27 February 1977 - Maradona Goes International

On 27 February 1977, Argentina beat Hungary 5-1 in a friendly that marked the international debut of 16-year old Diego Maradona.

At the time, Hungary had been the more successful team, with two World Cup finals (1938 and 1954), three Olympic gold medals (1952, 1964, 1968) and one silver medal (1972). But they were in decline, failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup, the 1976 Olympics, or the 1976 European Championship. Argentina, meanwhile, had reached the Olympic final in 1928 and the World Cup final in 1930, but had since done little on the global stage (they did have 12 Copa América trophies, however).

For the friendly, they met at the Bombanera in Buenos Aires, where approximately 60,000 people turned out to watch. By half time, the hosts were up 4-0 with a hat-trick from Daniel Bertoni (11', 18') and a goal from Leopoldo Luque (37'). Luque added another just after the break (47') to extend the lead to 5-0 before Hungary substitute Zombori Sándor pulled one back in the 61st minute.

One minute later, Argentina made a couple of substitutions of their own, taking Ricardo Villa off for Jorge Benítez and replacing Luque with young Argentinos Juniors midfielder Diego Maradona. It was Maradona's first appearance for Argentina and he would go on to become the country's greatest player, earning a total of 91 caps and leading them them to World Cup glory in 1986.

20 October 1968 - Lots May Be Fair, But They're Not As Exciting

A 1-1 Olympic quarterfinal draw between Bulgaria and Israel on 20 October 1968 resulted in FIFA's adoption of penalty shootouts.

The two teams met at the Nou Camp in León, Mexico. It was apparently a heated affair, as the official FIFA report of the match indicates that referee Michel Kitabdjian issued six cautions in the first minute (three to each team).

Despite boasting a strong attack that racked up the group stage's best tally of 11 goals, Bulgaria took an early lead with a 5th-minute goal from an unlikely source, Slavia Sofia defender Georgi Hristakiev. For the next 84 minutes, Hristakiev played a more traditional role as Bulgaria managed to stifle Israel's own prolific offense--they had scored 8 goals in the group stage, including a hat-trick from Hapoel Tel Aviv striker Yehoshua Feigenbaum against Ghana in their opening match.

But Feigenbaum eventually cracked the Bulgarian defense, drawing Israel level in the 89th minute and the match ended at 1-1 after 90 minutes. In order to determine which team would advance, the rules at the time required the drawing of lots. Bulgaria won and progressed to the semifinals where they beat Mexico, 2-3. They then moved on to the final, losing to Hungary 4-1.

After watching his team lose via lots, Israeli Yosef Dagan proposed to resolve draws with the modern penalty shootout, which FIFA adopted in 1970.

14 June 2009 - Spain's Better-Than-Magical Moment

On 14 June 2009, Spain beat New Zealand for their 33rd consecutive unbeaten match, surpassing the previous record of 32 set by the Magical Magyars of Hungary.

Hungary's streak ran from June 1950 to June 1954 and included the 1952 Olympic gold medal and a trip to the 1954 World Cup Final. After losing 0-1 to Romania in Cadiz on 15 November 2006, Spain started their unbeaten run on 2 February 2007, beating England in a friendly played in Manchester, 0-1. Their streak carried them through qualification for Euro 2008, then through the tournament itself, which they won by beating Germany in the Final. That was their 22nd unbeaten match.

The record-breaking match came in the FIFA Confederations Cup, played in Rustenburg, South Africa. Spain got goals from Fernando Torres (pictured) (6', 14', 17'), Cesc Fabregas (24'), and David Villa (48') en route to a comfortable 0-5 victory. It was their second biggest scoreline during the streak, coming after a 6-0 win over Azerbaijan in a friendly five days earlier.

Spain followed their record victory with wins over Iraq (1-0) and South Africa (2-0) to stretch their unbeaten run to 35 consecutive matches before it ended in the semifinals with a 2-0 loss to the United States.

2 April 1927 - The Mightiest Magyar

On 2 April 1927, Real Madrid superstar Ferenc Puskás was born in Budapest. After winning Olympic gold and finishing as World Cup runners-up with Hungary, he ended his international career with Spain.

He started his professional career in 1943 with local Budapest side Kispest AC and quickly established himself as a dynamic goalscorer. In 1949, the Hungarian government rebranded Kispest as Budapest Honvéd, using it as the Army team. Puskás rose to the rank of major while leading the side to five league titles.

