GOLDEN GOAL

The extra time Golden Goal was introduced in March 1993, although the concept was not a new idea. 

The World's second ever football tournament, The Cromwell Cup was played in Sheffield under the mish-mash of Football-Rugby-The Eton Wall Game and Aussie Rules!!! and was known as Sheffield Rules. The final match between Garrick and The Wednesday Club (note the convenience of the "half day closing" of a mid week Wednesday to allow a club to develop!!) was goalless after 90 minutes so both captains decided that the first to score would win!

The report from the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent of February 17th 1868 reported that this was a bit of a farce and an anti-climax. "After playing ten minutes, the Wednesday Club got the ball at the "low end" and one of the other side, in making a kick, got too much under. The ball went UP almost perpendicular and in dropping, it cannoned off someone through the goal! The Wednesday men and friends. who had assembled in great force, gave vent to their voices and we have not heard such a shout since the memorable (really) county match versus Surrey, so unexpectedly won. Hurrah!"

The first golden goal recorded was on 13 March 1993 by Australia against Uruguay in a quarter-final match of the World Youth Championship. The first major tournament final to be decided by such a goal was the 1995 Football League Trophy where Brimingham City beat Carlisle City 1–0, with a goal from Paul Tait, followed by the 1996 European Championship Final, won by Germany over the Czech Republic, scored by Oliver Bierhoff, on June 30th at Wembley. 

The final took place in front of 73,611 spectators, and was refereed by Pierluigi Pairetto. Germany controlled the early stages of the match but the first opportunities to score fell to the Czech Republic with Poborsky and Berger missing the target. In the 34th minute Germany almost took the lead when a volley from Stefan Kuntz beat the Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Kouba but was cleared by Karel Rada, and the half ended goalless. In the 58th minute, the Czech Republic were awarded a penalty. Poborský was brought down by Matthias Sammer, and the referee awarded the spot kick which Berger scored with a shot that went under Andreas Köpke. In the 73rd minute, second-half substitute Oliver Bierhoff scored with a header from a Christian Ziege cross. 

The same sense of injustice was felt again when France applied a similar juddering halt to Italy's gallop in Euro 2000, Trezeguet half-volleyed the ball into the top corner, a golden goal for France who won their second European Championship 2–1.

After tinkering with a "Silver goal" format, which at least allowed teams some scope to bounce back, FIFA dispensed with the idea altogether in 2004!!