Rob Smyth's Blog, page 113

Union Berlin 0-2 Bayern Munich: Bundesliga – as it happened

The champions returned to action with a comfortable win thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s 40th goal of the season and a header from Benjamin Pavard

7.43pm BST

Here’s our match report:

Related: Lewandowski gets Bayern going and league leaders ease past Union Berlin

6.59pm BST

That’s it for today’s blog. We’ll have more real live football on Monday evening when Werder Bremen meet Bayer Leverkusen. Thanks for your company on emails. Bye!

6.57pm BST

“Achtung Dortmund” is the subject of Peter Oh’s email. “Like David Bowie, Lou Reed, U2, and others (though not the Ramones, as far as I know), Bayern are finding Berlin to be an inspirational place to get a good result.”

Menswe@r recorded their debut album at the Hansa Studios as well.

6.54pm BST

Peep peep! Elbowbumps all round for Bayern, who return to action with a comfortable win, achieved in second gear. Robert Lewandowski scored a first-half penalty, his 40th goal in 34 games this season, and Benjamin Pavard’s precise header finished the job with 10 minutes remaining.

6.52pm BST

90 min A late chance for Union. Lenz slips a good through pass towards Mees in the area. The ball is taken off him by Kroos, who rakes a left-footed shot that is beaten away at the near post by Neuer.

6.50pm BST

89 min Mickael Cuisance replaces Thomas Muller for Bayern.

6.49pm BST

88 min Gikiewicz charges from his area to beat Lewandowski to a long ball.

6.46pm BST

85 min More substitutions: Perisic for Gnabry (Bayern), plus Kroos and Ryerson for Promel and Bulter.

6.44pm BST

84 min This win puts Bayern four points clear of Borussia Dortmund and six ahead of Gladbach. It looks ominous, let’s be honest. Their next game is Eintracht Frankfurt at home on Saturday. Union’s next game is a beauty: Hertha Berlin away on Friday. I bloody love the Bundesliga, me.

6.43pm BST

82 min Schlotterbeck is down after wearing the stiff left arm of Thomas Muller. It wasn’t intentional, and he’s fine to resume.

6.42pm BST

81 min Another Union change: Joshua Mees replaces Ingvartsen.

6.41pm BST

That’ll do. Kimmich’s dipping corner from the right is met by Pavard, who gets above Hubner and plants a header into the bottom corner. Good goal.

6.40pm BST

80 min The quality of Davies’s decision-making in the final third, especially for a teenager, is quite something. He plays with his head up all the time.

6.39pm BST

79 min: Good save! After another superb Bayern counter-attack, this time involving Davies on the left, Gnabry’s close-range shot is blocked by the outrushing keeper Gikiewicz.

6.39pm BST

78 min Gentner plays an unwitting one-two with Thiago before thrashing a half-volley well wide from the edge of the box. It was enterprising play, though. He tried to feed a ball into the area, Thiago blocked it, and Gentner was first to the loose ball before shooting wide.

6.37pm BST

77 min Coman misses a great chance! Gnabry led a counter-attack with a thrilling run at a backpedalling defence. Then he played in Coman, who screwed his cross-shot well wide of the far post.

6.36pm BST

76 min For all Bayern’s dominance, it’s still only 1-0. Bayern will be filthy if they don’t win this.

6.35pm BST

75 min The substitute Gentner runs onto a loose ball 20 yards from goal but slices his shot horribly. It would have gone out for a throw-in had it not been intercepted.

6.34pm BST

74 min Coman wins a corner for Bayern. Nowt comes of it.

6.32pm BST

72 min Another dangerous low cross from the impressive Davies just evades the lunging Muller at the near post.

6.31pm BST

71 min Bayern also make a change, with Kingsley Coman replacing Goretzka.

6.31pm BST

71 min A double change for Union: Christian Gentner and the top scorer Sebastian Andersson replace Ujah and Andrich.

6.29pm BST

70 min Muller, who has had an excellent game, pulls into space on the right before whacking a good cross that goes right across the face of goal.

6.28pm BST

68 min Trimmel’s inswinging corner is patted down by Neuer and grabbed at the second attempt.

6.27pm BST

67 min Lenz wins a corner for Union, a chance for a breather and maybe even an equaliser.

6.25pm BST

65 min Still no substitutions, which is slightly surprising. Union Berlin are holding on grimly to their one-goal deficit.

6.23pm BST

63 min At the other end, Gnabry’s shot is blocked by Hubner.

6.23pm BST

62 min Bulter runs Kimmich and floats a good cross that is flapped away from trouble by the stretching Neuer.

6.22pm BST

61 min Nothing has happened in the last few minutes. Bayern are in control, as much as you can be at 1-0.

6.17pm BST

56 min At the other end a clearance comes to Trippel, 20 yards from goal, and he drags a snap volley a few yards wide of the far post.

6.16pm BST

56 min Goretzka’s fast, inswinging corner hits Pavard in the face and bounces just wide of the near post. Pavard was wrestling with Hubner, which is why he was unable to meet the cross with an orthodox header.

6.15pm BST

55 min Lovely play from Muller. He scarpers down the right, chops back on his left foot and flights a cross to Lewandowski beyond the far post. He heads it back across goal and Andrich (I think) heads it behind for a corner.

6.14pm BST

53 min Boateng, trying to intercept Trimmel’s cross, unwittingly slides it towards his own goal. Happily for him it’s straight at Neuer, who has plenty of time to pick the ball up.

6.13pm BST

52 min “Rob,” says Kevin Porter. “Any chance that coronavirus could be used as an excuse to ban the needless, disgusting and insanitary act of spitting from the game?”

I can see both sides!

6.11pm BST

51 min Schlotterbeck is booked for a foul on Goretzka.

6.10pm BST

49 min I’m not sure this will stay at 1-0 for long. Goretzka plays a slick one-two with Pavard and rifles a low shot that deflects just wide of the far post.

6.09pm BST

48 min Union left their top scorer Sebastian Andersson on the bench, and I’m sure he’ll be on if this stays at 1-0. I wonder if we’ll see more imaginative use of substitutes in the next few months, with the lesser teams in particular trying to stay in games and then win them in the last 20 minutes.

6.08pm BST

47 min Gnabry dances across the line of the penalty area, eventually hitting a shot that is excellently blocked by the stretching Subotic. I think it was him, anyway.

6.06pm BST

46 min Union begin the second half.

6.06pm BST

Related: It's offensive for big clubs to suggest they're at financial risk | Jonathan Liew

5.52pm BST

Half-time listening

Related: Forgotten stories of football: farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics – podcast

5.51pm BST

That was a pretty comfortable 45 minutes for Bayern, who lead through Robert Lewandowski’s penalty. See you soon for more Bundesliga action!

5.50pm BST

45+4 min Pavard, teed up by Lewandowski, hits a fine shot with the outside of the boot that swerves into the side netting at the near post. I think Gikiewicz had it covered but it was a lovely strike.

5.48pm BST

45+2 min Trimmel crosses from the right towards Ujah, who grapples for the ball with Pavard and wins a corner. Trimmel’s outswingers is half cleared to the edge of the area, where Promel shoots over the bar.

5.46pm BST

45 min Four minutes of added time. In the first of those, Muller pulls Davies’s deep cross down on his chest and hits a shot that is well blocked by Lenz.

5.43pm BST

43 min Goretzka wins a corner for Bayern. Union look in urgent need of a few Gatorade chasers.

5.42pm BST

42 min Lewandowski has now scored 40 goals in all competitions for the fifth consecutive season.

5.40pm BST

Lewandowski dances round the ball, stops... and then slides a low shot to Gikiewicz’s left. That’s his 479th goal of the season.

5.39pm BST

39 min: Penalty to Bayern! Subotic tries to belt the ball clear, Goretzka comes on his blind side and Subotic boots him straight up in the air. A clear penalty.

5.36pm BST

36 min Davies is booked for a foul on Promel.

5.35pm BST

33 min Union Berlin will be happy with how the game has gone so far. They are being outplayed, there’s no escaping that, but they’ve kept Bayern at arms length for the most part. The worry for Union is that they are already starting to look like they have shot their bolt. It could be a long second half, even with unlimited subs or however many you’re allowed these days.

5.33pm BST

31 min “Hope you’re doing well,” says Eason. “I’m holding out for a Union Berlin win! Thank God for VAR, huh?”

If this pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s surely that life is too short for moaning about silly stuff like VAR. I’m absolutely certain that I’ll maintain this attitude until the exact moment my team are first stitched up by VAR, at which point all bets are off and to hell with the epiphany.

5.31pm BST

30 min Ah, we’ve now seen a replay - with added squiggles - that confirms Bayern’s goal was correctly disallowed. Muller was slightly offside in the second phase of play, when Gnabry headed the ball across goal. The boy VAR done good.

5.28pm BST

27 min “Happy Sunday,” says James Jensen. “Sharing the surreal experience of FC Union at home v Bayern — via Radio Belo Horizonte (translated by you, the Rt Hon Rob Smyth).”

Postmodernism really has changed in the last few months.

5.27pm BST

26 min Free-kick to Union on the left wing, 25 yards from goal. It’s swung in by a man with a beard and deflects behind for a corner. That comes to nothing.

5.23pm BST

23 min Here’s Jonathan Seyghal. “YAY! FOOTBALL’S BACK! Oh yeah... VAR. Pfff. Like missing your family, then.. spending time with your family.”

