Tony Incenzo takes readers on a trip down memory lane, with 888sport looking back at the 1994 tournament ahead of this summer's World Cup.

I APPROACHED my radio reporting work for the 1994 World Cup Finals in a state of bubbling excitement.

I has never been to the USA before and so I was set to visit cities that I had only ever seen in movies. In fact, for the first time in my life I decided to combine the football with taking in major tourist attractions in a bid to savour such a special trip.

I ended up travelling around nine major venues in a hectic 13 days and I was present for several historic football betting moments…. 

CHICAGO

I began my 1994 odyssey amidst a superb World Cup opening ceremony at the Soldier Field stadium.

I watched in awe as a feast of traditional American razzmatazz unfolded in front of me and legendary chanteuse Diana Ross emerged from a massive plastic ball to sing on the pitch.

Then it was the main event of Germany 1 Bolivia 0 (attendance 63,117). Regarding my new found tourism interest, I ventured into Chicago’s Al Capone Museum and took an elevator to the top of the Sears Tower (the tallest building in the world at the time).

In addition, a Greek journalist at the World Cup media centre told me John Travolta was performing live on stage in a musical in Chicago that night.

Therefore I joined my new friend for an outing to the theatre although we hadn’t booked tickets and I felt sure the performance would be totally sold out. But when we arrived, there was hardly anybody there.

I unexpectedly spotted a handwritten note on the entrance door which solemnly proclaimed: “Mr Travolta will not be appearing tonight due to illness and is replaced by an understudy.” So we decided to give the play a miss!

NEW YORK

Italy are usually near the top of World Cup odds in most markets and that was no different in 1994. And yet I saw Ireland beat Italy 1-0 at the fabled Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

For someone like me who is half-Irish and half-Italian, this was an incredible occasion amongst a 74,826 crowd

I vividly remember how thousands of American-born supporters from both countries staged a vibrant tailgate party in the stadium car park prior to kick-off.

hen after the game, I caught the train back into New York where I joined a large group of Irish fans walking down Broadway towards Times Square.

All of a sudden, a huge policemen leapt ahead of us and dramatically waved his baton in the air. “STOP! STOP!” he yelled.

But it very quickly became apparent he was of American-Irish heritage when he added: “You guys can do anything you want in New York tonight!”

As a quick as a flash, one of the lads replied: “We may need to quote you on that later officer!”

My own tourist excursions continued in New York by ascending to the respective peaks of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the Rockefeller Center.

I liked everything so much that I returned to the ‘Big Apple’ many years later for my honeymoon.

WASHINGTON DC

On to the capital city where I witnessed Holland 2 Saudi Arabia 1 (attendance 52,435) at the RFK Stadium.

Later, I tried to get on a guided tour of The White House but the queues were so long that I gave up!

However I did manage to see the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall plus the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame.

What came as a surprise was that tourists like me were allowed to stroll around unchallenged inside The Pentagon headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and take photographs!

DETROIT

It was wonderful to be part of history when the Pontiac Silverdome near Detroit became the first indoor stadium used in a World Cup Finals tournament.

My game finished Switzerland 4 Romania 1 and 61,428 filled the massive air-conditioned building. Alas, this amazing place was demolished in 2018.

ORLANDO

On arrival in Orlando, I took a taxi to Disney World and relished the delights of the Magic Kingdom theme park. A thoroughly enchanting location that made me feel five years old again.

From there, it was on to the Citrus Bowl stadium for Mexico 2 Republic of Ireland 1 before 61,219 spectators.

I recall this massive argument just a few metres away from me between Ireland manager Jack Charlton and the fourth official who initially refused permission for substitute John Aldridge to go on to the pitch.

BOSTON

I was really honoured to view the world’s greatest player in action at Foxboro Stadium.

Indeed, Diego Maradona set up both Argentina goals via cunning free-kicks in a 2-1 victory over Nigeria (attendance 54,453).

But it turned out to be his last ever international appearance because he was subsequently and sensationally sent home from America for failing a drugs test in a blaze of publicity.

Meanwhile, my tourist quest embraced the Skywalk Observatory viewing platform and the Boston Tea Party Ship Museum.

LOS ANGELES

Next I had a six hour cross-country flight over to Los Angeles.

