On This Day – July 1: World Cup Thrillers, Chelsea Takeover, and Football Birthdays

2003 – Abramovich Buys Chelsea Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich purchases Chelsea FC from Ken Bates, wiping out the club’s debts and ushering in an era of unprecedented transfer spending and trophy success.
2006 – Portugal 0-0 England (3-1 pens) Wayne Rooney is sent off and Portugal prevail in a tense World Cup quarter-final shoot-out, Ricardo saving from Lampard, Gerrard and Carragher to send the Three Lions home.
2006 – France 1-0 Brazil Zinedine Zidane’s free-kick finds Thierry Henry for a stunning volley that knocks the holders out and propels Les Bleus into the semi-finals.
2012 – Spain 4-0 Italy (Euro 2012 Final) Goals from Silva, Alba, Torres and Mata crown Spain the first side to win three consecutive major tournaments, sealing the tiki-taka dynasty.
2014 – Belgium 2-1 USA (a.e.t.) Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku strike in extra-time; Tim Howard records a World-Cup-record 16 saves in a heroic losing effort.
2018 – Russia 1-1 Spain (4-3 pens) Igor Akinfeev’s trailing-boot save on Iago Aspas seals a seismic Round-of-16 upset for the hosts at Luzhniki Stadium.
2018 – Croatia 1-1 Denmark (3-2 pens) Danijel Subašić equals the World-Cup record with three shoot-out saves, and Ivan Rakitić buries the winner to push Croatia forward.

Ruud van Nistelrooy (1976) – Dutch poacher supreme; 56 Champions League goals for PSV, Man United and Real Madrid.
Patrick Kluivert (1976) – Ajax teen prodigy turned Barça talisman and Netherlands’ former record scorer.
Lucas Vázquez (1991) – Industrious Real Madrid winger with multiple Champions League titles.
Dedé (1988) – Powerful Brazilian centre-back famed for his towering headers at Vasco da Gama and Cruzeiro.
Krzysztof Piątek (1995) – Polish sharpshooter who burst onto the Serie A scene with Genoa and Milan.
Alejandro Garnacho (2004) – Manchester United’s fearless Argentine-Spanish starlet known for spectacular goals.

Abramovich’s Shockwave: The Chelsea takeover reshaped transfer economics overnight, laying a template for modern super-club ownership.
Howard’s Wall: Despite defeat, Tim Howard’s 16 saves against Belgium remain a benchmark for goalkeeping excellence at a World Cup.
Akinfeev’s Foot Save: A reflex kick-save in Moscow ended Spain’s run and ignited Russia’s deepest World Cup journey since 1970.

Which keeper saved two Spanish spot-kicks to knock La Roja out of the 2018 World Cup? Answer: Igor Akinfeev.

“Scoring goals is what I live for — the rest is just details.” — Ruud van Nistelrooy