side of the break (44', 49') to push the lead to 5-0.

Carrick completed his brace with a 60th-minute rocket to make it 6-0 before Roma finally drew blood with a 69th-minute shot from Daniele de Rossi. Roma's humiliation was complete in the 81st minute, as United back Patrice Evra knocked a low shot past keeper Doni to complete the final scoreline of 7-1.

The win set up a semifinal match-up against AC Milan, who beat United 3-5 on aggregate on their way to winning their seventh European Cup/Champions League title.

26 February 2006 - Like A Nigel Tufnel Amp, Roma Goes To Eleven

On 26 February 2006, AS Roma set an Italian record by winning their eleventh consecutive league match. Even better for the Giallorossi, they set the record against bitter derby rivals Lazio at the clubs' shared stadium, the Stadio Olimpico.

The streak started on 21 December 2005 with a 4-0 home win over Chievo. Roma were sitting eighth in the Serie A table at the time, but had risen to fourth by the time they faced Lazio in the Derby della Capitale. For their part, Lazio were hopeful of ending Roma's winning run, having earned a 1-1 draw against their rivals earlier in the season. They drew further optimism from the fact that Roma captain and talisman Francesco Totti, who had scored eight goals in the run's previous ten matches, was unable to play due to injury.

As it turned out, however, Roma didn't need him. With Totti watching from the stands, Brazilian winger Amantino Mancini (pictured) provided the creative spark, first delivering a corner that his fellow Brazilian, midfielder Rodrigo Taddei, tapped into the net to put the visitors ahead in the 31st minute. In the second half, Mancini danced the ball into the Lazio box before laying it off for midfielder Alberto Aquilani to slot home in the 63rd minute. The home side were unable to penetrate the Roma defense, which held on for their eighth clean sheet of the streak.

The victory broke the previous Italian record of ten consecutive wins, set by Juventus in the 1931-32 season, then matched once by Bologna (1963-64) and twice by Milan (1950-51, 1989-90). Roma's record would not last as long, however, as Inter smashed it the next season, winning 17 straight. Coincidentally, Inter were the ones to end Roma's winning streak at 11 with a 1-1 draw on 5 March 2006.

10 October 1998 - Totti Gets Capped

On 10 October 1998, Roma midfielder/second striker Francesco Totti earned his first cap for Italy in a 2-0 win over Switzerland in a Euro 2000 qualifer.

Totti, who was born in Rome in 1976, has played his entire club career for hometown club Roma, whom he joined as a youth player in 1989. By the time the 22-year old Totti received his first call-up to Italy's senior side, he had already won international honors for his country, claiming the 1996 UEFA U-21 European Championship.

In the Euro 2000 tournament, Totti helped the Azzurri reach the Final, contributing a goal to their 2-0 win over Belgium in the group stage, another in their 2-0 win over Romania in the first knockout round, and a penalty kick in their 0-0 (1-3) win over Holland in the semi-finals. Italy lost to France 2-1 in the Final, however, after French striker David Trezeguet scored the golden goal in the 103rd minute. Totti's play earned him inclusion in the 23-player UEFA Team of the Tournament.

Totti and Italy got their revenge on France six years later when they defeated Les Bleus in the 2006 World Cup Final, Totti's last match for Italy. In all, he made 58 appearances for the Azzurri, scoring 9 goals.