In 1872, the first international match in football history ended 0-0

memorable

30 November 1872: The first international match under unified rules is held in Glasgow. Despite having 14 forwards on the pitch, 4,000 spectators watched England draw 0-0 with Scotland.

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“The ball is round and a game lasts 90 minutes.” Strong logic. Today, no one doubts the succinct football wisdom of former Germany national team coach Sepp Herberger. Things were very different when modern football was in its infancy. In 1848, British students wrote the first rules. However, the nine years leading up to the founding of the first football club were anything but uniform.

If two teams want to compete against each other in a new sport, they agree in advance by letter on the number of players (approximately 20 versus 20) and the length of the game (e.g. two hours). The ball doesn't have to be round, either: you can kick it with an inflated sheep bladder, a stuffed cloth ball, or sometimes even a pig's head.

Binding rules were only introduced after the founding of the English Football Association (FA): 1866 added corner kicks, free kicks and today's first offside rule; 1870 a limit of 11 players per team; from 1871 only goalkeepers You can play handball. In 1872, the next milestone came: uniform ball sizes were established. The circumference must now be 68 to 70 cm.

With these rules and their implementation, the British deserve the credit for inventing today's football. The first official international football match was held in the same year. Scotland and England will face off on November 30 at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground near Glasgow.

All 11 Scottish players from Queens Park Football Club

It's a November day, foggy but dry. However, last night's rain made the course a little soft. Still, 4,000 spectators, including many women, came to watch the match between the bitter rivals. Scotland and England have met five times in the past two years (albeit without Association Rules). England have won three matches, with both encounters ending in draws.

The entrance fee is one shilling, equivalent to one twelfth of a pound.

But now the Scots realize their opportunity. Captain and goalkeeper Robert Gardner gave the players options, but he didn't have many. While there are already over 100 clubs playing under unified rules in England, there are only around 10 in Scotland. That's why Gardner decided to nominate all 11 players from his club Queen's Park FC. England, on the other hand, is made up of nine different clubs.

The game started with a 20-minute delay at 2:20 pm due to heavy fog and large crowds. England's team is all white, while Scotland's team wears dark blue jerseys and white trousers. England, led by captain Cuthbert Octavian, had better individual players but they got off to a better start as Scotland were a well-coordinated team.

The lineups of both teams. England is on the left and Scotland is on the right.

Six nominal forwards always cause a lot of trouble for England's defense. The first goal seemed only a matter of time, but goalkeeper Robert Barker kept his goal clean, which consisted of two crossbars and horizontally stretched tape.

Have dinner together after 0:00

After the halftime break, the England team, which has strong dribbling ability, performed better, but also missed the best opportunity. The Scots also remain dangerous. The majority of the Scottish crowd had started cheering when Robert Leckie's powerful shot caused the goal tape to flutter. But the ball missed the goal by about an inch.

So there are opportunities for both sides. But after 90 minutes, the game ended in a disappointing 0-0. It was business as usual then: the spectators bid a warm farewell to Team GB. Later, players from both teams had dinner at the Carrick Royal Hotel.

The West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Glasgow still exists today.Image: Wikipedia

Over the next few years, these rules will become more specific and expanded. The two old enemies met regularly. On March 8, 1873, England scored its first victory in its first home match. They beat Scotland 4-2, but then came a huge crisis. England are on a five-match winless streak. They did not break the curse until April 5, 1879.

Two weeks later, Switzerland's first football club, St. Gallen FC, was founded. It will be 26 years until the Swiss national team takes part in an international competition for the first time. On February 12, 1905, the moment came: Switzerland lost 0-1 to France in Paris.

Two derbies between FCZ and GC will take place in the Leitzgrund in Zurich in the coming days. First there will be a league showdown on Saturday night (8:30pm), before the two clubs from Switzerland's biggest cities face off again in the cup round of 16 on Tuesday night (8pm). There is an explosive atmosphere ahead of time.