Scoring beer

One kick for lifetime supply of brews

Referee points to the spot. Penalty. It’s the 93rd minute and your country is down 1-0. The crowd’s roaring and you step up to take it. But there’s a catch.

Not only can you tie the game, but you’ll also win a lifetime supply of free beer.

Count me in.

That was in the case for Austria in 2008. Ranked 92nd in the world, Das Team automatically qualified for Euro 2008 as co-hosts. Because the team had such low expectations, an Austrian brewery made an incentive: whoever scored Austria’s first group stage goal won a lifetime supply of beer.

That's pretty legit.

With an immense opportunity at each player’s hands, Austria went goalless and lost to Croatia in its first match. But in its second against Poland, midfielder Ivica Vastic sent an absolute bullet into the upper netting in stoppage time, tying the game 1-1.

He won the jackpot and was guaranteed as much beer as he wanted for the rest of his life. So how did he celebrate?

Vastic raised his fists in the air. That’s it.

At least rip your shirt off or knee slide into the corner flag. Heck, taking a victory lap or kissing someone's forehead would be justified.

But apparently Austria has some pretty bad ass beer and winning Ottakringer lagers isn’t anything to celebrate about over there. The Austrians also needed a win, not a tie, against Poland because Germany was favored to beat them in a few days.

Scoring a penalty kick for free beer could be scene in a Dos Equis commercial. However, the Austrian Football Association never let Vastic have the beer, saying, “We need three points against Poland, but we definitely need no beer belly.”

Boooooo. But if Budweiser offered the same deal to the U.S. National Team, the Yanks would’ve faced Argentina in the World Cup final.

Jump on dat ball!

Fans catch Donovan’s Algeria ball

Landon Donovan’s 2010 goal against Algeria has cemented itself in U.S. Soccer history. And in 2012, a few USMNT fans claimed they caught the match ball in the stands that day.

Re-watching the final minutes of the game, Donovan kicks the ball into the stands after the final whistle. But there’s no real way to prove the fans’ ball is the actual ball.

Could someone purchase a 2011 Premier League ball online, engrave match details into the side, scuff it up a bit and say it’s from Wayne Rooney’s bicycle kick against Manchester City?

Possibly.

If the player or team doesn’t have the ball already, we may have found a loophole to meet your favorite player, like these guys did.

What’s arguably more impressive about this whole situation — other than how these guys are absolute units — is that they snuck the ball out of the stadium. If a ball goes into the stands today, security is on it immediately. Economy’s rough and those balls are $150 a pop.

The fans only had a few options to sneak it out. First option is put it under a shirt and act pregnant. Another is walk closely behind a friend with the ball pressed against your chest and the other person's back. Walk in sync and don’t look suspicious.

Or jdon’t care, avoid eye contact with the guards and carry it on your hip like a boss.

Whatever their strategy was, I hope it’s the real ball. And if it isn’t, kudos to them for absolutely finessing a pic with Donovan and getting free passes to training.

Cave soccer in Romania

Loser stays underground

Nothing beats evening pickup soccer. It's even more fun with friends, especially if you get on the same team: it’s flick-ons and one touch for days.

A good small-sided field is hard to find. Maybe yours is a local turf field or an indoor futsal court.

But imagine if your pickup field was an underground cave. That’s the case in Cacica, Romania. In the small European town lies a salt mine that’s attracted settlers for hundreds of years.

Deep within the mine, builders carved out a space for a soccer field. There’s two goals, rock walls on either side and giant lights: the perfect recipe for a unique soccer experience.

Cave footy would take some time to get used to. The ball’s echo would be odd. Bodying players against the wall would lead to an ER visit. Who knows, maybe pebbles spray down from the ceiling every few minutes.

But people still gather to play every week in the mine.

It’s unclear how people get down there or who runs the games. Maybe if the organizer’s team loses they turn off the lights and the winners climb out in the dark. Salty.

Whatever the experience may be, this field has taken yelling, “Mine!” to a whole new level and Romania has created a bucket list soccer experience for many.

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