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TOP GAMES
1. West Germany vs France 3-3 (5-4)ap in 1982
This rollercoaster battle had everything. High drama,
controversial referreing, quality goals and a nerve
wrecking penalty shoot-out to top it off. France led 3-1
in extra-time and went close to scoring a fourth, but
the Germans once again showed remarkable strength and
levelled the scores, before winning on penalties. [Matchfacts]
2. Italy vs West Germany 4-3 aet in 1970
This semifinal turned out to be a classic. An injurytime
equallizer secured extra-time for the Germans, and five
more goals were scored in the extra half hour that saw
Italy go through to the final. [Matchfacts]
3. Italy vs Brazil 3-2 in 1982
Paolo Rossi woke up and scored a great hat-trick against
the "unbeatable" Brazilian class of 82', in a match the
South Americans only needed a draw to reach the
semifinal. [Matchfacts]
4. France vs Brazil 1-1 (4-3)ap in 1986
Platini, Zico, Giresse, Socrates, Tigana and Junior all
well into their 30s in this quarterfinal, but what a
match they produced in what was their last chance of
World Cup glory. [Matchfacts]
5. Argentina vs England 2-2 (4-3)ap in 1998
The best match of the last World Cup. Lots of drama
including Beckham's red card and two great goals by Owen
and Zanetti. [Matchfacts]
6. England vs West Germany 4-2 aet in 1966
The famous Wembley final which went into extra time
because of yet another late German equallizer. Geoff
Hurst with a hat-trick including the controversial "Was
it over the line?". [Matchfacts]
7. Belgium vs Soviet Union 4-3 aet in 1986
Superb entertainment in this seven-goal-thriller that
swung back and forth with Belgium lucky to score two
"offside" goals. [Matchfacts]
8. Brazil vs Italy 4-1 in 1970
Pelé crowned himself king of soccer with his third World
Cup title. Attacking soccer displayed at its finest,
especially in the second half, in Brazil's most
impressive victory. [Matchfacts]
9. England vs Cameroon 3-2 aet in 1990
The charming lions of Cameroon with 38 year old "Supersub"
Roger Milla as their most important player, went very
close of a semifinal place. Two penalties by Lineker
eventually stopped the Africans, who were most neutrals
favourite team. [Matchfacts]
10. Romania vs Argentina 3-2 in 1994
Dumitrescu and Hagi took advantage of an Argentina team
still suffering from the loss of Maradona. Definitely
the most entertaining game of the 1994 World Cup. [Matchfacts]
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BEST GOALS
1. Diego Maradona (ARG)
Argentina vs England (2-0) 1986
Unquestionably the greatest goal ever scored in a World
Cup. It came just minutes after the infamous "Hand of
God" goal. Maradona ran from his own half, beating every
English player who stood in his way and finished it off
past a helpless Peter Shilton.
2. Saeed Owairan (SAU)
Saudi Arabia vs Belgium (1-0) in 1994
Known as the Maradona of the Arabs, Saeed Owairan
received unexpected attention world wide for this
phenomenal goal. Just as Maradona in 86, he ran from his
own half past Belgians who looked unbalanced in defence
and with a little luck Owairan managed to get past them
all and score.
3. Arie Haan (HOL)
Holland vs Italy (2-1) in 1978
This must be the most impressive goal from long range in
World Cup history. Arie Haan had scored from 30 yards in
the match against West Germany earlier in the
tournament, but with this magnificent strike from 40
yards, he sent Holland to the final against Argentina.
4. Pelé (BRA)
Brazil vs Sweden (3-1) in 1958
A wonderful display by Pelé when juggling the ball past
a Swedish defender and then volleying it home from close
range. And the boy was only 17!
5. Roberto Baggio (ITA)
Italy vs Czechoslovakia (2-0) in 1990
A marvellous run by a young Roberto Baggio after
receiving the ball on the half way line, nothing could
stop him from scoring.
6. Dennis Bergkamp (HOL)
Holland vs Argentina (2-1) in 1998
Arguably the greatest goal of the last World Cup.
Bergkamp controlled de Boer's 50 yard pass with ease
before finishing off in style.
7. Diego Maradona (ARG)
Argentina vs Belgium (2-0) in 1986
Another display of dribbling brilliance by Maradona.
Four Belgians were left for dead before Diego slotted
the ball home past goalkeeper Pfaff.
