Pinnacle Moments in World Cup History

SI Staff | Jun 11, 2010

Pinnacle Moments in World Cup History /

Pinnacle Moments in World Cup History

Diego Maradona's "Hand of God"

Maradona scores with his hand against England. The controversial "Hand of God."

Diego Maradona solo goal

In the same game, Maradona scored a fantastic goal after beating four England defenders on a run from halfway.

Gordon Banks save against Pele

English goalkeeper Gordon Banks makes a save that many consider the greatest of all time against Pele (not in frame).

Zinedine Zidane headbutts Marco Materazzi

Zinedine Zidane headbutts Italian defender in the final after he makes some lewd suggestions about his wife.

Johan Cruyff unveils the turn

Johan Cruyff revealed his special move to beat a defender, the first time such a move had been seen.

Pele's goal

The goal that announced that the 17-year-old Pele had burst onto the international scene.

Paul Gascoigne in tears

England's star midfielder famously burst into tears on the field after being booked, which meant he would miss the final (if England had reached it).

Harald Schumacher vs. Patrick Battiston

West German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher assaulted Patrick Battiston on a breakaway and knocked him unconscious.

Americans upset England

The part-timers from the U.S. stunned favorites England 1-0 on Joe Gaetjens lone goal.

Marco Tardelli's goal celebration

Marco Tardelli's tear-stained, fist-pumping emotional celebration after scoring the second goal against West Germany is considered one of the most memorable ever.

Zico's winning goal disallowed

In a 1-1 game, ref Clive Thomas disallows a would-be game-winning goal by Brazil's Zico after a controversial incident when he blew his whistle for full time with the ball in the net. Arguments raged afterwards and it was claimed the ball was in mid-air when the whistle actually was heard.

Diana Ross

Singer/actress Diana Ross misses a penalty kick shot as the goal is rigged to fall apart when she scores, but the goal falls apart even though she misses badly.

Bryan Robson scores 27 seconds in

England's Bryan Robson scores the fastest goal ever, 27 seconds into a game against France.

Josip Simunic gets three yellow cards in same game

English ref Graham Poll erred by giving the same player, Croatia's Josip Simunic, three yellow cards without realizing it.

Rivaldo's acting

Brazilian star Rivaldo produced a fine piece of acting to pretend he got hit in the face when the ball only hit him on the foot.

Kuwait's Sheikh disallows goals

After the French scored a controversial goal to go up 4-1, Kuwait's Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (president of the Kuwait Football Federation) threatened to pull his players off the pitch unless the goal was reversed (it was).

Geoff Hurst's goal

The go-ahead goal from England's Geoff Hurst was controversial as West Germany argued that the ball did not cross the line.

Pak Do Ik's goal

Along with the U.S. win over England in 1950, North Korea's 1-0 victory against Italy is among the greatest upsets in World Cup play.

Torsten Frings handball

Torsten Frings handball on the goal line denied the U.S. an equalizer and continuation of its Cinderella run in the tournament.

Ahn Jung-Hwan's celebration

After Ahn Jung-Hwan scored against the U.S., his goal celebration was to speedskate -- a jab against American Olympian Apolo Ohno's controversial speedskating gold medal when a South Korean speedskater was disqualified. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.

Published Jun 11, 2010

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