Temperatures reached 100°F at the Rose Bowl Stadium which had very little cover so I plastered on the factor 50 whilst settling down alongside 93,869 onlookers for USA 0 Romania 1.

It was a vibrant occasion which illustrated to me how much “soccer” was growing in popularity across the States back then.

Following the match, I headed straight to Hollywood to explore the local sights. I have to say this was the only setting on my USA excursion where I didn’t feel safe as there were some dodgy-looking characters hanging around on Hollywood Boulevard.

Nevertheless, it was fantastic to view all the iconic hand prints etched on the pavement Walk Of Fame from an assortment of celebrated movie stars.

I was disappointed though that I couldn’t get a good close-up photo of the famous Hollywood Sign due to the fact it is actually located about five miles away on the top of a mountain.

SAN FRANCISCO

It was lovely for me to catch of a glimpse of The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

However, Stanford Stadium was so far from the city centre that coaches were laid on to transport members of the media 40 miles to the game.

It was my highest scoring match of the tournament with Russia hammering Cameroon 6-1. Some 74,914 fans packed into what was essentially a college stadium within a students’ campus.

Again I observed history being made when Russia’s Oleg Salenko hit the net five times to set a new record for the most goals scored by one player in a World Cup Finals match.

DALLAS 

My last game was Bulgaria 2 Argentina 0 and this attracted a crowd of 63,998 at the Cotton Bowl stadium.

No time for any sight-seeing afterwards though as I had a nine hour flight back to London almost straightaway.

My girlfriend at the time picked me up at Gatwick Airport and we optimistically said we would go nightclubbing that evening. But I fell asleep in the car.

Then when I got home, I slept non-stop for nearly two days. My first experience of severe jet lag!

The World Cup is always a huge betting event at 888sport, with punters and fans around the world making numerous predictions ahead of the tournament.

There are always plenty of ante-post markets priced up ahead of the event as well as hundreds of options for each and every match throughout the competition...

Betting on the World Cup is always an enjoyable experience but it can also be life-changing for some punters who have somehow managed to land audacious wagers during recent tournaments and profited from some wonderful foresight.

2014 World Cup: Brazil 1-7 Germany

Very few punters would have predicted this surprise scoreline in the semi-final of the World Cup 2014, however, one lucky bettor in Essex was able to profit from Germany's demolition of the hosts.

They took odds of 500/1 on a 7-1 scoreline and their £5 bet returned the handsome sum of £2,505 – not a bad night's work. Very few would have predicted Brazil's demise at Belo Horizonte on 8th July, with the shock outcome leaving thousands of home fans aghast at their side's inept performance.

Toni Kroos was man of the match and netted twice during the 90 minutes with 82 savvy punters taking 80/1 on the midfielder to net two or more goals in the game. A £20 bet in Shropshire landed £1,620 for one bettor who will have been toasting Joachim Low's side's efficiency in the final third.

There was also a near miss with one fan taking odds of 1000/1 on a 7-0 scoreline which was scuppered by Oscar's late consolation for the Selecao. Brazil have since undergone a major overhaul and coach Tite has done a magnificent job restoring confidence back into the side.

Brazil are joint-favourites at 19/4 with Germany in 888sport's World Cup outright betting markets and the pair are likely to command a large number of bets ahead of the tournament. If the two dominant forces meet in the final, there will be many people having a small-stakes play on the 7-1 scoreline once again.

Luis Suarez Biting An Opponent

Luis Suarez's moment of madness in the 2014 World Cup may have evoked disbelief from the majority of fans but it prompted mass celebrations in Norway. One firm were offering punters 175/1 for the fiery Uruguayan striker to bite an opponent during the tournament and 167 bettors decided to snap it up.

Suarez's misdemeanour wasn't his first brush with controversy and once he sunk his teeth into Giorgio Chiellini, several Norwegian punters were able to start counting their cash. One winner took to social media to show off his winning betting slip, which netted him the equivalent of $916 USD for a $5 bet.

Multiple Madness

Many punters love a pre-season multiple bet, with fans aiming to predict the winner of each division or perhaps even the top goalscorer for the season. In 2014, one bettor decided that predicting the outcome of four leagues wasn't enough of a challenge and combined his selections with Germany to triumph in Brazil.

