WORLD CUP HISTORY
Top Matches

Most memorable Matches In World Cup History

In any tournament there are matches that stand out. Either because players in inspiring form do miraculous things, or because the result is so unexpected that it sent ripples throughout the sport. There are also cases where a controversial decision by the officials launched heated debates. Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable and top world cup matches to ever have occured in the tournament’s history.

Maracanaço Match: Brazil – Uruguay
Score: 1 – 2
Stage: Final

Brazil took the lead shortly after half-time on a goal by Friaça, but Juan Alberto Schiaffino equalised midway through the second half, and Alcides Ghiggia completed the comeback with eleven minutes remaining. A victory of an underdog over a heavily favoured side, the result is considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of football. The term Maracanaço (in Portuguese) or Maracanazo (in Spanish), roughly translated as “The Blow of Maracanã”, became synonymous with the match.

1950

The Miracle of Bern Match: Germany – Hungary
Score: 3 – 2
Stage: Final

This match was a reply of the second match in the group stage which Hungary won 8-3.  Hungary’s legendary Golden Team – also known as the Mighty Magyars – was the favorite to win the 1954 World Cup. In the five years prior to the final, it had remained unbeaten in 31 games (32 if counting a match against East Germany in 1952 that is not considered an official international). Hungary was also the reigning Olympic Champion and winner of the Central European International Cup in 1953. Puskás put his team ahead after only six minutes. Czibor added a second goal for Hungary a mere two minutes later. West Germany came back quickly. In the 10th minute after Max Morlock converted a deflected ball from short range. Eight minutes later Helmut Rahn leveled the score.  With six minutes left, Schäfer dispossessed Bozsik and played a high cross into the penalty box. Rahn picked up Lantos’ short clearance, feinted a pass to center forward Ottmar Walter that wrong-footed the Hungarian defenders, moved into the penalty box, and drove the ball hard and low past Grosics for the third German goal.

1954

Geoff Hurst’s “Ghost Goal” Match: Engalnd – Germany
Score: 4 – 2
Stage: Final

This is the match that awarded England their one and only title. However, for many years, there was a debate whether Geoff Hurst’s crucial goal at the 101st minute of the final that gave his team the lead with 3-2, crossed the line or not.

The Germans always maintained that it did not and considered themselves as robbed of a title. İt took the implementation of modern technology to finally set the dispute to rest and determine that the ball did indeed cross the line.

For the record, Helmut Haller and Wolfgang Weber scored the 2 goals for Germany, while Geoff Hurst’s hat trick and Martin Peters sent the ball to the back of the net for England.

1966

Game of the Century Match: Italy – Germany
Score: 4 – 3
Stage: Semi-Final

Italy led 1–0 for the majority of the match, after Roberto Boninsegna scored in the 8th minute. West German defender Franz Beckenbauer dislocated his shoulder after being fouled, but stayed on the field carrying his dislocated arm in a sling, as his side had already used their two permitted substitutions.

Defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger equalised for West Germany in the 90th minute. German television commentator Ernst Huberty famously exclaimed “Schnellinger, of all people!”, since Schnellinger played in Italy’s professional football league, Serie A, at A.C. Milan. At the end of regulation time, the score was level at 1–1, forcing the match into extra time.

Gerd Müller put West Germany ahead in the 94th minute following a defensive error by Fabrizio Poletti who had just come into the game as a substitute, but Tarcisio Burgnich tied it back up only four minutes later, and then striker Gigi Riva put the Italians in front again with a superb goal. Müller scored yet again, this time with a header, for West Germany to tie the score at 3–3. Yet, as the live television coverage was still replaying Müller’s goal, Italian midfielder Gianni Rivera scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 111th minute.

1970

East vs West Match: East Germany – West Germany
Score: 1 – 0
Stage: Group Stage

The two sides met just once on senior national team level, on 22 June 1974, in a group game of the 1974 FIFA World Cup, held in West Germany. The game in Hamburg, in front of 62,000, was won 1–0 by East Germany courtesy of a goal by Jürgen Sparwasser. East Germany was eliminated in second group stage while West Germany won the World Cup.

1974

The Dino Zoff save Match: Brazil – Italy
Score: 2 – 3
Stage: Second round group stage

The Brazilian team of the era is still considered as the best national team that ever existed. However, on this specific case, they run into 2 players in inspiring form. The Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff and the striker Paolo Rossi. The latter scored a hat trick to lead Squadra Azurra to victory. However, it was the guardian of the nets that secured it. His save at the dying minutes of the match to a point blanc header by Eder is still considered as one of the best ever made.

1982

Night of Seville Match: Germany – France
Score: 3 – 3
5 – 4 after penalties
Stage: Semi-Final

Germany were nonetheless the first to score in the 17th minute.

