Hit Me With Your Best Shot Trivia Quiz

Answer: Old Trafford

The match, part of the 2003-2004 Premier League season, took place on September 21, 2003. In a highly contested game, both teams made several interesting attempts at scoring, but nothing materialized (in fact, the final result was a 0-0 draw). The match is better remembered because of what transpired in its last ten minutes. Dutch striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy committed an apparent foul on Arsenal defender Patrick Vieira, prompting the latter to try to kick Van Nistelrooy (though he didn't make contact). The Manchester forward jumped rather dramatically, leading referee Steve Bennett to give Vieira his second yellow card. Enraged, Vieira and the Arsenal squad sprinted to catch Van Nistelrooy and a brawl emerged. The match continued and to add more drama, the referee called a last-minute penalty kick for Manchester United.

Van Nistelrooy's penalty hit the crossbar, ending the match 0-0. At the end of stoppage time, Arsenal players jumped around Van Nistelrooy and mocked him, prompting players from both sides to start pushing each other. After the match, managers Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson defended their respective players. A variety of fines and suspensions from the Football Association followed post-match, and this fixture would become a defining step to Arsenal's championship win at the end of the season.

Old Trafford is one of England's largest stadiums. Opened in 1910, the stadium has hosted matches for important competitions like the Olympics, the World Cup, and the Champions League.

Answer: Netherlands

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was held in Germany between June and July of that year. The Netherlands qualified in second place in Group C and Portugal was the first placed team in Group D after winning all of their matches. This combination led to the two squads facing against each other in the first part of the knockout stage: the Round of 16. Portugal and the Netherlands met in Nuremberg on June 25 at the Frankenstadion, in a fixture that raised great expectations among soccer fans. Unfortunately, the match turned dirty early on, as Mark van Bommel was given the first yellow card only two minutes into the game for a challenge against Cristiano Ronaldo (who received multiple fouls and had to be substituted in the first half due to his injuries). The temperature only went up from there, with Russian referee Valentin Ivanov booking four other players before the end of the first half, including a red card for Portuguese midfielder Costinha (oddly enough, for a blatant handball rather than a foul).

Portugal went into the first half with a 1-0 advantage thanks to a goal by Maniche, which would be the only goal in the match. Unfortunately, the lack of fair play continued and multiple brawls broke out both on the pitch and in the bench area. Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz was sent off for hitting Luis Figo in the face, which was followed by two more red cards, one for each squad (Deco from Portugal and Giovanni van Bronckhorst from the Netherlands). The latter two, who were at that time teammates in Barcelona, were seen talking to each other at the end of the match.

Referee Valentin Ivanov broke a World Cup record for most cards given in one match, with a stunning total of 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards. The tournament as a whole also broke the record for most cards in a World Cup, surpassing the France 1998 event. The referee was criticized for the number of cards, though most of the tackles and fouls probably deserved them!

Answer: UEFA European Championship

Serbia and Albania have had historical issues stemming from cultural and geographical reasons, in particular the fight over Kosovo. The two national teams ended in the same qualifying group but UEFA did not separate them as they had done in the past when two teams have been involved in such conflicts (for example, Armenia and Azerbaijan). The match was played in Serbia's capital of Belgrade at the Partizan Stadium. Before kickoff, there had already been some instances of violence, including objects being thrown at the Albanian team's bus and chants of "kill the Albanians". The match was temporarily suspended because flares were falling onto the pitch, and during this suspension, a drone carrying a flag with Albanian symbols flew over the stadium. Stefan Mitroviæ of Serbia pulled down the flag, unleashing pandemonium between the players and later fans, who invaded the pitch and started physically assaulting the players.

The match was a qualifier for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament, the winner of which competes in the FIFA Confederations Cup. UEFA initially awarded the match to Serbia, but after appeals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport awarded a 3-0 victory to Albania, and deducted three points from Serbia. Albania ended up qualifying for the Euro 2016 but was eliminated in the group stage.

