FIFA World Cup 2010 – Top 5 Quarter Finals in the history of Football
There have been a lot of big matches in the history of the game, but there are a few that have been recorded in the books as the best matches of all time. During the quarter final stages there have been some really good matches, and some very big upsets. Following are the top 5 quarter finals in the World Cup’s History:
Hungary vs. Brazil (1954)
In 1954, Brazil and Hungary were known to be the best sides in football. The quarter final clash between them was known as “Battle of Berne.” The match involved three red cards and six goals and later on there was a battle in the dressing room, in which the Hungarian coach got injured so badly that he had to get stitches. The match started and Hungary were missing their captain Ferenc Puskas but still they took an early lead of two goals, which was taken by the Brazilians as a challenge and they pulled a goal back after many bad tackles. Soon the Hungarians won a penalty and made the score line 3-1. Soon, vicious tackles were made by both sides which resulted in 3 red cards. Later, Brazil made it 3-2 and were looking forward for an equalizer. Right before the match was about to end, Kocsis sealed the deal by scoring another goal for Hungary to make the final score line 4-2. The match ended in a brawl as both the sides started to fight each other in the dressing room.
Brazil vs. Holland (1994)
The first half of this particular match was goalless. Soon into the second half, the Brazilians made a breakthrough and Romario scored a brilliant first goal. Later, it was 2-0 by the Brazilians, as the match was beginning to get exciting for the Brazilian fans. A minute later, Bergkamp scored a goal and Holland was back into the game. In the 76th minute, the comeback was completed. The Dutch player Aaron Winter scored the second goal for Holland, when he headed a corner into the net. Just before the 90th minute mark, a stunning free kick from about 30 yards was struck by Branco and Brazil won the match and went on to win the World Cup.
West Germany vs. England (1970)
This match was very important for both teams especially after what happened in 1966. The match started off with England taking the lead and dominating the first half. Later in the second half, the English doubled their lead to 2-0 with only 40mins remaining in the match. Soon, Germany scored a goal and came back into the match. With just quarter of an hour, remaining Uwe Seeler scored a goal to take the match into extra time. With such pressure on the English side and ball possession by the Germans, the third goal was supposed to happen. The Germans took the lead in the 2nd half of extra time and won the match to qualify for the semi finals.
Italy vs. Brazil (1982)
The 1982 World Cup did not really have a quarter final but since the clash between Italy and Brazil was the decisive match in group 2, therefore, it was known as the quarter final. Brazil was the best side in that year and Italy on the other hand was still trying to gain momentum, which they did, after beating Argentina in their first match. The match was a battle between the Brazilian attack and the Italian defence but the Italian striker Rossi was on top of his game that day. The match started with Rossi scoring the first goal while the Brazilians came back quickly to equalize. Rossi again scored a goal to put Italy ahead, but the Brazilians came back again to equalize. The Brazilians would easily go through with a point, as they had beaten Argentina by a two goal margin but Rossi was not done yet. He completed his hat-trick, none of the Brazilian strikers could get past the Italian defence, and Italy won the match and went on to win the World Cup.
France vs. Brazil (1986)
The Brazilian team was considered to be “hot favourite” in the previous world cup, 1982. The match started with the European Champions, back then, kicking it off. When these two sides met, it was considered to be one of the best matches in the World Cup history. The Brazilians took an early lead by scoring the first goal before the 20th minute mark. Later, a beautiful counter attack by the Brazilians, found the pole and not the net. Then, France equalized after Michael Platini scored. The match continued as both the teams kept on testing each other’s defences time and time again and Brazil won a penalty which they missed. The match was carried onto extra time and both the teams tried really hard to win but 120 minutes were not enough for both of them. Therefore, the match was to be decided by a penalty shootout. The French looked like they were going to win but Platini, the hero the French side at that time, shot the ball wide and wasn’t able to score. The celebrations were turned into tears when Julio Cesar hit the post and Luis Fernandez scored to win it for his country, France.
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