Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterFour Four TwoGet the FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Five times a weekFourFourTwo DailyFantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterMiddlesbrough may well be the 12th-oldest club in English football, but silverware has been hard to come by on Teesside.The club will celebrate their 150th birthday later this year, yet their trophy cabinet contains just a single major honour, the 2004 League Cup.Its therefore no surprise that the victory over Bolton Wanderers at Cardiffs Millennium Stadium remains one of the most cherished moments in club history.You may like'My birthday was one day before the League Cup final, I thought Steve McClaren might put me on the bench, but I wasn't even in the squad' Former Middlesbrough man reveals bitter taste left by cup triumphThe 2007 Champions League Final was a missed opportunity for Liverpool. That Milan defeat still hurts me today Bolo Zenden on his huge Anfield regret'Ive always hated Liverpool since the 1990s, when you saw Kevin Keegan with his head slumped behind the boards at Anfield' Dan Burn on the Newcastle United revenge 29 years in the makingBolo Zenden on Boros League Cup victoryBolo Zendens seventh-minute penalty would prove to be the decisive goal that afternoon and more than two decades on, the former Netherlands midfielder recalls the occasion with pride.First let me say, that was a very special day, the ex-Liverpool and Chelsea man tells FourFourTwo. How often do you get the chance to win a clubs first-ever trophy?I can remember giving a talk beforehand telling the boys we could write history, and we did!Zendens penalty, which saw Boro go 2-0 up early doors, had a whiff of controversy about it, as he appeared to slip and hit the ball twice.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.The penalty? Look in the record books, that tells you it counted, he recalls before taking a more philosophical view of the incident.Ill be honest, I did slip as I hit the ball and theres room for discussion, he admits. But I can give you another 10 examples of how VAR might have changed history, such as Frank Lampards shot that crossed the line in Englands World Cup defeat to Germany.With the introduction of VAR, moments like that Lampard goal - plus Zendens history-making strike for Boro - would now be challenged in real-time, but the Dutchman can remain happy with how it panned out.So dont worry Boro fans, my penalty still counts!TOPICSMiddlesbroughPremier LeagueJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromIan Murtagh