5.23pm BST

22 min A Bayern goal is coming. Alaba plays a fine pass down the inside-left channel to Davies, whose dangerous low cross is pushed away desperately by the diving Gikiewicz. Lewandowski was waiting behind him to score.

5.21pm BST

20 min Muller was definitely offside during the first phase, when Goretzka headed the ball down. But I thought he was behind Gnabry, and therefore onside, when Gnabry headed the ball past Gikiewicz. No matter: it was disallowed for one reason or another.

5.19pm BST

Kimmich’s outswinging corner was headed down by Goretzka near the penalty spot. Gnabry, who was onside, headed it past the keeper Gikiewicz from close range - but Muller couldn’t help himself from putting it over the line. He was deemed offside by VAR and so the goal is disallowed. Had Gnabry’s header gone in without a touch from Muller, it would have counted.

5.17pm BST

This may be disallowed for offside.

5.15pm BST

16 min “Greetings from rainy Northern California,” says Peter Oh. “I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Union Berlin or the Ramones, but the song ‘I Just Want to Have Something to Do’ seems pretty apt for football fans these days. I’d even have chicken vindaloo for breakfast.”

5.14pm BST

15 min Thiago has been the brightest Bayern player so far, with a few nice passes. He plays another down the left to find Davies, who cuts the ball back to Gnabry just outside the area. His shot is blocked.

5.12pm BST

12 min Lenz is booked for a late tackle on Pavard.

5.11pm BST

11 min Bayern look rusty, which is fair enough in the circumstances. Union have made a fast, aggressive start. Alas, Opta stats can’t tell us how much of their bolt they have already shot.

5.08pm BST

7 min: Chance for Ujah! Union have made a vibrant start and could be ahead. Hubner clips a fine pass over a sleeping Bayern defence to put Ujah through on goal. But his first touch isn’t great and his second - a hearty spank over the bar - isn’t exactly one for the books either.

5.05pm BST

5 min A half chance for Union. Promel does very well on the byline, wriggling past two players before pulling the ball back to Bulter. His first-time shot is straight at Neuer, who pats it down and grabs it at the second attempt.

5.03pm BST

4 min “Hi Rob,” says Jonathan Seyghal. “Fingers crossed for the underdogs today (if only for the league) but with no raucous radical leftwing radical support and now no manager, I fear the worst.”

Ah yes, I forgot to say that Union’s manager Urs Fischer is not at the game today. He left quarantine to be with his family after the death of his father-in-law.

5.02pm BST

3 min Lewandowski’s long-range shot takes a deflection and loops onto the roof of the net. Gikiewicz had it covered.

5.00pm BST

1 min Peep peep! You heard: peeeeeeeeeeeeeeep peeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! Bayern, in their white away strip, kick off from right to left. Union are in red.

4.59pm BST

“Guten Nachmittag Rob,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Is it fair to say that we’ve officially entered football’s Lunar Age? The pluses apparently involve considerably less going to ground; the negatives include that old canard about the Irish pub that opened on the moon and closed due to lack of atmosphere.”

I’m loath to pass judgement until we see the return of the Premier League. International comparisons are difficult.

4.53pm BST

Anyone out there? It’s safe to email, you know, as long as you sing three happy birthdays immediately afterwards.

4.25pm BST

The early game has finished Cologne 2-2 Mainz. Cologne seemed to be cruising to victory when they led 2-0 after an hour, but relegation-threatened Mainz fought back really impressively and could have won the match. Pierre Kunde Malong scored their equaliser with a storming solo goal.

4.22pm BST

Pre-match reading

Pleasantly there are fewer theatrics and arguments: on the pitch – a purer football than before. The atmosphere, on the other hand, is very, very strange.

Related: Fewer dives, a missing coach and subs in stand: inside Bundesliga's return

4.18pm BST

You’ll have noticed the surprising team news, with Union preferring Grischa Promel to Christian Gentner in the centre of midfield. We’re all Bundesliga experts now.

(NB: Clip contains adult language)

4.08pm BST

Union Berlin (3-4-2-1) Gikiewicz; Hubner, Schlotterbeck, Subotic; Trimmel, Andrich, Promel, Lenz; Ingvartsen, Bulter; Ujah.
Substitutes: Polter, Parensen, Mees, Gentner, Reichel, Kroos, Nicolas, Ryerson, Andersson.

Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1) Neuer; Pavard, Boateng, Alaba, Davies; Kimmich, Thiago; Goretzka, Muller, Gnabry; Lewandowski.
Substitutes: Perisic, Cuisance, Coman, Hernandez, Mai, Ulreich, Zirkzee, Odriozola.

3.55pm BST

Hello and welcome to day two of Football Unplugged, as my colleague Paul Doyle describes this new Bundesliga experience. It’s all a bit strange, but in the next few weeks Bayern Munich hope to give the football world a glimpse of the old normal: Manuel Neuer lifting the Meisterschale. Bayern are aiming to win their eighth consecutive championship, an endeavour that resumes with today’s trip to mid-table Union Berlin.

Bayern were in storming form before spring break. They won 14 and drew one of the last 15 games in all competitions, scoring 49 goals in that time. That burst of form lifted them from seventh place – oh, the humanity – to their familiar position at the top of the table.

Continue reading...

Farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics – Football Weekly special

Recently, you may have heard us talking about the new Guardian podcast Forgotten Stories of Football – a place where you can hear some of the best football stories you’ve probably never heard before. And as the series is now live, we thought we would bring you the first episode: how Nazi bullying and controversial victories overshadowed Italy’s gold medal at the Berlin Games.

Make sure to subscribe to Forgotten Stories of Football wherever you get your podcasts

Continue reading...

Milan 4-0 Barcelona: 1994 Champions League final – as it happened

Fabio Capello’s team won their fifth European Cup in style, destroying Barcelona with an awesome performance that included three spectacular goals

9.07pm BST

Look, let’s not get carried away: this was only the greatest performance in a European final since 1960, perhaps ever. Boring Boring Milan were devastating in attack, and took an excellent Barcelona side to the cleaners. Goodness knows what score it would have been had Milan not declared when Marcel Desailly made it 4-0 after an hour.

You never get a second chance to make a last impression. Milan’s 1993-94 season, for so long a strange mix of success and criticism, will now be remembered for this glorious exhibition. Goodnight!

9.04pm BST

89 min Panucci is booked for kicking the ball away. Hmm.

9.01pm BST

85 min Savicevic almost makes it 5-0! Donadoni scurried away from Bakero on the left, another lovely run, before cutting the ball back to Savicevic at the far post. He swept his shot just wide with Zubizaretta scrambling across his line.

8.59pm BST

83 min Maldini is still struggling. He limps off to be replaced by Stefano Nava. It looks like an impact injury rather than anything too serious, so at this stage I wouldn’t be too worried about his World Cup prospects. Maldini, in a fairly unfamiliar role as the spare centre back, was majestic.

8.58pm BST

81 min A good cross from Amor towards Bakero hits the shoulder of the leaping Albertini and goes behind for a corner. Most of the Barcelona players are still attacking with purpose and intent. It’s only really without the ball that they have been sulking.

8.56pm BST

80 min There have been so many immense performances for Milan tonight. I’d make Desailly the Man of the Match, a nose ahead of Savicevic. It shouldn’t be possible, in a European Cup final, to dominate a midfield like Desailly has tonight.

8.55pm BST

79 min There’s a break in play while Maldini receives treatment. He’s in quite a lot of pain, with both hands on his head. Somewhere in the world, Arrigo Sacchi is screaming for Fabio Capello to take Maldini off. He’s going to continue, but he’s moving gingerly.

8.51pm BST

76 min “Well played Mr Don!” cries Barry Davies after an excellent advantage from the English referee. He’s had a terrific game, as has Philip Don.

8.49pm BST

74 min Stoichkov, cutting infield from the left, waves a quite stunning pass with the outside of the foot towards Romario. It beats three Milan defenders but not the last man Galli, who comes across and runs the ball to safety.

8.48pm BST

72 min Quique Estebaranz comes on to replace Sergi, who was destined to leave the field one way or another.

8.47pm BST

72 min A frustrated Sergi tries to trip Boban, who ignores him and carries on. Sergi has already been booked and could have gone for that. Then there are more olés as Desailly walks away from Bakero and Stoichkov with disdain. The humiliation is all too much for Barcelona, who have shipped four goals and plenty of dignity; moments later Guardiola eases his studs into Desailly’s calf.

8.44pm BST

69 min “I’m worried, Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “It’s the Scottish Cup final on Saturday, and I think Dundee United could be the Barcelona to Rangers’ Milan. Rangers didn’t win any of their final five league games but still won the league with a bit to spare, and are going for a second consecutive domestic treble. United have never won the Scottish Cup, and have lost four of the last nine finals. But hey, you never know in football ...”

I’d like to apologise in advance for the pain you will experience on Saturday. I’ve seen Biff Tannen’s Almanac, and Rangers are going to walk it.

8.41pm BST

67 min The intensity has dropped, understandably enough, since Desailly’s goal. There’s a quarter of the match to go, but everyone knows it’s over.

8.40pm BST

65 min Ferrer, who has been booked, is penalised for an ultra-cynical foul on Tassotti. Philip Don could reasonably have sent off two or three Barcelona players in the last 10 minutes.

8.39pm BST

64 min A good attack from Barcelona ends with Eusebio drifting an inviting ball across the face of goal.

8.39pm BST

64 min Desailly dispossesses Romario, who tries to trip him and fails. Then Ferrer has a go - and also fails. Desailly, with admirable support from Albertini, has totally dominated the midfield.

