5 of the best international rivalries from across the globe
- Amos Murphy
- Mar 24, 2019
- 7 min read
Mention an ‘international break is around the corner’ to most football fans and you’ll be met with a huge groan and a ten-minute lecture on why football played between countries is an out-dated concept that needs to be scrapped.
There’s no doubting that international football isn’t what it used to be, but there are certain fixtures between certain nations, which when they come around are like no other matches on the planet. Here are 5 of the best international rivalries from across the globe:
5) Japan vs Australia
We kick off our countdown with a fairly recently established rivalry; this Asian-Oceanic match-up often goes unnoticed to the western eye, but is a fixture up there with the most competitive in the world.
Born out of Australia’s introduction to the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, both teams have battled for the title of Asia’s biggest ever since.
With the majority of the fixtures between the two being international friendlies prior to the turn of the century, the first major game came during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
It was Australia’s first World Cup match since 1974 and it looked like it was going to end in disappointment for the Socceroos heading into the final five minutes of the tie, as they trailed 1-0 to the Japanese.
An inspired brace from Australia’s talisman Tim Cahill and a superb individual effort by John Aloisi in added time turned the match on its head and the green and gold army went onto qualify for the knock-out rounds at Japan’s expense.
Since then the two giants of the Asian game have gone onto to play in various World Cup qualifiers and Asian Cup fixtures – including the 2011 final – with the Blue Samurai’s coming out on top four out of ten times.
4) England vs Scotland
Next on the list is not only the oldest international rivalry, but also the oldest international fixture, with the first meeting between these two British adversaries being held way back in 1872 – a tasty and electric match played out in front of a crowd of 4,000 people. The game ended 0-0.
Things have changed since then: add centuries of oppressive rule over the Scots by the English to the mix and you’re left with one of the most fearsome fixtures in world football. One which usually sees England coming out on top – 45 out of the 114 matches have been won by the Three Lions.
But whilst England vs Scotland match-ups are often remembered for the violent actions between both sets of fans off the pitch during the height of football’s hooligan epidemic in the latter part of the 20th century, there have been some hugely significant victories for both nations.
Bobby Brown’s tartan army stunned the then world champions in their own backyard in 1967, with a 3-2 triumph against Alf Ramsey’s men - a victory which is widely considered one of Scotland’s greatest ever.
It wasn’t until 32 years later Venables and co. could avenge the embarrassment in one of Euro 96’s games of the tournament. A match which saw *that* goal from Paul Gascoigne, followed by the equally iconic ‘dentist chair’ celebration – a satirical nod to the naughty antics by some of the English players during a pre-tournament trip to Hong Kong.
3) Albania vs Serbia
From a tie that has seen over 100 matches played, to one that has had only two – we could’ve picked any one of the various Balkan match-ups and they’d have featured high on this list, but it’s because of the events during the recent Euro 2016 qualifiers between these two nations which gives this fixture the go ahead.
There’s usually a protocol which stops countries with deep political tensions being drawn together, but in a display of all of UEFA’s wisdom, judgement and basic common sense, nobody at European football’s governing body thought that separating two nations entrenched in centuries long bureaucratic and militaristic feuds would’ve been a good idea, thus the two met for their first ever international fixture in October 2014.
The match got off to a violent start, with Serbian fans chanting “kill the Albanians” and throwing flares towards their players, but tensions in the stadium peaked just before half-time when Serbian striker Stefan Mitrovic pulled off an Albanian nationalist flag from a drone that had been hovering over the pitch.
Albanian striker Bekim Balaj reacted badly to this gesture, ran towards the Serb and snatched the banner out of his hand. This triggered a mass brawl on and off the pitch, with players, coaches and Serbian fans – who had invaded the field – all fighting among each other.
The match was abandoned in the 42nd minute and Albania were awarded a 3-0 victory. Ahead of the return fixture – which incredibly had been given the green light to be played – there was a huge military presence inside and outside the stadium, with snipers placed on the roof in case of any further troubles.