In 1945, at the age of 18, he joined the Hungarian national team and scored 84 goals in 85 appearances, including four goals in their gold-medal winning campaign for the 1952 Summer Olympics and four more in their run to the 1954 World Cup Final. There, a loss to West Germany ended Hungary's streak of 32 consecutive unbeaten matches, a period of success that earned them the name "the Mighty Magyars."

While on a world tour with Honvéd in 1956, the Hungarian Revolution broke out back home. Puskás and several other player decided not to return to Hungary and ended up in Spain. Puskás joined Real Madrid, where he won five La Liga titles and three European Cups. In 1962, he acquired Spanish nationality and played four matches for Spain, including three at that year's World Cup.

After retiring in 1966, he took up management for several teams. His most successful period as manager came with Panathinaikos, whom he guided to the European Cup Final in 1971. He returned to Hungary in 1993 and briefly led the national team before retiring for good later that year.

He died in Budapest in 2006 at the age of 79.

24 March 2007 - The Newest Kids On The International Block

On 24 March 2007, Montenegro played their first-ever match, winning 2-1 against Hungary in a friendly.

Despite their recent vintage, international football in Montenegro dates back to 1919 when the area was part of Yugoslavia. In 1991, after the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Montenegro joined with fellow ex-SFR state Serbia as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Then, in 2003, they changed the name of the country to Serbia and Montenegro.

A further shift followed in 2006 when Montenegro claimed independence from Serbia. The administration and history of the formerly combined national team remained with Serbia, who also inherited the membership in FIFA and UEFA. As a result, Montenegro started a brand new football association and national team.

The new Montenegrin national team officially joined UEFA in January 2007 and FIFA later that year. The match against Hungary was their first official match. Played before a crowd of approximately 12,000 at the Stadion Pod Goricum, Montenegro's national stadium, the visitors took a lead in the first minute, but striker Mirko Vučinić pulled the hosts level with a 63rd-minute penalty kick. Midfielder Igor Burzanović then scored the match winner from the spot in the 81st minute.

Montenegro has risen to 25th in the recent FIFA world rankings and currently top their group for Euro 2012 qualification, over England, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Wales.

18 December 1921 - The Poles Get In Position

On 18 December 1921, Poland played their first official international, a 1-0 loss to Hungary. It was a humble start for a team that would later claim an Olympic gold medal and twice finish in third place at the World Cup.

The Polish national team was only 2 years old when they lost to Hungary, having been founded in December 1919. And it would take another 5 months before they recorded their first victory, beating Sweden 2-1 in Stockholm. By the 1930s, however, they had improved rapidly, led by prolific goalscorer Ernst Wilimowski (pictured, with the ball). Even without Wilimowski, who was suspended for a year for excessive partying, Poland nearly medaled at the 1936 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth after wins over Hungary and Great Britain.

Poland's greatest achievement came at the 1972 Summer Olympics, when they won the gold medal with a 2-1 victory over Hungary. They followed that performance with a third-place finishes at the 1974 and 1982 World Cups.

They have struggled lately, failing to qualify for 4 of the last 6 World Cups, but hope to turn things around in 2012, when they host the UEFA European Championships with the Ukraine.

15 September 1941 - Scoring In The Sixties

On 15 September 1941, Hungarian striker and 1967 European Footballer of the Year Flórián Albert was born in the village of Hercegszántó. He has been described as one of the most elegant players of all time.

Albert spent his entire career with one club, Ferencváros. From 1958 to 1974, he made 351 league appearances and scored 255 goals, for a career average of just over 0.72 goals per match. Both Albert and his club had prolific success in the 1960s. In the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons, he was the Hungarian league's top scorer, with 27 and 21 goals respectively, and later repeated the feat in 1964-65. Ferencváros, meanwhile, won four league titles (1963, 1964, 1967, and 1968), as well as the 1965 Fairs Cup (the predecessor to the UEFA Cup). He was also the top scorer in the 1966-67 Fairs Cup with 8 goals, despite being eliminated in the third round by Eintracht Frankfurt, a feat which was instrumental in his winning the Ballon d'Or.

He retired in 1974 after making only 9 appearances and scoring 2 goals in the '73-'74 season. In 2007, Ferencváros named their stadium in his honor.

4 July 1954 - The Miracle Of Bern

On 4 July 1954, West Germany won their first World Cup trophy, beating Hungary 3-2. The German victory ended Hungary's then-record unbeaten run of 31 matches and avenged an 8-3 loss to the Hungarians in the tournament's group stage. The German press dubbed the dramatic comeback win "the Miracle of Bern."

