7 August 2004 - Riot On The Streets Of Beijing

On 7 August 2004, Japan defeated China 3-1 in the Asian Cup Final before a crowd of 62,000 at Workers Stadium in Beijing, sparking a riot among Chinese supporters.

The tournament was shrouded in anti-Japanese sentiment, as many Chinese attendees, still angry over Japan's treatment of China during World War II, harrassed the Japanese side, booing anytime they took possession of the ball, displaying political banners denouncing Japan, and drowning out the Japanese national anthem.

Prior to the Final, authorities from both nations expressed concerns about the growing tension. Chinese officials increased the police presence for the match, while the Japanese embassy in Beijing cautioned fans of its national team to avoid drawing attention to themselves. According to the BBC, "tens of thousands" of Chinese supporters were in the stands for the match to watch China's first Asian Cup Final in 20 years.

The match itself was free from violence. The teams were level 1-1 at the half, but Japan went ahead in the 66th minute with a controversial goal from defender Koji Nakata. Replays showed that Nakata's scoring strike went in off of his hand, but the goal was allowed. In any event, Japanese striker Keiji Tamada added an insurance goal in the 91st minute to seal the win.

After the match, the Japanese supporters were driven to safety while Chinese fans started to riot. They burned Japanese flags and sang political songs. Several fights broke out and many bystanders were injured, including a couple of photographers who were beaten by the police.

6 August 1875 - Jock Stein's Other Club

On 6 August 1875, a group of Irish-born football enthusiasts in Edinburgh's Cowgate neighborhood created Hibernians, named after the Roman word for Ireland. The club went on to play a significant role in the progress of Scottish football.

From the moment of its creation, the club had strong religious ties. Their first manager (and one of the founding members) was a priest, Canon Edward Hannon. Also, all players were required to be members of the Catholic Young Men's Society, an early sign of sectarianism in Scottish football that later came to a head in the Old Firm rivalry between Celtic and Rangers. In fact, when Celtic was formed in 1887, many of the first players were borrowed from Hibernians.

For reasons that have never been explained, Hibernians failed to attend the meeting at which the Scottish Football League was formed, and thus were not included in the nascent league. That failure made it difficult for the club to schedule matches and ultimately led to its near-demise in 1891, when it ceased operations. It reformed in 1892, however, as Hibernian F.C. The newly-named club joined the SFL Second Division in 1893 and was promoted to the First Division for the 1895-96 season.

The early 1900s were successful for Hibs, who won the Scottish Cup in 1902 and the league title in 1903, but began to decline in the 1920s as the Old Firm began to rise.

Hibs enjoyed a renaissance in the 1950s, when they were managed by Scottish coaching legend Jock Stein. They won the league in 1952 and finished second in 1950 and 1953 (both times to Rangers). In 1955, they became the first British team to play in the European Cup, making it to the semifinals of the inaugural tournament in 1955-56 before losing to Stade de Reims 3-0. Stein left after that season to manage Celtic, whom he transformed into a dominant side.

Hibs currently play in the Scottish Premier League, where they finished in sixth place in the 2008-09 season.

5 August 2008 - Rangers Crash Out Of Europe

On 5 August 2008, FBK Kaunas beat Rangers 2-1 in the second leg of the Champions League qualifying match.

Rangers had finished as runners-up in the previous year's UEFA Cup and carried high expectations into Champions League qualification. They entered into the competition in the second round against Lithuanian champions Kaunas and were highly favored to advance. Kaunas, meanwhile, had started in the first round with a 7-2 aggregate win over Andorran side Santo Coloma.

Rangers and Kaunas had played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Glasgow the week before. In the second leg, Rangers took charge in the 33rd minute when midfielder Kevin Thomson calmly slotted the ball through the legs of Kaunas' Slovakian keeper Marian Kello. Even after a 30-yard freekick from Nerijus Radzius drew Kaunas level in the 43rd minute, Rangers seemed confident of advancing on away goals.

In the 87th minute, however, Rangers failed to handle a Kaunas corner kick and midfielder Linas Pilibaitas headed the ball in from close range to claim the 2-1 aggregate win for the Lithuanian side.

Although the loss triggered a flood of criticism of Rangers and manager Walter Smith, the loss may have been a gift in disguise, as it allowed the team to focus on their domestic duties and they won the Scottish Premier League title that season after a three-year drought.