8.38pm BST

63 min Amor is again lucky not to be booked, this time for a wild hack at Donadoni. He has lost it since that tackle from Panucci a few minutes ago.

8.37pm BST

62 min Barcelona’s collective noggin has gone. Amor is lucky not to be booked – at the very least – for planting his studs down the back of Desailly’s leg. Then, with Desailly receiving treatment, Romario complains that Milan are timewasting. They’re 4-0 up mate.

8.36pm BST

61 min Guardiola is lucky not to be booked for a sly shirt pull on the breaking Savicevic.

8.35pm BST

60 min Amor is hopping around after a very strong man-and-ball challenge from Panucci. No foul was given, and we haven’t seen a replay, but there were no complaints form any other Barcelona players.

8.35pm BST

Who cares: it’s 4-0 now! Just 13 seconds after Savicevic’s chance, Marcel Desailly caps a magnificent performance with a quite storming goal!

When Savicevic hit the post, Nadal gave the loose ball to Eusebio on the right wing. He clipped it infield towards Amor and Guardiola, but Desailly nipped in between them to win the ball. Albertini then took it off Desailly, almost tripping him up in the process. But Desailly kept running and Albertini slipped the ball back to him with a neat pass. Desailly charged straight through a static Barcelona defence, opened his body and curled an empathic shot into the far corner. It’s another magnificent goal!

8.34pm BST

59 min: Savicevic hits the post! That was so close to 4-0! Albertini’s excellent quick free-kick cleared the backpedalling Sergi, who lost the flight of the ball, and was deftly controlled on the run by Savicevic. He dinked the ball over the diving Zubizaretta but it bounced off the inside of the near post.

8.33pm BST

58 min Another yellow card! That’s four in five minutes, but it’s hard to argue with any of them. The latest one was for a pullback by Ferrer on Savicevic.

8.33pm BST

57 min A pitiful long-range shot from Sergi goes well wide. Capello is not happy, however; he springs up and gives his defence a brollocking for sitting too deep.

8.31pm BST

56 min Three in three minutes! Yellow cards, that is. Milan play themselves out of the trouble with some lovely, confident passing. Desailly then moves imperiously past Sergi, who bundles him over and is booked.

8.30pm BST

55 min And now Nadal is booked for a grotesque and probably retaliatory foul on Savicevic. He basically ran him over, and Savicevic went miles in the air. Nadal lived up to his nickname of The Beast with that challenge. Sadly, he’s having an absolute beast: he was badly at fault for the first and third goals and could have been sent off for that.

8.29pm BST

54 min Albertini is booked for a cynical foul on the breaking Bakero. No self-respecting Italian midfielder would have let Bakero go there, 3-0 lead or no 3-0 lead.

8.29pm BST

53 min Romario tries to play a one-two with Bakero, but Galli heads the return ball away. What a lovely story it is – the perennial reserve who was whistled up in an emergency to mark the world’s deadliest striker. So far he has been flawless.

8.27pm BST

52 min A break in play allows Cruyff to wave his finger at the referee, presumably about the third goal.

8.27pm BST

52 min Barcelona make their first change: Eusebio replaces the anonymous Txiki Begiristain. I doubt the real Eusebio could pull this round, Frank.

8.24pm BST

49 min Barcelona’s captain Bakero fouls Desailly and is then booked for dissent. Barcelona’s players look thoroughly hacked off.

8.24pm BST

49 min Liam Brady makes the point that many European referees would have penalised Savicevic for a high foot, but in England that challenge is more common. I don’t think there was much wrong with it really.

8.24pm BST

49 min As good as Milan’s attacking has been, that was another defensive shocker from Barcelona. Nadal lost the ball unnecessarily and then tried to trip Savicevic with an instinctive kick. He couldn’t even manage that.

8.23pm BST

AC Milan are champions of Europe for the fifth time! The marvellous Dejan Savicevic has sealed victory – already – with an incredible goal!

It came from yet another defensive mistake by Barcelona. Albertini, on the halfway line, overhit a lobbed pass in the vague direction of Savicevic on the right wing. The ball ran through to Nadal, who gawped at it as it bounced a couple of times, trying to decide what to do.

8.21pm BST

47 min “May I join Jonathan Ginzburg in making bold predictions?” says Peter Oh. “England will win USA 94!”

8.21pm BST

46 min Barcelona begin the second half. No changes on either side.

8.15pm BST

“Brilliant performance by Milan,” says Gordon. “Much the better side. Savicevic, Donadoni, Boban so skilful. And a rock-solid defence. Barce surprisingly unable to change their tactics to counter.”

Johan Cruyff doesn’t really believe in a plan B, does he?

8.14pm BST

“On this pleasant spring day of May 1994 I’m visiting Tbilisi to participate in a spring school on Logic and Linguistics,” says Jonathan Ginzburg. “My hosts have taken me to a cinema packed to the brim to watch the game live. As the only two foreigners in the cinema, local tv interview my fellow guest (a Barcelona-hating Catalan) and me. They ask us for predictions: 3-2 Milan, with Van Basten scoring the winner. They look at us with (deserved) disdain.”

8.05pm BST

The half-time interval gives the BBC a chance to show highlights of England’s 5-0 win over Greece last night. The new coach Terry Venables, in the studio, looks relaxed and happy with life.

Jimmy Hill still hasn’t forgotten the miseries of 1993, however: he reminds us all that Ronald Koeman probably cost England a place in the World Cup and then says that, on tonight’s performance, “He wouldn’t get in a third division side”. Let it go, Jim, it’s over.

8.04pm BST

With the possible exception of Fabio Capello, anyone who says they saw this coming is a liar. Milan have been spectacularly good, far more attacking than everyone expected, and deserve to lead 2-0.

8.03pm BST

Milan double their lead with a glorious team goal! All Johan Cruyff’s pre-match comments about Milan have come back to haunt him in one sensational goal, the sort that Holland 74 – or Barcelona 94 – would have been proud to call their own.

Milan kept the ball for almost a minute before Boban swept a pass out to Donadoni on the left. He slipped delightfully away from Ferrer’s tackle, moved into the area and flicked a nonchalant pass back towards the edge of the area towards the unmarked Massaro. He watched the ball onto his left foot and slammed a blistering first-time shot into the far corner. What a goal!

8.01pm BST

45+2 min A long spell of possession for Milan gives their fans the opportunity to belt out a few lusty olés. They probably can’t believe how well this is going. The scoreline, maybe; the performance, no chance. The move eventually comes to nothing, with Panucci’s deflected cross looping through to Zubizaretta.

8.00pm BST

45+1 min Romario loses the ball to Maldini and responds with a petulant trip. He might have been booked for that.

7.59pm BST

44 min Sergi cuts infield and lofts a pass towards Amor on the edge of the area. Like so many Barcelona passes tonight, it’s intercepted by Desailly. He’s been immense – and not just without the ball. He and Albertini have launched the majority of Milan’s counter-attacks with smart, penetrative passes.

7.57pm BST

42 min Barcelona have not been great tonight, but the two Romario chances have been classic examples of their ability to open teams up with a sudden change of pace.

7.56pm BST

41 min: So close from Romario! That was much more like it from Barcelona. Their three midfield players, Guardiola, Bakero and finally Amor, sliced Milan open with three simple passes down the centre of the pitch.

Amor played an excellent ball down the side of Maldini, and Romario exploded into life with an angled run and snapshot that flew just wide. Replays show that it took a crucial nick off the stretching Filippo Galli; otherwise it would have gone in the bottom corner.

7.55pm BST

41 min Bakero, trying to volley the ball out to Ferrer on the right wing, instead shanks it 30 yards back towards his own goal. It’s been that sort of half for Barcelona.

7.54pm BST

39 min Massaro runs onto a bouncing ball, just outside the D, and wallops it into orbit. That half-chance came from more dodgy Barcelona defending.

7.52pm BST

38 min This is a decent little spell for Barcelona, who are dominating possession for the first time in the game. They still look a bag of nerves in defence, mind you.

7.49pm BST

35 min And they do make something happen. Stoichkov clips a speculative ball across the face of the penalty area that reaches Begiristain on the other side. He moves onto his left foot and drives a crisp low shot that is comfortably held by Rossi.

7.48pm BST

34 min Stoichkov and Begiristain have switched wings in an attempt to make something happen.

7.47pm BST

33 min The resulting free-kick, 35 yards out, is hammered low towards goal by Albertini. It hits his team-mate Massaro just inside the area and spins up to Donadoni, who adjusts his feet and hits a fierce snap volley that is well held to his right by the tumbling Zubizaretta. Milan are so much sharper than Barcelona, who look a bit shocked by the tactical aggression of their opponents.

7.47pm BST

32 min Another beautiful piece of play from Savicevic. He receives a pass from Desailly with his back to goal, turns smoothly past Sergi and then slithers away from Amor and Nadal. Eventually he is shoved over by a frustrated Nadal. Those sinuous, elegant runs make Savicevic a joy to watch: he never seems to break into a sprint, instead beating his man through sleight of hip and a velvet touch.

7.45pm BST

30 min Ferrer commits a silly foul on the lively Donadoni. Barcelona’s back four have looked harassed throughout the first half hour.

7.42pm BST

28 min This is the size of Barcelona’s task: Milan have kept 34 clean sheets this season. I know they are without Baresi and Costacurta but Maldini and Galli have been excellent so far. As if to prove the point, Galli stretches around Romario to make a fine tackle.

