Robin Lod reckons he was too young to have watched the Finland men’s soccer team face Hungary in a do-or-die World Cup qualifier in 1997 — he was 4, after all. But Lod, now a national team midfielder, knows what happened. So does Tim Sparv, Finland’s captain, who was 10.
With a win, Finland would have advanced to a two-game playoff for a World Cup berth, putting the nation one step from its first major tournament. With the Finns up 1-0 in second-half stoppage time, Helsinki expected exultation. But when Hungary earned a last-gasp corner kick, a tragic comedy of errors ensued.