Sport
During the summer we return to a piece of Belgian record. This past 7 days (7/7), we will chat about sports, Olympics, Pink Devils, gold medal, unparalleled victory … Just above a century ago, our nation was crowned at its matches in the discipline of football. . A beautiful epic that marked the minds of the time!
By Laurent Depre
The Olympic Online games structured in the town of Antwerp in 1920, that is 90 many years immediately after the independence of Belgium, are unique in numerous respects. Very first of all because it was the first and past organization of games of this sort in Belgium. Then, for the very first time in the record of the Olympic Video games, an African group took component in the levels of competition, Egypt in soccer. Lastly for the fantastic cause that at that time the Olympic Online games were the primary soccer levels of competition on the world. In reality, the initially Planet Cup will not see the mild until eventually 1930 in Uruguay. This is why the Belgian Union is using motion to have the crew awarded a star for this “feat of arms” … But FIFA stays rigid for the minute.
And our Crimson Devils so gained the ultimate from the formidable Czechoslovakian countrywide team 2- in entrance of a comprehensive stadium (about 35,000 spectators gained their induce). For the anecdote, Belgium experienced now participated in the 1900 football Olympics in Paris by sending a crew there … of college athletes simply because the nationwide workforce was not produced until finally 1904.
In 1920: the cream of calcium collides
In total, 14 nations are represented at the Antwerp Olympics in the football opposition. Only Poland is lastly excluded for its armed conflict with Russia. This is unheard of. There is France, Spain, Italy but also Yugoslavia, Greece, Luxembourg, amid other individuals. The surprise of the 1st spherical arrived from the elimination of Denmark, even with staying a finalist of the two past editions, from Spain. But what caused a unique feeling at the time was the untimely exit of Britain, double reigning champion, by Norway!
I got the rocket!
A 1st recreation in the quarterfinals and the winner Robert Coppée has by now planted three roses in Spain (3-1). The participant who also grew to become a Union Saint Gilloise legend has a whole of 15 appearances for the Devils for 9 targets. Immediately after scoring close to 91 targets in P1, he finished his career in 1929. Louviérois died in 1970 at the age of 75.
Location in the semifinal that our Pink Devils performed on August 31st 1920 from the Dutch neighbors. As soon as all over again, our nationwide team was not in the lace: 3-. A victory that can take form in the 2nd half with plans from Henri Larnoe, Louis Van Hege and Mathieu Bragard. The latter was a different French-talking member of the team who played at CS Verviers. As for Van Hege, yet another unionist, he was a single of the to start with Belgian players in historical past to be transferred to soccer. In actuality, he experienced attracted the awareness of Milan in 1910. However his good profession was interrupted by the Very first Globe War.
The Purple Devils 1920 version! © CIO
An epic ending that finished in full confusion!
On 2 September 1920, Belgium confronted Czechoslovakia, which experienced shed France with a pleasant 4-1. The ambiance was very hot and numerous supporters experienced to give up entering the stadium due to the fact quite a few hrs prior to kick-off, the ticket income hobette had presently shut down! ‘Sold out’ as we would say currently.
On the garden, following just 6 minutes of play, a Czechoslovakian defender stopped a shot with his hand in his personal rectangle … Penalty transformed by Bragard and 1- for the Devils, who folded the unsustainable Henry Larnoe in the fifty percent hour (2-). For the special correspondent of the French sporting activities newspaper The Automobilethe victory was not the subject matter of discussion: “The finest team received the match” …
Nonetheless, the recreation changed just prior to the conclude of the to start with 50 percent. The opposing team’s left-back again attacked Robert Coppée and was despatched off. To problem the refereeing and the complaints of a hostile viewers, his teammates remaining the garden prematurely… Which then gave the strategy to the viewers to invade the pitch! Czechoslovakia was simply just disqualified and the victory confirmed.
And Belgium was gold medal for 39 minutes of perform …
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