7.41pm BST

27 min Sergi tries to play a give-and-go with Bakero. Tassotti plays his not-on-my-watch card, brazenly dragging Sergi back. He’s booked.

7.39pm BST

25 min A good response from Barcelona. Koeman curls a penetrative pass down the right wing towards Stoichkov, who slips Maldini and moves into the area at frankly terrifying speed. Rossi charges from his line to grab the ball just in front of Stoichkov, who leaves a foot in and is booked.

Rossi probably exaggerated the contact, but Stoichkov’s leg did brush his face. At least I think it did. Liam Brady, the co-commentator on BBC1, is less sure. “He hasn’t touched Rossi! He’s put his foot out and Rossi’s made a meal of it. Rossi’s always at this act, and it’s not right.”

7.38pm BST

23 min If Savicevic did mean that pass – and the more I see it, the more I reckon he did – it was a touch of genius to stun it into the ground so that it bounced over Koeman, because there was no other way to get the ball to Massaro.

7.37pm BST

Daniele Massaro, who missed so many opportunities in last year’s final, has given Milan a deserved lead! Rossi punted a huge goalkick into the night sky that fell towards Nadal. He controlled the ball on his left breast – an action that sorts the men from the boys when a leather ball is dropping out of the sky – and then lobbed a header towards Sergi. But it was a poor one that allowed Boban to nip in and acrobatically stab the loose ball towards Savicevic on the right.

He controlled the ball delicately, flicked it over Nadal’s lazy tackle in the same movement and moved ominously into the area. Guardiola got back but a touch of subtle brilliance from Savicevic allowed him to put his body between Guardiola and the ball. Zubizaretta then came out to meet Savicevic, who declined the obvious shot and lifted the ball across the six-yard box, over Koeman, with his right foot. Massaro, unmarked at the far post, stretched to steer a volley into the empty net.

7.36pm BST

22 min “I wish we’d had Laudrup v Laudrup,” says Danica Christensen. “Would have been a blast! The three-foreigner rule could be removed for finals so that we can see a real game.”

7.36pm BST

21 min Desailly plays a good pass forward to Albertini, who flicks an even better one over the defence towards Savicevic. Ferrer does well to stay with him and concede a corner.

7.35pm BST

20 min: Magnificent defending from Maldini! That time Barcelona did go through the eye of the needle after a hypnotic passing move: Sergi, Amor, Romario, Bakero, Amor again, Romario again. Finally Romario flicked a sudden through pass between Maldini and Galli – who were barely inches apart – to put Amor clear.

He got to the ball first, just inside the area, but Maldini showed remarkable cceleration and strength to make up the ground, struggle with Amor and finally block his shot at the expense of a corner.

7.34pm BST

20 min Donadoni’s big inswinging corner from the left is headed wide by the stretching Desailly. In fact Desailly did well to even reach the ball as it swerved wickedly at the last minute.

7.31pm BST

17 min Bakero stabs a neat pass round the corner to Amor. He tries to slide it through for Romario but overhits the pass. So far Milan have been very effective in restricting Barcelona’s ability to pass through the eye of a needle.

7.29pm BST

15 min A poor ball out of defence by Koeman is intercepted by Albertini. The ball runs to Savicevic, and suddenly Milan are two on two. But Savicevic picks the wrong option, trying to wriggle past Nadal and losing the ball. Massaro, who was in an excellent position to his left, waves his arms in frustration. It was another promising attack from Milan, who have already won the ball in dangerous areas on a number of occasions.

7.28pm BST

14 min: Fine effort from Massaro! Albertini fades a pass out to the young full-back Panucci on the left. He runs at Ferrer and stabs a cross to the edge of the area, where Massaro flips the ball up in the air, turns and slams a volley that is held by Zubizaretta. It was beautifully struck but too close to the keeper. This is great stuff so far, everything we hoped it would be.

7.27pm BST

13 min Guardiola is starting to see more of the ball, which is an encouraging sign for Barcelona. He’s the player who makes them tick, and he was probably their best player in the semi-final win over Porto.

7.26pm BST

12 min European Cup finals are traditionally stinkers – 13 of the last 16 have finished 0-0 or 1-0 - but this has started superbly.

7.25pm BST

11 min: Chance for Romario! Out of nothing, Barcelona show how dangerous they are. Guardiola, the deep-lying playmaker, drives a brilliant diagonal ball over Panucci to find Stoichkov on the right wing. He lobs a first-time cross towards the penalty spot, where Romario mishits a volley that bobbles well wide. That was a devastatingly incisive attack from Barcelona, who went from the centre circle to a good chance in just two touches.

7.24pm BST

10 min: PANUCCI HAS A GOAL DISALLOWED FOR OFFSIDE! Boban’s inswinging free-kick from the left was headed straight back to him by Guardiola. He lobbed it back into the area, where Panucci arrived late to head decisively past Zubizaretta. The flag was up before the ball hit the net – but replays showed that Massaro was the only player in an offside position.

Panucci was being played onside by seven Barcelona players, so the linesman must have decided Massaro was seeking to gain an advantage. I think that’s the correct decision in accordance with the laws of the game, even if this particular law is a bit of an ass.

7.23pm BST

9 min Donadoni twists away from Amor and plays a nice one-two with Massaro, forcing Ferrer to make an important sliding tackle on the left edge of the area. The resulting throw-in is taken to Savicevic, who loses Koeman with an exquisite variation on the Cruyff turn, using the studs rather than the inside of the foot to drag the ball in the opposite direction. Koeman tugs at his shirt and Philip Don gives a free-kick to Milan, very close to the left corner of the penalty area.

7.22pm BST

8 min Sergi plays a nervous pass straight to Tassotti on the edge of the Barcelona area. Tassotti’s cross is too deep but this has been a confident, positive start from Milan. Barcelona also look lively going forward; the early signs are that this could be a classic.

7.21pm BST

7 min Stoichkov, who is playing from the right wing as expected, comes inside onto his left foot and whistles a shot wide from 30 yards. Rossi had it well covered, but administers a brollocking to his defence nonetheless. He’s right: the last thing any sane defender should do it show Stoichkov inside from the right.

7.21pm BST

7 min There’s a belting atmosphere, with both sets of fans making a rare old noise. Everything about this game feels like football for grown-ups.

7.20pm BST

6 min Boban flicks an insouciant pass with the outside of the boot to find Savicevic on the right wing. He lures Nadal into a lunging tackle and then flicks the ball over him, a delicious piece of skill that leaves Barcelona seriously exposed. Savicevic then tries to take on Sergi, who stays on his feet and makes a fine tackle on the edge of the area.

7.19pm BST

5 min This match has started at a really lively pace, with Milan springing forward on the counter-attack every time they win the ball.

7.18pm BST

4 min Desailly, who was in the Marseille team that beat Milan in last year’s final, does very well to win the ball off Bakero and then bulldoze through a 50-50 with Amor. His mobility and aggression in midfield will be vital if Milan are to avoid being passed to death.

7.17pm BST

3 min Nadal needs treatment after an accidental collision with Massaro. He took an elbow to the ribs as they jumped for a high ball.

7.15pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Milan kick off from left to right. On the BBC, Barry Davies - and what a player it is to have him doing a major final - informs us that both starting XIs include seven players who have already won this tournament: Milan in 1989 and 1990, Barcelona in 1992.

7.13pm BST

There are no dugouts at the Olympic Stadium, so the coaching staff are all sitting on steel folding chairs on the running track. Capello looks stern, Cruyff a little restless.

7.10pm BST

The players emerge from the tunnel. It’s a humid night in Athens - kick off is 9.15pm local time - and both sets of supporters are in splendid voice.

6.46pm BST

Milan have one other big player missing tonight: their shirt sponsor, Motta. Such vulgarity is prohibited in European Cup finals, so Milan are wearing a specially designed kit, an homage to the white strip that was worn when they first won the trophy in 1963.

6.40pm BST

Zvonimir Boban is fit, so both teams are as expected. Paolo Maldini will move across from left-back to centre-back alongside the old stalwart Filippo Galli, who had hardly started a game in the last two seasons and now has to deal with Romario. Fabio Capello had the option of moving Marcel Desailly back into defence, but presumably wants him to put out fires in midfield.

Christian Panucci, the promising young right-back, will switch to left-back to replace Maldini - and play against Hristo Stoichkov. Good luck with that.

6.40pm BST

The pre-match thoughts of Johan Cruyff

“It’s always good for football if an attacking team wins,” he said earlier in the week. “A lot of people copy the winners. If we can prove that an offensive, technical team wins against a running team, that has to be good for football. We impose our game on the opposition, moving the ball quickly and forcing the game. Milan base theirs on physical strength and defensive organisation.

6.38pm BST

There will be an English referee tonight. Philip Don, 42, was called up at the last minute when Uefa stood down the original choice, John Blankenstein of the Netherlands. Blankenstein received a number of death threats after negative media coverage in Italy.

Most people assume it’s because he shares a nationality with the Barcelona pair of Johan Cruyff and Ronald Koeman. Blankenstein is convinced it’s because he is openly gay.

6.07pm BST

As if this game needs a preamble! Milan and Barcelona, Europe’s two best teams, are about to meet in the Champions League final in Athens. It’s the world’s best defence against the world’s best attack - or it would be if Milan were not without their suspended centre-backs Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta. That, and the recent form of both teams, means that most pundits have an increasingly strong fancy for Barcelona tonight.

