The FA Cup, sponsored by the Football Association, the governing body for the sport in England, is the major soccer tournament in Europe, and the premier event in English football, with over 700 teams from all levels taking part. Although it's been somewhat eclipsed in recent years by the growth of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, it remains dear to the hearts of football fans everywhere.
Back in the day we're dealing with today, if an FA Cup match, including the final, ended in a tie, 30 minutes of extra time followed. It wasn't sudden death, so whoever scored ththe most goals in extra time won. If the game was still tied, it would be replayed in its entirety about 10 days later. This rule has since been done away with in the case of the FA Cup final; if Saturday's game is still tied after extra time, it will be decided by a noxious penalty kick shootout. (Drawn matches in earlier rounds of the tournament are still replayed, with shootouts if the replay also ends in a tie.)
The 1970 FA Cup final was the first time in the history of the competition (which began in 1872) tha the final match had to be replayed, the first contest having ended in a 2-2 draw. Late in extra time of the replay, Chelsea scores, winning the Cup and preventing a second replay. ◙