Answer: Corona

On May 15, 2011, the two semi-finals of the Mexican Clausura 2011 were played. Pumas UNAM defeated Guadalajara in the morning, earning their spot in the final. Their opponent was to be decided that night, with Morelia facing Cruz Azul. The latter had won the home game 2-0, so Morelia had to score at least two goals in order to overcome that score. Surprisingly, Morelia scored three goals, including one at the 88th minute that had turned the tables and earned them a spot in the final. The Cruz Azul players were frustrated, a situation that was exacerbated when a fan jumped into the stadium and interrupted the match. At first, he calmly approached Gerardo Torrado to shake his hand, but the player refused. While his teammates tried to ask the fan to leave, Christian Jimenez ran towards the fan and kicked him, causing a physical altercation between the two. When the spectator was finally kicked out by security personnel with help of goalkeeper Jesus Corona, players from both teams started pushing each other and the benches cleared with substitutes and staff trying to break the brawl. Corona, who had calmly ushered the fan out, chased one of Morelia's physical trainers and violently headbutted him. Referee Francisco Chacon showed the red card to several Cruz Azul players (though not Corona, since the referee likely didn't see the incident) and some of the Morelia coaching staff. Morelia went on to lose the final against Pumas.

Following an investigation, Jesus Corona (who is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in modern Mexican history) was suspended for six games and expelled from the Mexican national team that would play the Gold Cup. Corona was known for his aggressive behavior and had even been sued a few months before for his role in a bar fight. Sergio Martin, Morelia's physical trainer, was also suspended for six games. Several other players and staff members from both teams were given similar sanctions for their involvement in the brawl.

Answer: Colombia

The Copa Libertadores was first played in 1960 and has since become an essential part of South American soccer. The tournament features clubs from all over the continent, and in the past invited Mexican clubs to participate as well. The cup has traditionally been dominated by teams from Argentina and Brazil, with almost all of the championships between 1960 and 2020 being won by a team from one of those countries. Atletico Nacional, a Colombian team founded in 1947, won their second Libertadores Cup in 2016 when they defeated Ecuador's Independiente del Valle. Before the final, though, Atletico Nacional defeated Rosario Central in the quarter-finals, in a match that ended in a fight.

In stoppage time, Orlando Berrio scored a goal that sealed Atletico Nacional's victory and got them through the next stage. When Berrio scored, he effusively celebrated in front of Sebastian Sosa, Rosario Central's goalkeeper. Some defenders took this as a blatant provocation and players from both teams started pushing each other. Berrio was sent off as players from both sides tried to calm things down. Rosario Central's Giovani Lo Celso couldn't control his frustration and was shown a red card for an unnecessary foul in the middle of the field. Later, Berrio claimed that he was the victim of racist insults from the goalkeeper, which is why he reacted the way he did.

Answer: His height

At 64 minutes, the friendly match between the United States and Mexico was still tied with no goals, but Mexico's Diego Lainez had been threatening the American team several times with his speed and agility. Matt Miazga, the American defender who had been trying to stop Lainez, got angry after Lainez pulled his shirt.

The referee called a foul, but both players went head to head, mad at each other. Miazga immediately took the opportunity to laugh about the height difference between him and Lainez, which was considerable. Mexico's Edson Alvarez, whose height is similar to Miazga's, ran towards them and pushed the American out of the way.

A brief struggle ensued between the two squads, but eventually, things settled down. The match ended USA 1-0 Mexico, the first American victory over Mexico since 2015.

Answer: Neymar

The Copa America 2015 had generated high expectations for Chileans, as their national team was looking in good shape, perhaps its best in history. Hosting the tournament for the first time in more than 20 years, Chile had a unique opportunity to win the title, and they did!

On June 17, Brazil played against Colombia in Group C's most anticipated match. Despite a disappointing 1-0 in favor of Colombia, emotions were high on both sides. Minutes before the final whistle, Neymar appeared frustrated and shoved Murillo for what he perceived as a foul. As soon as the match ended, Neymar kicked the ball and hit defender Pablo Armero, causing him to fall down in pain. Murillo approached Neymar and the two butted heads. Carlos Bacca of Colombia, who witnessed the whole scene, vigorously ran to Neymar and pushed him, and a fight broke loose. The referee showed red cards to Neymar and Bacca, and the former received a two-game suspension.