Milan have had a strange old season. For the third year in a row they won Serie A at a canter, a heck of an achievement in Europe’s strongest league. No team had won three in a row since the immortal Torino side of the 1940s. But they did a lot of it in binary – exactly half their league games finished 0-0 or 1-0 to Milan, and their level of popularity in Italy makes George Graham’s Arsenal seem like England’s darlings by comparison.

Continue reading...

Farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics – podcast

A new series from The Guardian, featuring the best stories from the beautiful game that you may never have heard before, written by some of the world’s leading sports journalists, and spanning more than 100 years of sporting history from across the footballing planet. In this episode: how Nazi bullying and controversial victories overshadowed Italy’s gold medal at the Berlin Games

Continue reading...

Forgotten stories of football: farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics – podcast

A new series from The Guardian, featuring the best stories from the beautiful game that you may never have heard before, written by some of the world’s leading sports journalists, and spanning more than 100 years of sporting history from across the footballing planet. In this episode: how Nazi bullying and controversial victories overshadowed Italy’s gold medal at the Berlin Games

Continue reading...

Forgotten stories of football: farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics

A new series from The Guardian, featuring the best stories from the beautiful game that you may never have heard before, written by some of the world’s leading sports journalists, and spanning more than 100 years of sporting history from across the footballing planet. In this episode: how Nazi bullying and controversial victories overshadowed Italy’s gold medal at the Berlin Games

Continue reading...

Football quiz: the players who missed out

Not everyone can win everything. Do you know which achievements these players have missed out on in their careers?

Who has scored the most Premier League goals without ever winning the trophy?

Jermain Defoe

Robbie Fowler

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Harry Kane

And who has made the most appearances without winning the Premier League?

David James

Gary Speed

Emile Heskey

Steven Gerrard

Who is the only England player to win 50 caps yet never appear at a World Cup or European Championship finals?

Glen Johnson

Colin Bell

Emlyn Hughes

Gary Cahill

Who scored 434 league goals, an English record, yet never played for his country?

Brian Clough

Arthur Rowley

Steve Bull

Kerry Dixon

Who is the last Ballon d’Or winner never to win the Champions League?

Fabio Cannavaro

Pavel Nedved

Thierry Henry

Michael Owen

Gary Lineker never won the top division in England, but for how many clubs did he finish as top scorer in the league?

None

One

Two

Three

Who has scored the most Champions League goals without winning the competition?

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Edinson Cavani

Robert Lewandowski

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Who was Serie A’s leading scorer three times in the 1990s yet never won the title?

Oliver Bierhoff

Gabriel Batistuta

Enrico Chiesa

Giuseppe Signori

Which of these players has never won the Premier League Golden Boot?

Wayne Rooney

Luis Suárez

Alan Shearer

Andy Cole

Which of these greats never won the Ballon d’Or?

Pavel Nedved

Xavi

Hristo Stoichkov

Eusébio

How many goals have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scored between them in the knockout stages of the World Cup?

None

Two

Five

14

3 and above.

You missed out too.

4 and above.

You missed out too.

5 and above.

A fine score

6 and above.

A fine score

7 and above.

A superb score

8 and above.

A superb score

9 and above.

A superb score

10 and above.

A superb score

11 and above.

You missed nothing

2 and above.

You missed out too.

0 and above.

You missed out too

1 and above.

You missed out too.

Continue reading...

Internazionale 0-2 Sampdoria: Serie A, 1990-91 – as it happened

Dossena and Vialli settle one of the greatest games in Serie A historyThe Forgotten Story of ... Sampdoria’s only scudetto

9.35pm BST

Related: The forgotten story of … Sampdoria's only scudetto | Rob Smyth

9.34pm BST

9.33pm BST

Sampdoria are on the brink of the scudetto after one of the most dramatic games in Serie A history. They need three points from the last three games to be absolutely sure – Torino away, Lecce at home, Lazio away - with Milan moving up to second after winning 3-0 at Juventus. This is the table.

9.32pm BST

94 min With seconds remaining, Vialli is replaced by Marco Lanna. He hugs the coach Vujadin Boskov as he walks off. Vialli had a quiet first half, playing almost as a second left-back, but in the second he was awesome. Everything you could want in a sporting hero, Vialli has been today.

9.31pm BST

92 min Pizzi’s cross hits Cerezo and deflects towards the near post, where Pagliuca flies to his right to make one last save, his 4942358125th of the match.

9.29pm BST

91 min Matthaus hammers a shot into the side netting. He still hasn’t got the message. The man’s an animal! Inter’s relentless attitude today has been pretty incredible: they’ll wonder all summer how they have lost this game, and with it the title.

9.28pm BST

90 min The resulting free-kick is belted into the wall by Matthaus. Berti heads the rebounds towards Serena, whose close-range shot brings a remarkable reaction save from Pagliuca! What is he on today? This is, and will forever be the game of his life.

9.28pm BST

89 min Pagliuca comes out of his penalty area to punch clear an up and under. He lost his bearings, but I’m still surprised he wasn’t booked.

9.26pm BST

88 min Sampdoria make their first change, with Ivano Bonetti replacing Beppe Dossena, the most unlikely hero.

9.25pm BST

87 min Inter are still pressing urgently, despite all the evidence to the contrary, despite the fact that on today’s form they could set up a bazooka on the edge of the area and they still wouldn’t beat Pagliuca.

9.25pm BST

86 min When play resumes, Matthaus has one last go in the shooting gallery, smacking a shot from 20 yards that is punched away by the flying Pagliuca. That’s his sixth save from Matthaus alone. There has never been a football match quite like this.

9.22pm BST

85 min Pagliuca is led away from the penalty area, Matthaus and Zenga walk over to plead for a bit of calm. Matthaus moves his hands from side to side, the universal sign for “no more”, or “please stop acting the tit”. They’ve lost it completely.

9.22pm BST

84 min Pagliuca is down in the six-yard box, and it looks like he’s been hit by a flare. Even Vierchowod, the toughest man in the history of the world, is flinching as he tries to avoid things being thrown from the crowd while he looks after Pagliuca.

9.21pm BST

83 min The Inter fans are not goin quietly. They’re ripping up seats, there are flares on the pitch. Klinsmann looks up and pleads for some order. Good luck with that.

9.20pm BST

81 min Make that 12. This one was routine, from Serena’s gentle header.

9.19pm BST

81 min An Inter corner is taken short to Bianchi, who sweeps a cross into the middle. Klinsmann meets it with a strong header and Pagliuca tumbles to his right to make yet another save – his 11th of the match, I think. His 11th of the match!

9.19pm BST

80 min You have to wonder whether Inter gambled too early by bringing on Pizzi for Stringara. From that moment in they were hopelessly exposed to Sampdoria’s blistering counter-attacks. The second goal summed it up: there was nobody within 30 yards of Vialli and Ferri.

9.19pm BST

GOAL! Juventus 0-3 Milan (Evani 78) I’d forgotten there was anything else happening in Serie A, or the world for that matter, but Alberigo Evani has wrapped things up for Milan in Turin with an acrobatic, hooked volley on the stretch; the sort that should strain a muscle, or at the very least rip the shorts at the business area.

9.18pm BST

79 min Yet another chance for Inter. Berti crosses from the left, Paganin heads it back across goal and Klinsmann flashes an overhead kick just wide.

9.17pm BST

79 min Vialli is down, lying on his front and holding his head. When he eventually gets up he points the finger, suggesting Ferri tried to do him. Replays show that Ferri definitely stamped on the back of his neck. I mean, it might have been an accident.

9.16pm BST

77 min “I’m not able to watch the match on telly today,” says James Wrout. “Are you watching the greatest score graphics ever invented - those ones they brought in for the World Cup last summer? They won’t be topped in a hurry! Forza Samp!”

You bet we are!

9.15pm BST

Seconds after that frankly weird bit of negative play, Sampdoria score their second goal! Pagliuca, having received the ball from Pellegrini, threw it to Mannini on the right. He moved towards the halfway line and drove a long pass to Vialli, left one v one against Ferri on the edge of the area because of Inter’s cavalier tactics.

Vialli’s deft first touch wrongfooted Ferri, who ran past the ball and fell over in a heap as he tried to change direction. Vialli then rounded Zenga nervelessly before ramming the ball into the net with appreciable glee. Vialli celebrates with a clumsy somersault, and looks absolutely shattered as he is embraced by his teammates. Zenga charges after the linesman, appealing furiously for offside/a foul on Ferri/ANYTHING YOU BALD TIT! But there was nothing wrong with the goal, and Sampdoria are so close now.

9.15pm BST

76 min Dossena collects the ball on the edge of the Inter area. He goes all the way back to Pellegrini in the Sampdoria half, who plays it back to Pagliuca. Talk about direct anti-football: they covered the length of the field in two passes! But hang on…

9.14pm BST

75 min: THIS IS THE GREATEST GAME EVER! In the same attack, Sampdoria have hit the post and had a shot cleared off the line! After being battered for so long, they twice came within spitting distance of the goal that would have put them 2-0 up and surely given them their first scudetto.

The goalscorer Beppe Dossena broke into space on the left of midfield and played a cute through pass to the quicksilver Attilio Lombardo, who moved smoothly around the onrushing Walter Zenga but then stabbed his shot against the post.