Playing in a heavy downpour before a crowd of 64,000 at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, Switzerland, the Hungarians looked likely to extend their remarkable streak after going up 2-0 against Germany in the first eight minutes of the Final. Forward and captain Ferenc Puskás put them up 1-0 in the 6th minute with a driving shot from about 10 yards; two minutes later, his fellow forward Zóltan Czibor doubled the lead in similar fashion.

The Germans, however, quickly fought back. In the 10th minute, forward Max Morlock (pictured) slid feet-first to meet a low cross, knocking the ball past the Hungarian keeper, then striker Helmut Rahn scored an 18th-minute equalizer. After those furious high-scoring twelve minutes, the match settled down and the teams remained level at the break and through most of the second half.

But six minutes from full-time, Rahn netted again to give the Germans their first lead with a powerful shot from the top of the box in the 84th minute. Puskás appeared to draw Hungary level with a sliding shot in the 89th minute, but the referee ruled him offside and disallowed the goal.

20 June 1954 - Goals! Goals! Goals!

On 20 June 1954, the World Cup experienced an offensive explosion, with 25 goals in the day's four matches. At 6.25 goals per game, it remains the highest-averaging daily output in a World Cup.

It was the last scheduled match day in Groups 2 and 4, with the former providing most of the goals. Group 2's Hungary and West Germany played in the day's first match, with Hungary rolling to victory by a margin of 8-3. Hungarian forward Sándor Kocsis was the star of the day, scoring four. In the group's other match, Turkey crushed South Korea by an even greater margin, winning 7-0 with a hat-trick from forward Burhan Sargin.

In Group 4, England beat Switzerland 2-0, while Italy defeated Belgium 4-1.

The day's biggest winners, Hungary and West Germany, eventually met in the Final, where the West Germans won 3-2 to claim their first World Cup title.

19 June 1938 - Italy Doesn't Disappoint Il Duce

On 19 June 1938, Italy became the first nation to win consecutive World Cup titles by beating Hungary 4-2 in that year's Final. It was a relief for many people who believed the Italian players had received death threats from Benito Mussolini should they lose.

Italy, who had won the previous tournament by beating Czechoslovakia 2-1 in Rome, fielded a very different side in the 1938 Final. Of the 11 players who beat the Czechs, forward Giuseppe Meazza was the only returning starter, but he was joined again by manager Vittorio Pozzo. The Azzurri advanced to the title by virtue of their strong defense, conceding no more than one goal in each of their previous matches, with wins over Norway (2-1, aet), hosts France (3-1), and Brazil (2-1). The win over Brazil was particularly impressive, as the Italians shut down the tournament's leading scorer, forward Leônidas da Silva, who scored in every other match for Brazil.

In the Final, played before a crowd of 60,000 at the Stade Olympique de Colombes in Paris, the Azzurri again held their opponents' leading scorer - forward Gyula Zsengellér - without a goal. Zsengellér had found the net six times in Hungary's wins over the Dutch East Indies (6-0), Switzerland (2-0), and Sweden (5-1), but was continually frustrated in the Final. Italy took a 3-1 lead by the break thanks to goals from forwards Gino Colaussi (6', 35') and Silvio Piola (16'). Piola scored another in the 82nd minute to seal the 4-2 win. Afterward, Hungarian keeper Antal Szabo said "I may have let in four goals, but at least I saved their lives."

As it turned out, Mussolini had sent telegrams to the players saying "Vincere o morire!" But while the literal translation is "win or die," it was in reality a common Italian phrase of encouragement that simply meant "do your best."

4 June 1950 - The Magical Magyars

On 4 June 1950, Hungary defeated Poland in a friendly, 5-2. It was the first of Hungary's record-setting 31-match unbeaten streak that lasted until the 1954 World Cup Final.

The previous record was held by Scotland, who went 22 consecutive matches without a loss. Hungary eclipsed that mark on 15 November 1953, when they drew 2-2 with Sweden in a friendly. Not all of the matches in Hungary's streak were friendlies, however; it included a five-match run in the 1952 Olympics that ended with Hungary, nicknamed the "Magical Magyars," winning the gold medal with a 2-0 win over Yugoslavia. They also won the Central European Cup in 1953 over fellow competitors Italy, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.

Hungary's record stood at 27 when they arrived in Switzerland for the 1954 World Cup and they promptly extended it with lopsided group-stage wins over South Korea (9-0) and West Germany (8-3). The Hungarians, led by their star pairing of forwards Sándor Kocsis and Ferenc Puskás, then advanced through the knockout rounds with tough wins over 1950 runners-up Brazil and holders Uruguay, before meeting West Germany again in the Final, where the streak finally ended with a 3-2 loss.

