Before we get into the nitty gritty of epic soccer matches, let us start with an introduction to soccer, the name deriving from Association football. Soccer is also known as football. Our American friends think football is another game altogether, men with so much protection on their bodies they sometimes fall over.

Actually it is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a ball. Generally up to 3 substitutes may also make an appearance, due to injuries or maybe  just for tactical purposes. Soccer is considered to be the most popular sport and team game in the world.

The game is played on a rectangular field which is usually grass but it has also been played on artificial surfaces. Epic soccer matches are usually played on grass surface. There is a goal in the centre of each of the 2 shorter parts of the pitch.

The object of the game is to score a ‘goal’ by getting the ball into the opposing team’s goal. In general play, the goalkeepers are the only players allowed to use any part of their body to touch the ball. The rest of the team, known as out field players usually use their feet to kick the ball. In fact they can use any part of their body except their arms and hands. Usually this means heading the ball or other parts of the body has been known to be used. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, usually 90 minutes the match ends as a draw or the game can go into extra time and finally a penalty shootout. This is usually the case in knock out cup type competitions.

The modern game was originated in England following the formation of The Football Assosciation, whose 1863 rules of the game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, commonly known as FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the Fifa world cup, held every four years. This event, the most widely viewed in the world, boasts an audience twice that of the Summer Olympic games, also run every 4 years and 2 years apart from the world cup.