Córdoba or Königgrätz? (Austria & Prussia)

"Just you wait, Austria, this is going to be your most devastating defeat since Königgrätz!"

"In your dreams, Prussia, in your dreams! This is going to be a new Córdoba!"

"Pshaw. You spoil-sports merely won so that you could kick us out of the world cup with you!"

"Us? Since when do you identify with the 1978 football team of the FRG, ex-GBR?"

"As if that mattered today! Anyway, I always identify with your opponents, unless we happen to fight on the same side."

"Very well. You better take care of your defence, Prussia. — Ha, that one was in! 4–3! Remember, SK Rapid Wien vs. Schalke 04?"

"Yadda, yadda. I remember very well how rotten you felt after losing your independence, Eastern March, so don't tell me about your so-called German championship of 1941!"

"Aaand that one was in, too! Your Prussian glory leaves much to be desired today, right?"

"Just you wait, I won't let you get away with that so easily! I'm awesome, after all!"

…

"Oh yes, it would truly be awesome to beat you at table football, Prussia!"

—

Notes:

All right, there are certainly more creative ideas than this one … but somehow, I just couldn't resist.

According to Viennese author Friedrich Torberg (1908-1979, actually Friedrich Ephraim Kantor-Berg), it was Austria's "most devastating defeat since Königgrätz" („vernichtendste Niederlage seit Königgrätz") when it lost 1–6 against Germany during the football world cup in Switzerland in 1954. Königgrätz was Austria's decisive defeat during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.

"Córdoba" is an allusion to the 2–3 victory of the Austrian national football team against the team of the FRG (Federal Republic of Germany a.k.a. West Germany) during the intermediate stage of the football world cup of 1978 in the Argentinian city of Córdoba. At that time, it was already certain that Austria was eliminated. The FRG was also eliminated with their defeat against Austria. In Austria, the score is known as the "miracle of Córdoba" („Wunder von Córdoba"), while, in Germany, it is the "disgrace" („Schmach") or "shame of Córdoba" („Schande von Cordoba").

After Austria had lost its independence with the so-called "Anschluss" to the German Reich in 1938 and came to be called Ostmark (Eastern March), Austrian football teams also participated in the German championship. In 1941, SK (Sportklub) Rapid Wien became German champion when it beat Schalke 04 4–3, even though Schalke had been thought to be vastly superior and had even been up 3–0 during the match.

"Prussian glory" is an allusion to the military march „Preußens Gloria" ("Prussia's glory"). Johann Gottfried Piefke (1815-1884) composed it after the victory of Prussia and its allies in the Franco-Prussian War of 1970/71.