After 27 minutes France were awarded a penalty, which was converted by Platini. The score remained at 1–1 at full time. In the second minute of the first period, Marius Tresor struck an 11-yard volley to put France ahead, 2–1. It was France who struck once again at the 98 minute mark, with Alain Giresse firing a first-time shot from 18 yards off Harald Schumacher’s right post and into the goal to give France a 3–1 advantage.

Four minutes later, Germany began their comeback, with Rummenigge flicking home volley cut France’s lead to 3–2. Three minutes into the second extra time period, Fischer scored with a bicycle kick from six yards for 3–3, where the score remained until the end of extra time.

After five rounds in the penalty shootout the result was 4-4 so it moved to sudden-death. In the sixth round, Maxime Bossis’s shot was blocked, and Horst Hrubesch converted to give West Germany the win.

1982

The Maradona Show Match: Argentina – England
Result: 2 – 1
Stage: Quarter-Final

The quarter-final between Argentina and England at the Azteca featured two very different goals in the second half by Diego Maradona: the first was scored illegally, as he punched the ball into the goal past England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The referee did not see the handball and the goal was given as valid. After the game, Maradona claimed the goal was scored “A bit with the head of Maradona and another bit with the hand of God”; it became known as the “Hand of God” goal.

For his second goal, voted “Goal of the Century” in 2002 on the FIFA website, Maradona dribbled half the length of the field past five English players before scoring.

With 20 minutes to go, the introduction of John Barnes as a substitute changed the tide of play in England’s favour, as he pinged cross after cross into the Argentine penalty area: with 9 minutes to go, Lineker got on the end of one and scored, then almost repeated the dose six minutes later but was just unable to reach the ball thanks to a timely block by Olarticoechea: 2–1 to Argentina was the final score.

In Argentina, the game was seen as revenge for the Falklands War.

1986

The Penalty Drama Match: Germany – England
Result: 1 – 1
4 – 3 after penalties
Stage: Semi-Final

The semi-final between Germany and England at Juventus’s home stadium in Turin was goalless at half-time. Then, in the 60th minute, a free-kick tapped to Andreas Brehme resulted in a shot which was deflected off Paul Parker into his own net. England equalised with ten minutes left; Gary Lineker was the scorer. The game ended 1–1. Extra time yielded more chances. Klinsmann was guilty of two glaring misses and both sides struck a post. England had another Platt goal disallowed for offside.

In the 100th min. England’s Golden Boy Paul Gascoigne burst into tears after he received a yellow card that would’ve ruled him out of the eventual final.

The match went to penalties, and  Germany went on to win the shoot-out 4–3.

1990

The Golden Goal World Cup: 1994
Match: Bulgaria – Germany
Result: 2 – 1
Stage: Quarter-Finals

The Bulgarians had never won a game in five previous World Cup finals but, led by Hristo Stoichkov who eventually shared the tournament lead in scoring, they made a surprising run; Bulgaria won two of their three group games to qualify for the second round, where they advanced with a 3–1 penalty shoot-out win over Mexico.

Bulgaria faced the reigning world champions, Germany, in the quarter-finals. The Germans were leading after the first half, but a free-kick goal from Stoichkov and a header from Yordan Letchkov (also known as the “Golden Goal”) gave them a 2–1 victory. Bulgaria went on to finish in fourth place after losing to Italy and Sweden, in the semi-finals and third-place game, respectively.

1994

The Hand of God 2.0? World Cup: 2010
Match: Uruguay – Ghana
Result: 1 – 1
4 -2 after penalties
Stage: Quarter-Finals

Uruguay, the only South American team to reach the semi-finals, overcame Ghana in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw in which Ghana missed a penalty at the end of extra time after Luis Suárez controversially handled the ball on the line.

2010

The Dutch Rhapsody World Cup: 2014
Match: Netherlands – Spain
Result: 5 – 1
Stage: Group Stage

For many, this should be the goal of the century. No one could ever have foreseen that the long shot towards Spain’s goal could have ever ended up anywhere than the hands of St. Iker Cassillas. The Dutch striker leveled his body horizontally and managed to strike a header that went over the goalkeeper into the back of the net. If nothing else, this is probably the hardest and most intelligent goal ever scored. No wonder he received the Puskas Award for it.

2014

The Brazilian Debacle World Cup: 2014
Match: Brazil – Germany
Result: 1 – 7
Stage: Semi-Final

In 2014, Brazil was hosting the competition. An entire nation demanded that the win the trophy. It was a good team, led by Neymar. However, it was evident throughout their matches that the pressure was probably more than they could handle. The Germans took advantage of their crumbling and did not show any mercy. Thomas Muller opened the score, while Miroslav Klose, Tony Kroos (twice), Samy Khedira and Schuerrle completed the devastating bombardment. The only reaction from the home team was the consolation goal by Oscar at the 90th minute.

2014