7 June 1962 - Yugoslavia Delivers The Knockout Punch

On 7 June 1962, Yugoslavia and Colombia met in the World Cup with a place in the knockout rounds at stake.

Playing on their group's last match day, the two teams were battling to join the USSR, who had won the group the previous day with a 2-1 win over Uruguay, in the quarterfinals. Yugoslavia, sitting on 2 points at the start of the day, could advance with a draw. Colombia, however, had only a single point and needed a win to take the group's second spot in the knockout rounds.

Although the stakes were equal for both teams, the day belonged to Yugoslavia. Striker Milan Galić opened the scoring in the 20th minute and was joined on the scoresheet five minutes later by his fellow striker, Dražan Jerković (both Galić and Jerković had been instrumental in Yugoslavia's run to the Final of the European Championship in 1960).

Colombia tightened up their defense and managed to keep the score 2-0 until the 61st minute, when Galić added another. Not to be outdone, Jerković scored a second goal in the 87th minute, with an intervening goal in the 82nd minute from midfielder Vojislav Melić.

The 5-0 scoreline sent Colombia home and catapulted Yugoslavia into the next round, where they advanced over Hungary 1-0 before falling to Czechoslovakia in the semifinals. It remains their best showing in a World Cup, matched only by their semifinal run in 1930.

6 June 1973 - No Copa For Colo-Colo

On 6 June 1973, Independiente won their fourth Copa Libertadores, beating Colo-Colo after extra time in a replay.

The most successful club in the competition's history, Independiente won their first tournament titles in 1963 and 1964, then won it again in 1972. As defending champions, they entered the 1973 edition in the semifinal group stage, where they advanced over San Lorenzo and Millonarios.

Colo-Colo, meanwhile, topped their opening-round group that included Uníon Española, Emelec, and El Nacional, then advanced to their first final by winning their semifinal group over Botofogo and Cerra Porteños.

Scheduled to be played over two legs, the Final opened on 22 May in Buenos Aires, where the two teams played to a 1-1 draw. One week later in Santiago, they drew again, 0-0, to force a replay at a neutral ground. They met on 6 June in Montevideo and again found little to separate them. They were even at 1-1 at the end of regulation before Indepentiente eventually found an extra-time winner.

Independiente returned to the Final three more times (1974, 1975, 1984) and currently hold a tournament-record seven titles. Colo-Colo eventually got a title of their own, winning it in 1991 on their only other trip to the Final.

5 June 1968 - A Little Luck Goes A Long Way

On 5 June 1968, a coin toss sent hosts Italy into the European Championship Final over the Soviet Union. Italy went on to win the Final in a replay.

Only four teams--Italy, the Soviet Union, England, and Yugoslavia--participated in the tournament. The two semifinal matches were played on the same day, with Italy hosting the USSR in Naples, while England met Yugoslavia in Florence. In the latter, Yugoslavia edged to a 1-0 victory with an 87th-minute goal from Red Star Belgrade winger Dragan Džajić.

The other semifinal was even closer, as Italy and the USSR struggled to a scoreless draw. Under the rules in place at the time, the victor was determined not by a replay, extra time or a penalty shootout, but by a coin toss, which Italy duly won. They advanced to the Final, where they played Yugoslavia to a 1-1 draw. For a Final draw, the tournament rules required a replay, which Italy also won, 2-0.

It remains Italy's only European Championship. They returned to the Final only once--in 2000--where they lost to France.