9.14pm BST

74 min The resulting corner is partially headed away by Cerezo and hits Vialli on the shoulder. Inter appeal again, desperately, for a penalty. I’m pretty sure it was the shoulder. There’s no time for a replay because Sampdoria are off, three against two, only for Invernizzi to play a dreadful pass towards Pari that goes straight through to Zenga. This game is crazily open. Inter’s tactics are now the complete opposite of catenaccio. The door’s open. Come in Gianluca, make yourself at home. Talking of which…

9.14pm BST

74 min Brehme’s left-wing corner, taken from well outside the quadrant, is headed up in the air. Klinsmann, running away from goal, hooks it hopefully over his own head and Pagliuca has to backpedal desperately to palm it over the bar. That was a superb save, not least because it was so unexpected. Klinsmann was just helping it into a general area.

9.12pm BST

73 min This match is utterly immense. Inter’s tactical desperation means that Sampdoria look dangerous every time they get the ball. In fact both teams look like they are going to create a chance every time they attack.

9.11pm BST

72 min Cerezo nicks the ball in midfield, surges over the halfway line and finds Vialli on the right. He waits for support and then plays a poor pass, ruining a promising break. Inter sweep down the other end through Matthaus, who runs 40 yards to the edge of the area before crunching a low left-footed drive that is – yep – saved by Pagliuca.

9.10pm BST

71 min Invernizzi is booked for a bad tackle for Pizzi. That was good refereeing from D’Elia, to be fair: he played the advantage and then booked Invernizzi when the ball went dead.

9.09pm BST

70 min The substitute Pizzi is fouled on the left wing by Pellegrini. Brehme tosses the free-kick into middle, where Matthaus arrives late to slam a header at goal. Pagliuca tumbles to his right to make a fairly comfortable save. Matthaus ruefully kicks the outside of the post as he walks past.

9.07pm BST

69 min The elegant Fausto Pizzi replaces Stringara. A playmaker for a playbreaker. Inter have completely gone for it now: one centre back, no defensive midfielder. Stringara sprints off the pitch, reluctant to waste even a second.

9.07pm BST

69 min Vialli rolls Ferri superbly on the halfway line, hares down the left and is butchered by Ferri. A clear yellow card.

9.07pm BST

67 min Lothar Matthaus, football’s answer to the Terminator, has had his penalty saved by Gianliuca Pagliuca! What on earth is happening? Matthaus hit the ball hard and low, so hard that it looked like he wanted to put a hole in the net, but it wasn’t in the corner. Pagliuca guessed right, plunged to his right and stopped it!

The ball ran loose between Pagliuca’s legs – but his body position, an L-shape, meant he couldn’t immediately reach the ball. And out of the corner of his eye he could see Matthaus moving inexorably towards him and the ball, ready to hoof them both into the back of the net.

9.06pm BST

66 min While the Sampdoria players were protesting, Berti got to his feet and calmly walked off, like somebody swanning away from a saloon bar brawl that he started. Pagliuca wandered slowly after Berti, eventually jabbing his finger right in his face while dispensing a few sour nothings. At the same time Lombardo clapped Berti sarcastically. Pagliuca then turned to walk back to his line, as if remembering he was about to try to save the most important penalty in Serie A in nine years, so Berti went after him before being restrained by Lombardo and Vialli. It’s chaos, and it’s wonderful!

Finally, Berti spins on his heels again and walks towards the touchline, pointing at somebody and mouthing off. I don’t speak Italian, and I can’t lipread, but I have a pretty good idea what he’s trying to say. He ends the whole magnificent performance by beckoning somebody from the Sampdoria bench towards him with the universal ‘come on then’ hand gesture, his face a picture of the purest disdain.

9.05pm BST

66 min Nicola Berti has been pleading for a penalty all afternoon, and now Pietro D’Elia has acceded to his request. It won’t surprise you to hear it was pretty debatable. Ferri lumped a long, angled ball into the area towards Klinsmann, who towered over Mannini and headed it back across goal. Pellegrini’s volleyed clearance hit Cerezo, who was standing right behind him, and rebounded to Mannini. His clearance was blocked by Klinsmann, which led to a mad scramble in the area.

Vierchowod and Cerezo tried to run the ball clear but only gave it to Berti. He jumped across Cerezo, felt a slight knee to the bum and went over. Pietro D’Elia pointed the spot and was surrounded by a posse of Sampdoria players, with Vierchowod manhandling him slightly in his frustration.

9.04pm BST

66 min A ludicrous shot from Ferri, 40 yards out, goes miles over the bar.

9.04pm BST

65 min: LOMBARDO ALMOST MAKES IT 2-0! What a chance for Sampdoria to win the match and the title! It came – of course it did – on the counter-attack. The tireless Cerezo, who is 36 going on 12, wafted a speculative pass out towards Vialli on the right wing. Ferri came across in front of him, but Vialli hooked his leg around Ferri to scoop the ball into the space behind the defence.

That allowed Lombardo to scorch away from the last man Brehme in the inside-right channel. He moved into the area, with Brehme wheezing in his slipstream, and drove a low shot just wide of the far post. The angle was pretty tight by the time he had the shot, but there was a moment when he looked certain to make it 2-0.

9.02pm BST

63 min Serena, back doing some defensive work, floors Pari with a peach of an elbow, right in the kisser. Pari goes down holding his face, D’Elia waves him to his feet. The arbitro has been, well, arbitrary in his decision-making today. That wasn’t much different to Mikhailichenko’s elbow on Bergomi in the return game, for which he was sent off.

9.01pm BST

62 min Klinsmann and Berti have a moan, not unreasonably about Sampdoria’s timewasting. Referee D’Elia asserts his authority by running over, dancing a couple of yards with the ball and running off again.

9.00pm BST

61 min If Sampdoria can hold on for 30 minutes, they will be this close to their first ever scudetto.

8.59pm BST

Sampdoria have scored with their first proper attack of the second half - and we’re 15 minutes in! This goal isn’t just against the run of play, it’s an absolute affront to the run of play. Inter look utterly stunned, not least because they were complicit in the goal. Matthaus played a pass back towards the centre circle, where Stringara allowed it to run past his body, thinking there was somebody behind him.

There was – but it was Vialli, who charged after the loose ball and just beat the lunging Paganin to it. He ran down the left, waited for support and then moved back outside Paganin before finding Dossena, 25 yards from goal.

8.58pm BST

59 min What’s another word for ‘siege’? Berti, on the left, almost puts Matthaus through on goal. Mannini knocks the ball behind for a corner and Matthaus charges over to take it as quickly as possible.

8.57pm BST

58 min: BIANCHI MISSES AN OPEN GOAL! How did that not go in? Stringara played a short pass into Berti, back to goal on the edge of the D. He touched it round the corner to Serena, span away from Pellegrini and hared into the area to receive the return pass. His first touch took him a fraction wide, which allowed Pellegrini to launch himself at the ball and block Berti’s shot just in front of Pagliuca.

The ball broke to Bianchi, six yards out. He only had to lob it over the trio of Pellegrini, Pagliuca and Berti and into the empty net. He managed that – but he also lifted it over the bar. That’s a shocking miss! It was also an amazing block just before that by Pellegrini, who started punching the air in celebration when he realised Bianchi’s shot had cleared the bar.

8.56pm BST

58 min Klinsmann’s dangerous cross on the turn is hoofed out of play desperately by Pellegrini. Somewhere, anywhere. It’s a siege.

8.55pm BST

56 min Matthaus hammers a long ball towards Klinsmann on the edge of the area. Mannini heads it clear as far as Serena, who controls the bouncing ball on the chest and whacks a volley that is beaten away unconvincingly by Pagliuca. It was straight at him so he must have been unsighted.

8.53pm BST

55 min: Another penalty appeal for Inter! Stringara appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty after having his left leg dragged from under him by Vierchowod. It was right on the edge of the box, but Pietro D’Elia didn’t give a free-kick or a penalty. Stringara punches the air and howls at the referee, his grey hair and maniacal expression making him look a bit like Leland Palmer’s reflection. I think that was a penalty.

8.52pm BST

54 min Inter’s pressure is incessant. Ferri slides a pass into Berti on the edge of the area. His neat dummy allows the ball to run to Klinsmann, who loses Mannini without touching the ball and then screws a dangerous cross on the turn that is pawed away at the near post by the stretching Pagliuca.

8.52pm BST

53 min Pagliuca wastes a few more seconds over the resulting free-kick before inviting Pellegrini to take it, thus wasting a few more.

8.51pm BST

52 min The resulting free-kick is laid off to Matthaus, who screams it towards goal from 30 yards. It’s straight at Pagliuca but hit with such power that he takes the safeish option of punching it away. Sampdoria are then given a breather when Serena is flagged offside.

It was the correct decision, but by the time play stopped Pari had wandered into the six-yard box and looked like he was playing everyone onside. Klinsmann pointed this out to the referee D’Elia, who then gave Pari a rollocking for no reason. He was just minding his own business in the six-yard box!

8.50pm BST

52 min Mannini is booked for a brazen block on the marauding Berti, who rolls over a couple of times and lands on his knees. He holds the pose, hands in the double-teapot position, and harrumphs at the inherent injustice of existence. A combination of those blistering surges from midfield and his artistic tendencies make him utterly compelling.

8.49pm BST

51 min Pari flicks the ball straight out of play, just so that Sampdoria can get a couple of seconds’ respite. Brehme charges after the ball like a ballboy and takes the throw-in to Stringara, who plays a give-and-go with Matthaus before shooting high and wide.

8.48pm BST

49 min: Fine block by Vierchowod! Not that he knew much about it. Sampdoria were cut open by two penetrative passes: Brehme to Berti and then onto Bianchi on the left-side of the area. He screwed the ball back to Serena, whose first-time shot hit the appreciable noggin of Vierchowod and rebounded to safety. It might have been going over the bar, it’s hard to tell because Vierchowod was crouching slightly.