Neymar rose to fame in the early 2010s when playing for Brazilian club Santos. He was then transferred to Barcelona in 2013 and played there until 2017, the year in which he switched to Paris Saint-Germain in France. As a young player, Neymar has won many accolades including the Golden Ball at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and a Champions League with Barcelona. He has been criticized for his dramatic style and is often mocked because of how he tends to exaggerate falls and injuries.

Answer: Getafe

Getafe is a small city inside the Community of Madrid, and close to the capital city, also called Madrid. Though their team is not typically in the top places of the standings, they have played some cup finals, including the Copa del Rey in 2007 and 2008, both of which they lost.

Getafe faced Real Madrid in April 2009 as the "Galacticos" tried to catch up with Barcelona in the standings. With the match tied 2-2 and with three minutes left, Getafe's Casquero ran into the box and had a clear goal-scoring opportunity when he was tackled by Pepe. The foul itself was enough reason to call a penalty and send him off because he stopped a clear goal, but incredibly, Pepe didn't stop there. As soon as Casquero hit the floor, Pepe kicked his opponent twice, once in the leg and then in the back. He was immediately sent off and suspended for 10 games after officials reviewed his actions. Casquero took a bad penalty that was easily stopped by Iker Casillas, and Real Madrid then scored a last-minute goal that would give them a 3-2 win over Getafe.

Though this was Pepe's first notable incident, his career has been marked by similar violent outbursts, such as stepping on Lionel Messi's hand during a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona or kicking Dani Alves in another fixture featuring two of Spain's best clubs.

Answer: Eden Hazard

Swansea shocked Chelsea in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final by defeating "the Blues" in their home for the first time in 87 years. The second leg was played in Swansea and was largely uneventful up to the 77th minute. The ball left the pitch and as a ballboy walked towards the ball, Eden Hazard tried to wrestle it from the boy. Hazard could not get his hands on the ball so he kicked the ballboy in the stomach, prompting Swansea players to shove the Belgian striker in anger. Players from both teams checked on the ballboy, whose name was later revealed to be Charlie Morgan.

Some noted that Morgan was the son of a Swansea City shareholder and hypothesized that he was prepared to keep the ball to purposefully waste time. Hazard was given a three-match ban and said he apologized to the boy after the match.

He left Chelsea in 2019 to join Spanish club Real Madrid.

Answer: The players involved were teammates

Fans normally expect brawls on a football field to take place between rivals, but occasionally, tensions are most elevated within one same group. The three incidents are explained below in chronological order:

In 2005, Newcastle United faced Aston Villa in a Premier League match that wasn't particularly noteworthy. Defender Steven Taylor was sent off for stopping a goal with his arm and then pretending to be hurt, leaving Newcastle with ten men. Frustrated with the result, Lee Bowyer confronted teammate Kieron Dyer because the latter was allegedly intentionally avoiding passing the ball. Both players started fighting in the middle of the field and were sent off by the referee, as members of the two teams tried to separate them. Bowyer, who had a history of previous violent behavior, had a visibly torn shirt when leaving the pitch. They gave a rushed press conference after the match with manager Graeme Souness where they both apologized.

In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Croatia easily defeated Cameroon with a 4-0 victory in the group stage. Cameroon's own FA started a match-fixing investigation after the match because of the strange way several players conducted themselves. First, Alex Song suddenly elbowed an opponent when the ball wasn't even being played, costing him a red card. Then, Assou-Ekotto and Moukandjo pushed each other when arguing, with the former trying to headbutt the latter.

Finally, in 2020, the first half of a match between Tottenham and Everton ended with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris chasing down Heung-Min Son all the way to the Tottenham dressing room. The incident was not as violent as the last two and coach Jose Mourinho (who by the way later called the bout "beautiful") successfully calmed his players down in the dressing room. Lloris could clearly be heard yelling "make the run" to Son, with Lloris implying that his South Korean teammate wasn't putting enough effort into the game.