23 January 1939 - The Mysterious Death Of Matthias Sindelar

On 23 January 1939, 35-year old Austrian star forward Matthias Sindelar was found dead, along with his girlfriend, Camilla Castagnola, at her Vienna apartment. Although the official records attribute their deaths to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, rumors persist of murder and suicide.

Nicknamed "the Paper Man" due to his height and slim build, Sindelar spent his entire professional career with FK Austria Vienna, joining them in 1924. He debuted for the Austrian national team in September 1926, scoring a goal in a 2-1 win over Czechoslovakia. He soon became an integral member of the Wunderteam, winning the 1932 Central European International Cup, taking silver in the 1936 Summer Olympics, and finishing fourth at the 1934 World Cup. In all, Sindelar made 43 official appearances for Austria, scoring 27 goals.

Following Austria's annexation by Germany in 1938, Sindelar declined to play for the new unified team despite repeated requests by German manager Sepp Herberger. Although he cited age as the basis for his refusal, others took it as a sign of protest against the Nazi regime. Thus, when he was found dead a few months later, conspiracy theories ran rampant. Some suggested that he committed suicide in order to avoid Nazi persecution, while others suggested that he and Castagnola had been murdered by the Nazis for harboring Jewish sympathies.

While one the two chimneys in Castagnola's apartment was known to be defective, making carbon monoxide poisoning the most likely explanation for their deaths, one of Sindelar's friends gave a 2005 interview suggesting otherwise. In 2005, a BBC documentary crew spoke with Egon Ulbrich, a longtime friend of Sindelar's, who claimed that a Vienna official had been bribed to record the deaths as accidental. According to Ulbrich, Nazi rules prevented state funerals for victims or murder or suicide, so the declaration of Sindelar's death as accidental ensured that he could be buried with full honors.

[For more on the deaths of Sindelar and Castagnola, see the excellent Soccernet story by Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger here.]

4 December 1933 - Arsenal Guns Down The Wunderteam

On 4 December 1933, Arsenal faced off against the Austrian Wunderteam and won, 4-2.

Guided by manager Hugo Meisl and captain Matthias Sidelar (pictured), Austria were one of Europe's most dominant teams of the 1930s, earning the nickname "Wunderteam." They rattled off a 14-game unbeaten streak in 1931-32, including routs of Scotland (5-0), Germany (6-0, 5-0), and Hungary (8-2). They also won the 1932 Central European International Cup with a 4-2 victory over Italy in the final.

Arsenal, meanwhile, were enjoying a successful period of their own, having recently won the 1930 FA Cup and the 1931 and 1933 league titles under manager Herbert Chapman.

Chapman was friends with Meisl, prompting the friendly. But FA rules prohibited English clubs from playing international sides, so Austria arrived at Highbury for the match thinly disguised as FC Vienna. The Times called it a "thrilling match," with Arsenal taking a 3-1 lead before the teams swapped late goals to finish the day 4-2.

Austria went on to finish fourth in the 1934 World Cup, then went into decline after the death of Meisl in 1937. Arsenal proceeded to win the league title in 1934, but manager Herbert Chapman was not there to see it, as he died on 6 January 1934, just over a month after the win over Austria.

22 December 1912 - Meisl The Mastermind

On 22 December 1912, Hugo Meisl made his debut as manager of Austria with a 1-3 victory over Italy in Genoa. The win presaged a successful reign, as Meisl built Austra into one of the world's greatest teams.

Born in Bohemia in 1881, Meisl began his football career as an administrator with the Austrian Football Association, where he rose to the position of General Secretary before becoming manager of the national team. His first spell in charge lasted only two years, as he left to serve five years in World War I. But he resumed the position in 1919 after the war's end.

Austria's greatest period came during the early 1930s, when they enjoyed a 14-match unbeaten run. Christened the "Wunderteam," that Austrian side dominated European competition, led by their talismanic center forward Matthias Sindelar. They entered the 1934 World Cup as favorites, but lost to eventual winners Italy in the semifinals, 1-0.

Meisl remained with Austria until his death from a heart attack in 1937. In that time, he ammassed a record of 71 wins, 30 draws, and 32 losses.

8 June 1958 - The Journey Of Five World Cup Trophies Starts With A Single Win

On 8 June 1958, Brazil started their World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Austria before a crowd of 17,778 at the Rimnersvallen in Uddevalla, Sweden. It was the first step toward securing the first of their record five World Cup trophies.

The Austrians were optimistic, having advanced to the semifinals in 1954, but were overwhelmed from the start by the Brazilians' free-flowing attack. Forward José Altafini, better known as "Mazzola," scored the first goal with blast from distance in the 37th minute, then defender Nílton Santos, playing in an advanced position, blew past an Austrian defender in the 50th minute and chipped the ball over the diving keeper to put Brazil up 2-0. Mazzola rifled the final shot in the 85th minute to complete the win.

It was a powerful performance, especially considering that Brazil left Pelé, Garrincha, and Vavá on the bench. All were instrumental throughout the remainder of the tournament, which ended with Brazil winning the Final 2-5 over hosts Sweden.

12 October 1902 - After The Match, Johann Dropped The "Nicka"

On 12 October 1902, Austria defeated Hungary 5-0 in a Vienna friendly. It was the first match for both national sides and the first international match in history to feature two non-British teams.

The match was played at the ground of Wiener A.C. and the Viennese club's players scored all five goals in the Austrian victory. Striker Josef Taurer put the Austrians ahead with a goal in the 5th minute, then striker Johann Studnicka (pictured) added a second in the 10th minute. Studnicka and Gustav Huber then extended the lead to 4-0 before Studnicka scored the final goal to complete his hat-trick.

Eventually, both sides went on to claim glory as two of Europe's most successful teams. Austria's "Wunderteam" rose to prominence in the 1930s, winning the 1932 Central European Cup (the predecessor of the European Championship), while Hungary's "Golden Team" went on a 50-match unbeaten run between 1950 and 1957 and won the gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics.

12 September 1990 - The Role of "David" Will Be Played Today By The Faroe Islands

On 12 September 1990, the Faroe Islands shocked the international football community by defeating Austria 1-0 in a qualifying match for the 1992 UEFA European Championship.

Located between Scotland and Iceland in the North Atlantic, the Faroes are an autonomous province of Denmark, with whom they have been affiliated politically since the year 1380. Their current population is estimated to be just under 50,000.

The Faroe Islands national team started in 1930, but only joined FIFA and UEFA in 1988. Thus the match against Austria was their first match in a competitive tournament.

Although it was a home match for the Faroes, it was played in Sweden because the Faroe Islands had no grass pitch. The teams were deadlocked until the 61st minute, when Faroese midfielder Torkil Nielsen eluded an attempted tackle and shot the ball past the Austrian keeper into the bottom of the net from 17 yards out. The Islanders defense held strong to preserve the 1-0 win.

Despite the auspicious start to the campaign, the Faroes failed to qualify, managing only one other point (a 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland). They finished at the bottom of the group, behind Yugoslavia, Denmark, Northern Ireland and Austria.

The Faroe Islands continue to compete in FIFA and UEFA, but have yet to qualify for a major tournament.