8. Archie Gemmill (SCO)
Scotland vs Holland (3-1) in 1978
A goal to remember from the little Scotsman. Dribbling
his way into the penalty area from the side, before
lifting the ball like a master over the goalkeeper.
9. Carlos Alberto (BRA)
Brazil vs Italy (4-1) in 1970
A cracking shot after fine work by Pelé and Jairzinho
settled the scoreline at 4-1 in the final. This goal was
the icing on the cake for the Brazilian champions of
1970.
10. Manuel Negrete (MEX)
Mexico vs Bulgaria (1-0) in 1986
This was truly a magnificent goal. An acrobatic and well
executed volley from outside the penalty area which
would have made it into any "Greatest Goals" ranking.
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TOP MOMENTS
1. Geoff Hurst 1966 - "Was it over the line?"
Few if any goal has been discussed more often. At 2-2 in
extra time in the 1966 final against West Germany, Hurst
receives the ball in the penalty area, turns, and
shoots, the ball hits the bar, bounces down on/over the
line. The referree awarded a goal after speaking to the
linesman.
2. Diego Maradona 1986 - "Hand of God"
Maradona dribbles past 3-4 English players, plays a
one-two, gets it back and rises above Peter Shilton to
head(!) the ball past him. Of course it wasn't a header,
but a fist knocking the ball over the keeper. At first
sight it looked like a good goal, but the replay showed
it wasn't.
3. Diego Maradona 1986 - "Goal of the millennium"
Just minutes after the "Hand of God", Maradona beat
every player that stood in his way to score an historic
goal. Pure magic.
4. Harald Schumacher 1982 - "Assault on Battiston"
It's been described as the worst and most brutal tackle
on a soccer field. Schumacher assaulted French
substitute Battiston in the 1982 semifinal. He lost 3
teeth and his life was in danger at one stage.
Schumacher escaped without even a caution. The referee
awarded a goal kick!
5. Maracana Stadium 1950 - "200.000 spectators"
A world record of nearly 200.000 spectators turned out
to watch the World Cup final of 1950 between the hosts
Brazil and Uruguay. Brazil had danced through their
games so far and the home crowd didn't expect Uruguay to
have a chance. But the visitors spoiled the party by
winning 2-1 and the bottles of champagne remained
unopened.
6. Prince of Kuwait 1982 - "Disallowing a goal"
France were leading 3-1 against Kuwait when Alain
Giresse blasted home number four from close range with
the Kuwaiti defenders rooted to the spot. They
maintained they had stopped upon hearing a whistle. the
Kuwaiti FA president, Prince Fahid, came on to the field
from his seat in the stands and protested long and hard.
He threatened to take the team off the field if the
referee didn't disallow the goal. Referee Stupar from
Russia changed his mind and did what the Prince told him
to do. The Prince was later fined Ł8.000 by FIFA, but
being one of the richest men in the world, it wasn't a
fee to be bothered about.
7. Oleg Salenko 1994 - "5 goals in one game"
Not many had fancied Oleg Salenko to win the Golden Boot
of the World Cup in 1994. He eventually shared it with
Stoitchkov on six goals. Five of those came against an
unorganized Cameroon team. Russia were eliminated
already in the first round and that prevented Salenko
from being the first man in 20 years to score more than
6 goals in one cup.
8. Rob Rensenbrink 1978 - "Goal number 1000"
The 1000th goal in World Cup history was scored by Rob
Rensenbrink on a penalty against Scotland in 1978.
9. Laurent Blanc 1998 - "First Golden Goal"
When France beat Paraguay 1-0 in the second round in the
1998 World Cup, it was the first ever Golden Goal in a
World Cup match. It is so far the only one as well.
10. USA vs Switzerland 1994 - "First match indoor"
Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit, was the venue for the
first ever World Cup match played indoor, but the game
itself was played on natural grass of course and ended
1-1.
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TOP PLAYERS
1. Pelé (Brazil)
It's hard to put anyone else than Pelé on the top
position. Especially after looking at his track record
in World Cups. He is the only man to win it 3 times and
is among the all-time topscorers. A virtually complete
footballer with an impressive strength in the air
despite being relatively small. He scored more than 1000
goals in his career.
2. Diego Maradona (Argentina)
Definitely the best dribbler the world has ever seen.
World Cup winner 1986, runner-up in 1990. As all-round
footballer he is not overshadowed by anyone. Not even
Pelé, but the Brazilian's honours in the tournament puts
him slightly in front.
3. Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
The dominant player in the German defence for 10 years.
He won gold, silver and bronze in his three World Cups
1966, 1970 and 1974. Ranks as the best defender in
soccer history. A born leader on and off the field,
which also saw him successful as manager for the German
team when he won in 1990.
4. Garrincha (Brazil)
Known as "The Little Bird", Garrincha was a dominant
figure in Brazil's first two World Cup winning teams
1958 and 1962. Played as a winger and wrongfooted lots
of defenders in the 50s and 60s. Pelé said he would
never have won 3 cups without Garrincha in the team.
5. Gerd Müller (West Germany)
The most remarkable goals-per-game marksman in soccer
history at international level (62 games/68 goals).
Müller is all time topscorer in World Cups with 14 goals
and won the tournament on home soil in 1974, four years
after being topscorer and bronzemedalist in Mexico.
6. Johann Cruyff (Holland)
He played only in one WC, but was the leader and captain
for Holland's team in 1974. Holland's Total-Football
almost achived the ultimate prize by winning the cup.
Cruyff was their best player.
7. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
Nicknamed "The galloping major", Puskas was captaining
the Hungarian sides that went unbeaten for about four
years. The sequence stopped unfortunately in the final
of 1954.
8. Michel Platini (France)
The captain and inspirational leader for the great
French teams of the 1980s. Platini was unfortunate not
to play a World Cup final having lost in two semifinals,
but he was a gifted and talented player.
9. Jairzinho (Brazil)
One of the best wingers of all time, Jairzinho was a
constant threat for any full back. He scored lots of
goals as well and scored in every game when Brazil won
the cup in 1970.
10. Giuseppe Meazza (Italy)
Twice World Cup winner in 1934 and 1938, Meazza was
Italy's best player. He was captain for the 1938 team.
The stadium in Milan has been named after him.
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TOP SHOCKING RESULTS
1. United States vs England 1-0 in 1950
When the news about this result arrived in England,
people thought it was a misprint in the newspaper. They
thought the result was 1-10 instead of 1-0. England with
legends like Billy Wright and Tom Finney wasted lots of
chances and couldn't prevent the American part-timers
from winning. [Matchreport]
2. North Korea vs Italy 1-0 in 1966
North Korea in their first (and only so far) World Cup
apperance shocked the world by beating and sending home
Italy after this win. The Italians arrived at home with
their bus attacked by rotten tomatoes. [Matchreport]
3. Algeria vs West Germany 2-1 in 1982
Algeria were 1000/1 favourites to win the cup, West
Germany at 3/1. The Germans had only lost 4 matches in 4
years before this game. Their coach Jupp Derwall said
after the match: "I still can't believe this. It's
beyond my understanding." [Matchreport]
4. Cameroon vs Argentina 1-0 in 1990
Cameroon ended this match with nine men and managed to
keep the defending champions at bay, and secure a famous
victory in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup. [Matchreport]
5. Senegal vs France 1-0 in 2002
World and European champions France were huge favourites
to cash in three points against Senegal making their
World Cup debut in this opening match of Korea/Japan
2002. It was the first of several surprising results in
the tournament. [Matchreport]
6. East Germany vs West Germany 1-0 in 1974
The day when East beat West in their first ever meeting.
A goal by Sparwasser ten minutes from time settled the
game. West went on to win the tournament though. [Matchreport]
7. Spain vs Denmark 5-1 in 1986
Denmark had won all their first round games including
trashing the South American champions Uruguay 6-1, and
West Germany 2-0. They even took the lead in this game
against Spain, but then everything fell apart.
Butragueńo scored four of Spain's five goals in this
bizarre game. [Matchreport]
8. Bulgaria vs Germany 2-1 in 1994
Germany, who had reached the previous three finals,
looked on track to reach number four in this
quarterfinal when Matthäus gave them the lead on a
penalty. But then two quick goals by Bulgaria ruined
everything. [Matchreport]
9. Northern Ireland vs Spain 1-0 in 1982
Not many fancied the Irish to win this match against the
host nation, especially not after playing much of the
game with only ten men. But they scored early in the
second half and kept the lead in a match they had to win
to stay in the tournament. The win meant the Irish
qualified to phase two. [Matchreport]
10. Cuba vs Romania 2-1 in 1938
This was a sensational result at the time. Cuba didn't
manage to qualify in the first place, but stepped in
when Mexico withdrew. Romania took part in both 1930 and
1934 and were established as a quality team. Cuba
themselves were trashed 8-0 by Sweden in the very next
round! [Matchreport]
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TOP BEST TEAMS
1. Brazil 1970
Often described as the best football team of all time.