8.47pm BST

48 min As in the first half, Inter have come flying out of the blocks. A sliced clearance by Invernizzi is headed away by Lombardo. The most dynamic winger in Italy has spent most of this game at right-back.

8.46pm BST

47 min Brehme’s long-range free-kick is comfortably held by Pagliuca.

8.45pm BST

47 min No substitutions on either side, and no changes despite those red cards. Sampdoria are now playing 3-5-1 and Inter 3-1-3-2 with just one centre-back in Ferri. They do have Stingara, the spare man in front of the defence, to drop back when necessary.

8.44pm BST

46 min Inter begin the second half. It’s 10-a-side, although I wouldn’t rule out more red cards given the performance of the referee Pietro D’Elia so far.

8.39pm BST

The half-time scores in Serie A

8.35pm BST

Pietro D’Elia decides it’s time for everyone to have a breather. It’s 0-0, but the score doesn’t begin to tell the story of a seriously hot-blooded 45 minutes.

8.33pm BST

45+3 min: Bergomi has been hit by a coin! This match is getting more surreal by the minute. A coin – I assume it was that, anyway - was thrown by one of the Inter fans, presumably at Mancini, but it hit Bergomi and sent him to the floor.

8.33pm BST

45+2 min D’Elia did call Bergomi over. Mancini was already there, and he flicked the red card almost nonchalantly in both their directions. I’m not sure they did enough to warrant yellow cards, never mind red, although Bergomi had already been booked.

Bergomi turns on his heels and then walks back to the referee, his hands held out as if in prayer. The referee waves his left hand back and forth as if to say, ‘Not my problem’, and then points to his head to suggest that Bergomi had lost the noggin.

8.32pm BST

45+2 min Pietro D’Elia is taking his time. He’s fiddling for a card and has called somebody over towards him, Bergomi I think. Hang on, Bergomi has already been booked...

8.31pm BST

45+1 min: IT’S ALL GOING OFF NOW! Sampdoria spring forward from their own penalty area again. Dossena finds Vialli, who takes the ball in the centre circle and drives a fine angled pass towards Lombardo on the right. He stops the ball and invites a lunging tackle from Brehme. Then – abracadabra – he scoops the ball over Brehme and disappears into the area, a classic bit of wingplay.

Lombardo then cuts the ball back towards the six-yard line, where Mancini goes over after the merest touch from Paganin. No penalty. It was a clear dive, and Inter’s players – temporarily forgetful of Berti’s earlier efforts – are not happy.

8.31pm BST

45+1 min Sampdoria break in numbers from an Inter corner. Stringara’s interception diverts the ball to Pari, whose first-time through ball is just too heavy from Mancini. He was almost in there as well.

8.30pm BST

44 min “Fancy football on sunny afternoons in Milan surrounded by internationals are all well and good, Rob,” says Simon McMahon, “but could the likes of Lombardo, or Vialli, or Klinsmann cut it on a wet Tuesday night at, say, Palace, or Chelsea or Spurs? I doubt it. Give me the English First Division anytime.”

Bramall Lane, that would be the ultimate test. Let’s see how elegant and composed Franco Baresi is when Billy Whitehurst is rumbling towards him with malevolent intent.

8.28pm BST

43 min: Another chance for Inter! Berti’s runs from midfield are causing so many problems for Sampdoria. He storms imperiously through the inside-left channel, onto a good pass from Klinsmann, and suddenly Inter have two against one with Serena on the far side. But Berti’s first touch is fractionally light, and that allows Vierchowod to come across and make a goal-saving tackle.

Serena moans at Berti, who points out that he was trying to play the ball across. Klinsmann claps and roars at everyone and no one, trying to whip the atmosphere up even further. This is blistering stuff.

8.27pm BST

43 min Inter’s captain Bergomi is booked for a diabolical high tackle on Vialli. He hacked at a loose ball near the halfway, missed spectacularly and followed through with his studs into the side of Vialli’s knee.

8.26pm BST

41 min: KLINSMANN HAS A GOAL DISALLOWED! What’s happened here? Vialli, just inside his own half, dithered and was tackled cleanly by the sliding Ferri. The ball ran through to Klinsmann, who shielded it from the sweeper Pellegrini with three superb touches and then twisted his right leg to stab a masterful finish back across Pagliuca and into the far corner.

Klinsmann was off on a lap of honour when everyone suddenly realised that the flag was up for offside. That can only be against Klinsmann after the tackle from Ferri, but he looked a long way onside. The angle of the replays is dreadful but all the evidence suggests Pellegrini was playing him on.

8.24pm BST

39 min Ricardo Ferri, 45 yards from goal, mistakes himself for Arie Haan. Goalkick to Sampdoria.

8.23pm BST

38 min Pari finds Dossena, 10 yards inside the Inter half. He looks around for options, ignores them all and passes the ball back to Pagliuca! That might be the longest passback I’ve ever seen, though the Inter fans are not entirely enthused about Dossena’s Guinness Book of Records attempt.

8.21pm BST

36 min: Another good save from Pagliuca! It’s coming. It’s been coming since the first whistle. Brehme’s scuffed cross from the left was missed by the stretching Invernizzi on the edge of the area. It ran to Berti, who controlled the ball and opened his body in the same movement before raking a shot across goal. It wasn’t right in the corner, and Pagliuca leapt dramatically to his left to beat it away.

8.20pm BST

35 min A TV graphic says Inter have had 53 per cent of the possession. I’ve no idea how they measure that stuff but that cannot be right. It feels more like 83 per cent.

8.19pm BST

35 min Vierchowod is down, and in a lot of pain, after accidentally kicking Klinsmann’s foot while making an interception on the halfway line. If he’s gritting his teeth, it really must hurt, as he’s the sort you can imagine refusing an anaesthetic before brain surgery. Klinsmann comes up to see if he’s okay, and the pain seems to be subsiding.

8.18pm BST

33 min: Huge penalty appeal from Inter! It’s all going off here! Stringara ran into space and slipped a pass to Berti on the right-hand side of the area. He pirouetted brilliantly inside Invernizzi to put himself through on goal – and then fell in a heap as Invernizzi tried to challenge him from the side.

The referee ignored his penalty appeals, at which point Berti showed the range of his theatrical repertoire by going down in a heap again, face first, with his hands over his head. Eventually he got up to plead with the referee. They chatted it over for 10 or 20 seconds, while simultaneously having an impromptu competition to see who could make the more demonstrative hand gestures.

8.17pm BST

32 min Berti’s acrobatic overhead kick goes well wide. For all Inter’s pressure – and it has been asphyxiating at times – Sampdoria will be happy that they haven’t created many clear chances.

8.16pm BST

31 min Cerezo, who has been booked, is late on Matthaus and immediately apologises.

8.13pm BST

28 min This is a good little spell for Sampdoria. Mancini plays a lovely pass on the turn to Cerezo, who controls it on the run and then falls over, just inside the area, after a challenge from Stringara. Cerezo appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty, and Bergomi wags a finger in his face. I don’t think it was a dive from Cerezo; he was just off balance.

8.12pm BST

27 min Paganin plays the ball towards Klinsmann on the halfway line. His marker Mannini nips in front to win the ball and keeps running, just for the hell of it. Pari finds Vialli, who plays a nice pass infield from the left. Mannini nicks it past the last man Bergomi, surges into the area and tries to find the unmarked Pari in the middle. His cross is blocked by … Klinsmann, who kept running back from the moment he lost the ball to Mannini. That diligence probably saved a goal.

8.12pm BST

27 min Bergomi, 30 yards from his own goal, plays a loose square pass that is intercepted by Mancini. Ferri then slide tackles Mancini, with the ball deflecting into the space in front of Zenga. Mancini has a yard start, but Bergomi shows impressive pace to recover and slip the ball back to the keeper.

8.12pm BST

26 min “Milan might be outsiders for the League this year, but I like what they’re building,” says Matt Dony. “They’re going to be difficult to beat next season. I really hope Sampdoria can make the most of this situation, while they have the chance. Thank goodness for Sgorio! Us simple Welsh folk get to enjoy all that exotic foreign football! Ardderchog!”

You’ll enjoy even more when you qualify for Euro 92. You heard it here first!

8.11pm BST

25 min: Fine save from Pagliuca! Stringara touches the free-kick to Matthaus, whose stinging shot is palmed behind at full stretch by Pagliuca. Matthaus has scored so often from that range in the past year or so, both with free-kicks and in open play, but Paglicua skipped across his line and dived low to his left to make a really good stop.

8.10pm BST

25 min It’s getting hot out there. Before the free-kick is taken there is an impromptu shoving match involving Berti, Mancini, Matthaus and others.

8.10pm BST

24 min Berti twists past Cerezo, 25 yards from goal, and then takes a blatant dive. The referee D’Elia buys it and books Cerezo with a flourish. The strut of this referee is hilarious, made even more amusing by the fact his shorts look two sizes too small.

8.08pm BST

23 min Vialli, who has spent much of the game running down the left towards his own goal, wastes a bit of time by hoofing the ball out of play. The referee had already blown for a foul by Vierchowod. Vialli pretended he hadn’t heard it and lumped the ball as far as he could, prompting approximately 70,000 whistles from the home fans. He’ll have heard those, I’ll wager.