Betting on the World Cup winner is a hugely popular way of keeping an interest throughout the tournament; however, this market is rarely combined with domestic selections.

After seeing Real Madrid wrap up the Champions League, Manchester City finish top of the Premier League, QPR secure promotion back to the top flight and Wolves make light work of League One, his attentions turned to Joachim Low's side.

Following Germany's 7-1 destruction of hosts Brazil, only Argentina stood between the punter and £83,000. Luckily, they prevailed with a narrow 1-0 win and the huge prize was collected but it can't have been an easy 90 minutes for the bettor in question who had staked £100 on the five-fold.

Stripping Off

Although not a bet of any monetary value, French weather forecaster Doria Tillier promised viewers that she would strip off and present the weather completely naked if France were able to qualify for the World Cup 2014.

Les Bleus had been less than convincing under Didier Deschamps and required a play-off in order to secure their place at the tournament in Brazil and with Ukraine leading 2-0 from the first leg, Tillier wasn't confident that her side would turn things around.

She suggested that there was no way France would score three times and overturn the deficit but Didier Deschamps' men had other ideas. A 3-0 victory with goals from Mamadou Sakho and Karim Benzema ensured Tillier was forced to stick to her promise and there was a huge spike in TV viewing figures the following evening.

Good Fortune In Qualifiers

There have been many memorable results across the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, although for most football fans, Armenia 3-2 Montenegro isn't one that is likely to stick in the mind. However, for one punter in Coventry, it is unlikely to ever be forgotten.

The bettor placed a multiple bet that featured 11 selections across two days. Using the Match Result and Over 2.5 Goals market, he saw Denmark, Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic get his bet off to a solid start, although there was one game that wasn't going according to plan.

Armenia had been tipped to clinch victory over Montenegro, but unfortunately, they got off to a sluggish start and found themselves 2-0 down with 38 minutes on the clock. Armenia pulled a goal back through Artak Grigoryan just after halftime to reduce the deficit but it still appeared to be a huge ask.

A 74th-minute strike levelled matters and suddenly it was looking much rosier for 11-fold. Nobody could be blamed for writing off the wager whilst also cursing their luck as the clock ticked into injury time, but a 93rd-minute winner from Gevorg Ghazaryan prompted mass celebration both inside the stadium and in one household in Coventry.

The punter took odds of 820,728/1, scooping around £205,000 for his 25p bet. Betting of the World Cup qualifiers was hugely profitable in this instance but it was far from plain sailing for the small stakes punter.

Grandfather's Windfall

Wales narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2014 World Cup, yet 62-year-old Peter Edwards didn't seem to mind too much. The grandfather of young Liverpool midfielder Harry Wilson netted £125,000 from a £50 bet, which he struck when his grandson was just 12 years old.

Edwards took odds of 2,500/1 on the youngster to one day play for Wales and the 16-year-old made his debut from the bench during his side's World Cup Qualifier against Belgium on the October 15, 2013.

Not only did Wilson's appearance net his grandfather an eye-watering sum of money but it also secured him a place in the record books with the teenager becoming the youngest player to ever feature for Wales.

*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*

The FA Cup, the oldest cup competition in world football, often faces questions about its future but here at 888sport, we prefer to look back on the biggest achievements, facts and statistics relating to the tournament.

It is the competition’s past that makes it what it is, the history, the famous FA Cup upsets, the surprise winners and the biggest margins of victory. Glory in the FA Cup is the greatest moment in the history of some clubs.

For those lower down the pyramid, their club’s name is forever associated with a magnificent upset. Earning a replay can change the fortunes of a team and, as 888sport will tell you, it can flip a tie on its head.

Best FA Cup Records:

Reaching so far back into the history of English football, FA Cup records unearth teams the vast majority of fans will not have heard of. There are familiar names too, of course, whether in the team or individual records.

The FA Cup has a prestige unlike any other domestic club competition in the world. Premier League predictions are available week in week out but FA Cup betting tips are extra special.

Some may say the FA Cup is struggling, but its records serve as a reminder that its place is safe, even in the modern game. Here are the top FA Cup records…