This time the drama was done on the pitch: Serbia came out 2-0 winners after goals from Aleksander Kolarov and Adam Ljajic, both in added time, sparked pandemonium of a different kind in the terraces. Funnily enough the two haven’t met since.
2) Brazil vs Uruguay
In a list of the best rivalries between footballing nations you’d probably expect to see Argentina’s name next to Brazil’s, but whilst international football’s ‘El Classico’ has produced some feisty encounters over the years, it’s this fixture that makes our top 5.
Animosity surrounding this fixture began at the 1950 World Cup – held in Brazil – when the two teams met in the final fixture of the tournament, with the winner taking home the crown.
Unlike today’s traditional knock-out style, with a final being played to decide the winner, the 1950 World Cup followed a ‘round-robin’ format, with the team that tops the group being crowned champions. Heading into the last game Brazil were one point above Uruguay, who had struggled throughout the tournament and were expected to be swept aside by a rampant Selecoa side.
Brazil’s name was already on the trophy, or so locals and journalists believed; the mayor of Rio made a speech prior to the match calling Brazil’s players “champions in waiting”, a victory song had already been written and recorded ready to be played at the final whistle and a carnival through the streets around the Maracanã had been planned by the authorities.
What the 173,000 person crowd witnessed inside the spiritual home of Brazillian football was anything but the expected world champion procession.
After taking the lead early in the second-half, Brazil’s side of champion’s in wait capitulated and gave away two goals in the last 25 minutes of the match. A “disturbing and traumatic silence” befell the Maracana and Brazil were plunged into a national tragedy.
Four players, including the captain, Augusto, never played for the side again, famous journalists and reporters retired, some fans took the extreme step of committing suicide after the match and the Brazil Football Federation ordered that the team never wear their white strip again, leading to the adoption of the famous blue, yellow and green kits associated with the nation today.
Brazil avenged this defeat by winning back-to-back World Cups in 1958 and 1962, but whenever Brazil and Uruguay take to the pitch, the ‘phantom of ’50’ still hangs over the Verde-Amarela.
1) Germany vs Netherlands
English football fans will try and make you believe that England vs Germany is the biggest fixture on the international football circuit, but for fans of both of these sides, nothing comes close to when Germany and the Netherlands take to the pitch together.
After its inception in 1908, the German national side would regularly play the Dutch (and regularly lose). But the defeats were of little significance to the Germans as they were usually on the losing side of most of their games.
But after years of German occupation had plagued the Netherlands during the Second World War, coupled with Germany’s emergence of a footballing superpower that began to rival the great Dutch sides, a growing resentment between the two nations began to bubble.
The first significant match-up between the two can be pinpointed to the 1974 World Cup final – a match in which Rinus Michels’ illustrious team of ‘total football’ superstars like Cruyff and co., were denied their first ever World Cup trophy by a dogged and determined West German side spearheaded by Der Kaiser, Franz Beckenbauer.
After earlier domination in the fixture, the Dutch had begun to fall into the shadow of their European neighbours, however when the Clockwork Orange eventually did exorcise their ’74 demons, it came in the sweetest possible way: a 2-1 victory in the semi-final Euro ’88, a tournament being played in Germany and one the Netherlands went onto win.
The result sparked unbridled joy back home, with over 9 million Netherlands fans lining the streets and holding their bicycles aloft in the air chanting “we’ve got our bicycles back” – a sarcastic nod to when the Germans had seized all of the country’s bikes during the occupation.
Two years later at the 1990 World Cup this rivalry got even fiercer; after both sides’ national anthems had been drowned out with boos prior to kick-off, the match turned unsavoury just after 20 minutes when both Rudi Voller and Frank Rijkaard were sent off for an altercation in which the Dutch midfielder spat and pulled the hair of the German.
The referee later admitted it was entirely Rijkaard’s fault and Voller shouldn’t have been dismissed, but his blushes were spared after Germany went onto win the match and ultimately the whole tournament.
With various heated affairs since and tensions which don’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon, it is safe to say that Germany vs the Netherlands is the biggest and best rivalry between two international football sides.
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