Joe Carroll's Curiosity Corner: Sporting Trivia and World Cup Facts

KNOW YOUR INITIALS QUIZ

It’s RR this week:

1: He’s buried close to the winning post at Aintree racecourse

2: They play football in Scotland

3: His FA Cup goal gave a non-league team a shock win over Newcastle United

4: A hurler who has won senior All-Irelands, and so has his brother

5: It’s one of these, but most contestants see the Dublin City Marathon as a fun run 

6: A contender for County Down’s best golfer until Rory McIlroy came along

7: A recently retired RTE television racing commentator

8:  It’s not only boxers who might be this on their return to sporting activity after a break

9: You’d be surprised to see this in Formula One, but it’s there

10: He played for Liverpool and Israel

SPORTING ANAGRAM

Clue: It's a British Open Venue

Kilroy bar deal (5, 8)

WORLD CUP WAFFLE

It wasn’t until the tenth celebration of the finals, in 1974, that there was a penalty. And like the 45 bus, a second one came along in the same game.

Holland were playing Bulgaria and Johann Neeskens scored after six minutes. The former Dutch assistant manager got another from the spot in the 41st minute, and later in the tournament added another first to his credits: his penalty goal against West Germany was the first in a final and it came after 80 seconds.....

Those 1974 finals continued Bulgaria’s terrible run. They were playing for the fourth time at this stage, and as happened in the other three, they failed to score....

What have Saudia Arabia’s Fuad Anwar and Italy’s Marco Materazzi got in common? Both were victims of a Zinedine Zidane red card assault at the finals. The French midfielder stamped on Anwar in 1998 and then in the 2006 final, which France won, headbutted Materazzi...

Germany have won the title four times, but have also been beaten in the last match four times. That’s more than any other country. Holland, who have yet to claim the trophy, have had three losses. Uruguay (twice), Spain and England (once each) have won whenever they’ve been in the final.....

Nine finals have been played in Europe, and Brazil are the only non-European team to win any of them. The South Americans’ success – one of five – came in Sweden in 1958, giving the 18-year-old Pele the first of his three medals...

The best comeback? That could be Portugal’s at the 1966 finals. Eusebio’s side were three down to South Korea in the quarter-finals at Goodison Park, but fought back to win 5-3. South Korea had caused a shock to qualify for the last eight, beating Italy 1-0 at the then-home ground of Middlesbrough, Ayresome Park.

HE SAID WHAT?

“We were very happy with him at Naas. He made a couple of little mistakes, but he did it nicely. And they didn’t go a great pace. He will be happier when they go a stronger pace.”

Gavin Cromwell, the Navan-based trainer, speaking shortly before taking Espor d’Allen to Cheltenham to challenge for the 2019 Champions Hurdle. His confidence was justified: Espor d’Allen skated up, making it a rewarding day for anyone who backed the gelding at 16/1. Sadly, the JP McManus-owned gelding got injured later in his career, bringing his racing days to an end.

ANSWERS

Know Your Initials: 1 Red Rum, 2 Raith Rovers, 3 Ronnie Radford, 4 Richie Reid, 5 Road Race, 6 Ronan Rafferty, 7 Robert Reid, 8 Ring Rusty, 9 Road Rage, 10 Ronnie Rosenthal. Brritish Open Venue: Royal Birkdale.