A Hodgepodge of Soccer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Derby

It is a Glaswegian derby between arch-rivals Celtic and Glasgow Rangers. They say the noise during the game is so intense that it is almost impossible to communicate properly on the pitch.

Answer: Sparta

They all are from before the turn of the 20th century. Sparta (from Rotterdam) and Haarlem were both founded in 1889. Sparta was there first on April 1st. Haarlem was founded exactly six months later on October 1st. Vitesse (from Arnhem) is from 1892, and Willem II (from Tilburg named after a Dutch king) was founded in 1896. Three of these clubs play in the Dutch top flight. Haarlem was the only of these four clubs to play in the second division in 2008.

Answer: They all won the European Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and the UEFA Cup

Ajax was the first to complete the triple. It won its first European Cup in 1971 (and 1972, 1973 and the Champions League in 1995), took the Cup Winners' cup in 1987, and added the UEFA Cup to its tally in 1992. Juventus won the European Cup on a tragic night in Brussels in 1985 (Champions League in 1996), Cup winners' Cup 1992, and first UEFA Cup in 1977 (the other two in 1990, 1993). Bayern Munich was the first to win a prize, the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967.

The first European Cup was won in 1974 (and after that in 1975 and 1976, the Champions League in 1996), and finally in 1996, Bayern Munich won the UEFA Cup.

Answer: Stade Reims

Stade Reims gave Real Madrid a good run for its money on virtual home soil (Parc des Princes, Paris, June 13, 1956). Through Michel Leblond and Jean Templin, it took a 0-2 lead within 10 minutes. After Alfredo Di Stefano (17) and Hector Rial (30) had brought Madrid on level terms, Reims took the lead again in the 62th minute through Michel Hidalgo.

A goal by Alonso Marquitos (67) and another one by Rial (79) brought Madrid a hard fought 4-3 victory. Fiorentina lost the final to Madrid in Madrid 2-0, and AC Milan lost in Brussels 3-2 after taking the lead twice.

In 1959, Stade de Reims could not avenge the defeat three years before and lost 2-0 in Stuttgart, where 80,000 people attended that match.

Answer: Manchester City

Sheffield Wednesday are nicknamed the Owls, Norwich City are also known as the Canaries, and Newcastle United's nickname is the Magpies. The nickname for Manchester City is the Citizens.

Answer: Lazio Roma

Lazio Roma beat Real Mallorca 2-1 at Villa Park in Birmingham. Chelsea and Stuttgart played the final the previous year. Chelsea came out on top 1-0 in that one.

Answer: Hamburger SV

Werder Bremen, VFB Stuttgart, and Bayern Munich have played more 40 times in the Bundesliga.

Answer: Greece

Greece had never performed well in a tournament, never scoring a single goal, so it was quite surprising that they beat the hosts Portugal 2-1 in the opener. Drawing with Spain and narrowly losing against Russia enabled them to advance to the second stage.

There they beat Framce 1-0. The semi-finals against the Czechs saw the same scoreline, the goal being scored in extra time. The final was, like the opener, against the Portuguese. Once again, the Greeks came out on top, thanks to a goal from Angelos Charisteas in the 57th minute.

Answer: Preston North End

It really was a remarkable year for Preston. Not only was the title won without a single defeat (18 wins and 4 draws), the club also won the National Cup, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 at the Kennington Oval. It meant that Preston achieved the first-ever double in English football.

Answer: Torino

In the 1940s, Torino was arguably the best Italian team, winning five national titles in seven years. Small wonder many players represented Torino in the national team. But on May 4, 1949, a plane with the Torino squad returning from a friendly game in Lisbon crashed in bad weather on the Superga Hill just outside Turin. Nobody survived. Torino completed the competition with its youth squad, which won them the title.

But Torino's domination of Italian football was clearly over.