8.05pm BST

20 min Pagliuca takes the resulting goalkick to the unmarked Pellegrini, who walks around with the ball for 10 seconds and then passes it back to Pagliuca. I’m starting to think Sampdoria might have come for a draw.

8.04pm BST

19 min: So close from Klinsmann! It’s surely a matter of time before Inter take the lead. They’ve just had their best chance so far. Paganin, seeing a lot of the ball at right-back, drove a long pass towards Serena, who won the ball in the air on the edge of the area and flicked it towards Matthaus. Pari tracked him to make a vital, desperate interception but could only lob the ball back towards Serena.

He looped a quick-witted header towards the far post, which took the keeper Pagliuca out of the game as he scrambled across his line. Klinsmann and Pellegrini threw themselves at the ball three yards from goal – Klinsmann with his head, Pellegrini with a flying boot – and somehow the ball went wide of the post.

8.03pm BST

18 min Paganin lobs the ball infield towards Klinsmann on the edge of the area. Pellegrini nips in front of Klinsmann but can only divert the ball back to Paganin. He has a great chance to put Klinsmann through on goal, with Pellegrini’s momentum having taken him out of the game – but he overhits a fairly simple pass and Vierchowod is able to intercept. With a gentler touch, Klinsmann would have been in. Vierchowod could have done with a gentler touch as well; he almost ran the ball past Pagliuca, yet another example of Smapdoria’s nerves.

8.01pm BST

GOAL! Juventus 0-2 Milan (Maldini 13) Paolo Maldini has doubled Milan’s lead with a towering header that slithered through the keeper Stefano Tacconi. That game looks over already. If Inter win today, Milan will be right back in the title race.

Juventus, meanwhile, are a rabble. They were right in the title race in the middle of February; now they are struggling to qualify for the Uefa Cup.

8.01pm BST

16 min Inter are given a free-kick 40 yards from goal. Matthaus decides to see his own 35-yard shot a moment ago and raise it, whistling a ferocious rising drive just wide of the far post. Pagliuca looks relaxed as he waves it past the post.

8.00pm BST

15 min Matthaus, the world’s best player and probably its only footballer-cyborg, picks the ball up on the halfway line and decides to take matters into his own hands. He runs forward, shifts the ball away from Cerezo and hits a fierce low shot from 35 yards that is blocked by Vierchowod.

7.59pm BST

14 min: Sampdoria almost steal the lead! Invernizzi’s cross from the right deflected off the face of Stringara and ran into no-man’s land at the near post. Mancini got to the ball, just ahead of both Ferri and the keeper Zenga, and sliced it back towards the penalty spot. Dossena controlled the ball with his gut and then smashed a half-volley into orbit. He was under pressure, with three Inter players converging, but that was still a decent opportunity. It fell to the wrong man: Dossena hasn’t scored in the league all season.

7.59pm BST

13 min And now we have the first demonstration of Sampdoria’s counter-attacking threat. Mancini, Invernizzi, Cerezo, Lombardo and Vialli are all involved in a smooth end-to-end move that, erm, ends with Lombardo’s cross being blocked by Brehme.

7.58pm BST

13 min Cerezo shanks a volleyed clearance behind for a corner, another demonstration of Sampdoria’s big-night (well, big-afternoon) nerves.

7.57pm BST

11 min Serena, in the centre circle, muscles Vierchowod aside and flicks an excellent header towards Klinsmann, wrongfooting the sweeper Pellegrini in the process. It looks like Klinsmann might be in, but his touch is unusually poor and that allows his marker Mannini to catch up and stab the ball back to Pagliuca.

7.54pm BST

9 min Vialli tries his luck from 25 yards: throw-in to Inter. That just about sums up Sampdoria’s start.

7.54pm BST

9 min Paganin moves over the halfway line and drives a long, angled cross beyond the far post. Serena pulls away from his marker Vierchowod and heads the ball back into the path of Berti, making a typical late surge into the area. Invernizzi tracks him all the away and cushions a header back to Pagliuca. That was excellent midfield covering.

7.54pm BST

8 min Inter are all over Sampdoria like a cheap cliché. The folk behind Walter Zenga’s goal could do with binoculars, as the entire game is taking place in Sampdoria’s half.

Sampdoria know how to defend, and are tactically designed to play away from home – they’ve conceded only four goals in 14 away games this season – but they’ll do well to withstand this pressure for 90 minutes.

7.51pm BST

GOAL! Juventus 0-1 AC Milan (Simone 3) Milan are ahead at the Delle Alpi, already. The young striker Marco Simone has given them the lead with a simple finish from Marco van Basten’s mishit volleyed cross.

7.51pm BST

5 min Ferri is penalised for going through the back of Vialli. The two men shake hands, and that’s that. At least it should be, but referee D’Elia makes great play of calling Ferri over to have a word. If he’s not careful, he’s going to turn into a flower.

7.51pm BST

5 min The pace of this game is quite something. It’s like watching an English match, except they’re passing the ball to each other more often than not.

7.49pm BST

4 min Lombardo is fouled by Stringara. The referee Pietro D’Elia demonstratively waves play on and then does a jaunty heel click to avoid running into the ball.

7.49pm BST

3 min That Berti intervention at the kick-off was a statement of almost feral intent. Inter have made a hyper aggressive start, and Vialli has already had to play as a second left-back on a couple of occasions. The actual left wing-back, Dossena, in his own area, gives Sampdoria a breather by volleying the ball over the halfway line. There are no team-mates there, mainly because Vialli is standing alongside him.

7.46pm BST

2 min The atmosphere is sensational.

7.46pm BST

1 min Vialli and Mancini kick off with all the urgency of two old fellas having a chat outside the corner shop while they try to remember what they came to the shop for in the first place. Berti is all over them like a mugger, charging off with the ball and finding Klinsmann.

7.39pm BST

Sampdoria won the return match 3-1 in December. They played with 10 men for almost an hour, after Alexei Mikhailichenko was suckered into an elbow by Giuseppe Bergomi. But the terrible twins, Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini, scored in the last 10 minutes to give Samp a rousing victory.

7.23pm BST

We’ll also have goal updates from the Stadio delle Alpi, where Juventus are hosting Milan. Juve’s season has collapsed since they lost at Sampdoria in February, with five defeats and only two wins from their last ten games, but Milan still have an outside chance of the title – especially if they and Inter win today.

7.08pm BST

Inter are unchanged from the team that drew 0-0 at Fiorentina a fortnight ago. Sampdoria make two changes from that nervous 3-2 win over Bari: Luca Pellegrini and Toninho Cerezo replace Marco Lanna and Ivano Bonetti. But there’s no Srecko Katanec, who has not recovered from injury; with Alexei Mikhailichenko out of favour and on the bench, Samp will start the game with only one of their three foreign players.

Indeed, the negligible influence of their overseas stars – at a time when the league is full of the world’s best – makes their performance this season even more remarkable. Mikhailichenko hasn’t started a game since February, whiole this is only Cerezo’s fourth start since he scored the winning goal against Milan on this ground in October.

4.13pm BST

Hello. This match has been circled on the wallchart for months: Internazionale v Sampdoria at the San Siro, the Serie A title decider. AC Milan may have something to say about that, but the strong likelihood is that we will be watching the champions today. The equation is deliciously simple: Inter have to win, Sampdoria only need a draw to maintain control. And if they steal both points at the San Siro, they will all but clinch their first ever scudetto.

Serie A doesn’t generally do feelgood stories. This is serious, hard-nosed business, conducted and consumed with a fervour that makes religion seem almost frivolous by comparison. Sampdoria have been dreaming of the title since Paolo Mantovani bought the club 12 years ago. But the more you want something, the scarier it becomes. If they are beaten today, Sampdoria will be only one point clear - and they’ll have Inter’s volcanic breath all over their neck.

Continue reading...

The Fiver | Neutral venues, artificial atmosphere and a few bars of Vera Lynn

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

<Big Brother Bloke> Day whatever number it is, and everyone’s still maintaining the pretence that the Premier League season can be completed in a dignified manner</Big Brother Bloke>. Yep, it’s been another busy 24 hours in the world of Project TV Money, the Premier League’s rigorous attempt to resume the competition on 12 June. It looks increasingly as if the problem of playing at neutral venues – rather than, say, the medical particulars of an ongoing pandemic – could kibosh any attempt to finish the 2019-20 season.

Related: Aston Villa join opposition against finishing season at neutral grounds

Continue reading...

The Spin | A bittersweet time travel back to Edgbaston 2005: why not?

The BBC is replaying the whole TMS commentary of the second Ashes Test from 2005 as live from Thursday, if you don’t have anything else on

Who fancies a Proustian rush? Actually, who fancies three-and-a-bit days of Proustian rushes? From 10.30am on Thursday, the BBC is replaying the full Test Match Special commentary of the second Ashes Test of 2005. It appears Sky Sports are also repeating the whole thing, though I can’t quite work out why the programme begins at 12.30pm on Thursday. Those five syllables – Edgbaston ’05 – have already sent me to several happy places and the re-listen hasn’t even started yet.

This column isn’t long enough to tell the story of the whole game, and this needless sentence isn’t doing me any favours with the word count either, so let’s focus on the day life changed: 4 August 2005. The exponential drama of the match, culminating in England’s heart-stopping two-run win on the Sunday morning, sometimes obscures a first day that should never cease to astonish.

Related: Wax to shine cricket balls the latest twist in extraordinary sporting times

Related: My favourite game: Middlesex v Kent, 2008 Twenty20 final

Continue reading...