So with Guinea and Mali having had to wait for lots to be drawn to see who would make it through to the next round of the AFCON, The Fan Park Crew thought they would do some research and see when there were previous matches decided by lots.
Turkey vs. Spain, 1954
In the early World Cup qualifications, FIFA and UEFA weren't quite as organised as today and the groups in the World Cup were quite random at times. In 1954 the one World Cup group only featured two teams, which were Spain and Turkey. Both sides managed to beat each other once so it was decided a play-off was needed. That game ended all square and a drawing of lots decided who went to the tournament. Turkey was the side that got drawn and ended up going.
Netherlands vs. Ireland, 1990
The 1990 World Cup had one of the closest groups in the tournament's history. The group was won by England and all of the fixtures only produced one win and seven goals. The sides that were second and third were Ireland and Netherlands. Both sides ended with three points, two goals scored and two goals conceded. The top two sides in each group, along with the best third-place finisher, went through to the knockout round which ensured that both woutl get into the knockout round. However, Netherlands and Ireland had to undergo a draw of lots to determine second and third in the group.
Liverpool vs. Cologne, 1965
This is one that was decided by a dreaded coin toss! Liverpool and Cologne were drawn against each other at the quarter-final stage of the European Cup. Both legs of the tie ended in goalless draws and it was decided that a play-off match would take place at a neutral ground. That game also ended up in a draw, so a coin toss decided who would go through to the semi-final. Liverpool made the right call and went on to face Inter Milan.
What do you think of the rule?
