Published on: 6/22/2014IST
The most memorable moments from World Cups past
The most heart-stopping, spine-tingling plays in recent Cup history.
These football games have become part of folklore, recounted and dissected by the fans decades later.
1994: Andrés Escobar's own-goal
This is one of those World Cup moments that even the casual football fan will never be able to forget, mainly because of what happened after it. This Colombian team was something else, easily the neutral's favourite. With the flamboyant afro-topped Carlos Valderrama and the great Faustino Asprilla in their ranks, Fransisco Muturana’s men were considered a serious contender for the title, largely due to a superlative unbeaten qualification campaign. Yet, after a disastrous 3-1 loss to Romania in the opener, despite a spirited display, the Colombians needed to win their match against the United States.
Disaster struck in the 35th minute, when the Colombian centre-back Andres Escobar deflected a John Harkes cross into his own box. They went on to lose the game 2-1, but it was what came next that shocked the football world. On July 2, 1994, Escobar was shot at six times by three men in a parking lot in Medellin. He died from the injuries. The story at the time was that the hit was ordered by a betting cartel.
1998: David Beckham's red card
With history and a touch of geopolitics to boot (the two nations fought a war over the Falkland islands in the 1980s), the tempestuous transcontinental rivalry between England and Argentina is still considered one of the fiercest around. Sixteen years ago, both sides met in the Round of 16 stage, at Saint-Etienne in France. Typifying the nature of the rivalry, the game got off to a frantic start, with both teams scoring within the first ten minutes through penalties. Minutes later, a young Michael Owen produced a breathtaking moment of brilliance, to score one of the most memorable World Cup goals ever.
But the game, unfortunately, is remembered for a moment of madness by the man who created the goal for Owen: David Beckham, then of Manchester United, was fouled by Diego Simeone. As Simeone was retreating, Beckham, swung his leg at the Argentine under the referee’s nose, and that was that. Beckham was sent off, the match finished 2-2 and in typical England fashion, they were knocked out on penalties.
2002: Ronaldinho's free kick
He rose to prominence during the 1999 Copa America and the Confederations Cup later that year, so Ronaldinho Gaucho was already being talked about as one of the most dexterous attacking midfielders of his generation. But if ever there was a moment that cemented his place in World Cup history, it was through an utterly audacious 30-yard free-kick against England in the quarterfinals. Ronaldinho struck the ball with David Seaman, the English goalkeeper, off his line. The ball curled into the top left corner and put Brazil 2-1 up in the 50th minute. The rest, as the English lament, is history. Ronaldinho’s arrival as world football’s next big superstar was confirmed.
2006: Argentina's pass-pass-golaza
While France's Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt quite unsurprisingly became the standout moment of the 2006 World Cup, one of the best takeaways from the tournament was a goal for the ages by Argentina. In Gelsenkirchen, against World Cup debutants Serbia-Montenegro, Jose Pekerman’s team produced a proper team goal, featuring 26 passes before Estaban Cambiasso’s finish gave Argentina a 2-0 lead (the final scoreline read 6-0). The goal is lauded for the finessed passing and even the finish, but it is also notable for a stunning display of off-the-ball movement. And all this without Lionel Messi. It was an unbelievable golazo, truly one for the connoisseur.
2010: Luis Suarez's handball
In the most dramatic finish anyone could hope for, the quarter-final between Ghana and Uruguay featured a right-handed save by Luis Suarez that helped his country progress to the semifinals. With the scoreline locked at 1-1 in the very last minute of extra time, and a penalty shoot-out looming large, Ghana were pushing on for a win, with a flurry of shots at the Uruguayan defence. One shot was cleared off the line and lobbed into play, when Dominic Adiyah headed the ball goalwards. It looked like a certain goal, until Suarez intervened, swatting the ball away with his hand, away from a goalmouth melee.
Suarez was rightly sent-off for his act and Ghana were awarded a penalty. With a semi-final place at stake, in what turned out to be the last kick of extra-time, Asamoah Gyan fluffed it, the ball hitting the crossbar. Uruguay survived and, rather incredibly, won the game in the penalty shoot-out that followed.
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