Hungary's streak remained a record for 55 years until it was beaten by Spain's 33rd consecutive unbeaten match on 14 June 2009. Spain won two more matches to set the current record at 35.

16 March 1909 - Amateur Players, Professional Butt-Kickers

On 16 March 1909, England's amateur side played a friendly against Germany in Oxford, delivering a 9-0 beating that remains Germany's worst-ever defeat. While few details of the match remain, it was the second straight win over Germany for the English amateurs, who had previously beaten the Germans 1-5 in Berlin the previous year.

Due to the growth of the English league in the early 1900s, the England amateur side was established in 1906 in order to provide a team for players who were good, but not good enough to crack the senior side. The wins over Germany were no flukes, however. Those two matches were part of a greater run for England's amateurs, who were on a 10-game winning streak prior to the match in Oxford. After that win, they rattled off seven more for a total of 17 straight wins before drawing 2-2 with Belgium in Brussels later that month. They won two more matches for a total unbeaten run of 20 before finally losing 2-1 to Denmark in May 1910.

In 1974, the amateur side was disbanded as the FA stopped distinguishing between amateur and professional players. By that time, the amateurs had inflicted record defeats on the Netherlands (12-2 in 1907), Sweden (12-1 in 1908), Belgium (11-2 in 1909), and Hungary (7-0 in 1912, tied with two other matches).

27 October 2005 - England Does Not Suffer From Triskaidekaphobia

On 27 October 2005, England defeated Hungary 0-13 in a qualifying match for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The two sides met in Tapolca, Hungary for their second match in UEFA Group 5. Coincidentally, both teams' previous match had been against Austria, with England emerging 1-4 victors and Hungary losing 0-3.

Against Hungary, England got off to a quick start with a 3rd minute goal from striker Kelly Smith (pictured) and another in the 5th minute from midfielder Rachel Yankey. Both Smith and Yankey had started their careers with Arsenal Ladies, whom they had recently rejoined after brief spells with the New Jersey Wildcats in the USL W-League.

The match against Hungary was completely one-sided from start to finish, with a total of eight English players finding the back of the net: Smith (3', 43', 80'), Yankey (5'), forward Eniola Aluko (12', 50'), full back/winger Alex Scott (15', 38'), midfielder Katie Chapman (30'), midfielder Fara Williams (61', 88'), substitute Jo Potter (75'), and striker Jody Handley (79').

The teams finished qualification at opposite ends of the table, with England on top and Hungary at the bottom. England advanced to the 2007 World Cup quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by the United States.

The win against Hungary set the largest margin of victory in the history of the English women's team (and tied the record scoreline for the English men's team, who defeated Ireland 0-13 in Belfast on 18 February 1882).

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.

11 August 1958 - Starting Over At 31

On 11 August 1958, 31-year-old Hungarian forward Ferenc Puskás signed for Real Madrid. At the time, he was one of the most famous footballers in the world, with a lengthy list of honors, including being the top goal scorer in Europe in 1948 and the World Player of the Year in 1953.

Nicknamed "the Galloping Major," Puskás had led his previous club, Honvéd, to five Hungarian League titles and had been instrumental in Hungary's gold medal performance in the 1952 Summer Olympics.

In 1956, he was in Europe with Honvéd for the European Cup when the Hungarian Revolution began in Budapest. Several Honvéd players, including Puskás, decided not to return to Hungary. Because of his refusal to return, UEFA banned him from playing for two years. He signed with Real Madrid when his ban expired.

He enjoyed continued success at Real, winning five consecutive La Liga titles from 1961 to 1965 and making five appearances in the European Cup Finals and winning three of them. The last was in 1966, after which Puskás retired from playing.

Puskás subsequently managed several different clubs from 1967 to 1992, including Panathinaikos, whom he guided to the European Cup Final in 1971. He passed away in November 2006 at the age of 79 and is buried under the dome of St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest.

6 April 1924 - The Azzurri Sing The Blues

On 6 April 1924, the Italian national team suffered its worst defeat to date, losing 7-1 to Hungary in Budapest. The match, a friendly, was played in preparation for the upcoming 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris (where Italy failed to earn a medal, losing 2-1 in the semifinals to silver medalist Switzerland).

Italy's unlucky goalkeeper against Hungary was 22-year-old Gianpiero Combi from Juventus, making his first appearance for the Azzurri. He did not play again for the national team until almost a year later on 22 March 1925, when Italy beat France 7-0 in Turin. He was Italy's primary goalkeeper for the next ten years and helped them win the bronze medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics - Italy's first trophy - and captained them to the World Cup trophy in 1934.