It had individual world class players overall in
midfield and attack. Pelé, Jairzinho, Tostao, Rivelino,
the list goes on and on. They won all their six games in
the cup of 1970.
2. West Germany 1974
This was also a superb team. Beckenbauer as leader in
defence and behind him was Sepp Maier, one of the best
goalkeepers of all time. Overath and Bonhof also were
quality players and of course the notorious Gerd Müller
up front, who averaged more than a goal a game for the
Germans, and scored the winning goal in the final
itself.
3. Italy 1982
They started the tournament with three draws, but then
found form and beat Argentina, Brazil, Poland and West
Germany in consecutive matches. They based their team on
defensive strength. 40 year old Dino Zoff was the
captain and goalkeeper and he had Gentile and Scirea as
leaders in defence. Dangerous winger Bruno Conti was
instrumental as well as midfielder Tardelli. Up front
was Paolo Rossi in top form as the tournament
progressed, and scored six times in Italy's last three
matches.
4. Brazil 1994
Brazil had in 1994 for once a solid defence, and that
was the main reason why they for the first time in 24
years managed to win the World Cup. Romario was their
outstanding player, and he had Bebeto as colleague up
front. Other great players were Leonardo, Dunga and
Jorginho.
5. Holland 1974
They didn't win the World Cup, but they still deserve a
place on the Top 10 list of great teams. They scored 15
goals in the cup and only let in one goal on their way
to the final and that was an own goal. Cruyff, Neeskens,
Rep, Rensenbrink and van Hanegem thrilled the world, and
could with a little more luck have won the cup. They had
all the qualities.
6. West Germany 1990
Definitely a worthy champion of the dull tournament in
Italy in 1990. They were one of very few teams who
relied on attacking skills, rather than defensive safety
and were rewarded with the cup. Matthäus was their great
player, alongside attacking left-back Brehme who scored
the winning goal in the final itself. Other great names
were Klinsmann, Völler and Kohler.
7. France 1998
The latest champions had their strength in a central
line with Blanc and Desailly in defence to Petit and
Deschamp in midfield. The team was built around those
players. Attacking fullbacks Lizarazu and Thuram helped
in attack as France lacked world class strikers. This
was tactically a very strong team.
8. Hungary 1954
Another team who failed to win the cup, but had all the
qualities. Scored an incredible 27 goals in the 1954
cup. They beat both Brazil and defending champions
Uruguay 4-2, but lost 3-2 in the final to West Germany.
This team had legends like Puskas, Kocsis and Hidegkuti
and hadn't lost in 30 games before the final.
9. Argentina 1986
This team of course had Maradona and that made them
automatically a great team. But other players
contributed as well, among them were Burruchaga, Valdano
and the great centerback Ruggeri. They helped Argentina
win the cup in 1986. This team was also the last team so
far to become champions without needing extra-time or
penalty shoot-outs on their way.
10. Brazil 1958
This class of '58 invented the famous 4-2-4 system. It
also saw Pelé emerge as a 17 year old having started the
tournament on the bench. Garrincha, Vava, Didi and
Zagallo were other famous names in Brazil's first ever
World Cup triumph.
There are so many great teams who we also would have
liked to see on the list, but didn't quite make it. For
instance, the great Brazilian team of 1982. But when you
can't get past the second phase, do you really deserve a
place on the top 10 ranking of all time? Lots of quality
players in midfield and attack, but the defence was
unstable to say the least.
Another team in contention was Italy of 1990. In many
ways the counterpart of the Brazilian team I just
mentioned. They kept a clean sheet until the semifinal,
but didn't quite have the edge in attack to win
tournaments. Schillaci was virtually the only offensive
player who was shining.
Uruguay had teams who won the World Cup, but because
it's now half a century since they won, we decided not
to add them. The game has changed a lot, but we still
respect and rate them highly. England of 1966 also was a
team we debated over, but suffered the same fate as
Argentina in 1978, they used the home advantage to a
high degree of efficiency in years when heavyweighters
like Brazil, Italy and West Germany were rebuilding for
the future and appeared with some of their weaker teams.
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