History...

This FIFA tournament is not
officially endorsed by the Tipster

10 years ago I was sitting in a pub in Cardiff with a prime seat for viewing the Euro 2004 Quarter Final between England-Portugal, featuring teenage sensations Rooney and Ronaldo, on what people back then called a big screen.

For some reason I started a sweepstake on the first scorer, and lots of people wanted to join in. Somebody called Dan (or John, or Steve) was lucky enough to get Michael Owen, and pocketed the winnings just 3 minutes into the match.
As sweepstakes go, it wasn't very exciting. And England lost on penalties.

Times have changed. Big screens are now more than 1 metre wide. Rooney and Ronaldo are no longer teenagers. Getting Owen as first scorer in a sweepstake is no longer cause for excitement. England are great at taking penalties (better than the Swiss at least), and the Tipster lasts a bit longer than 3 minutes. About 4 weeks, in fact.