World Cup Soccer History: The top 3 controversial goals in the history of football
Before the year 2010 World Cup in South Africa is over, English football fans across the globe won’t forget that Frank Lampard hit the ball in the net, only to be denied by a referee who couldn’t believe that the strike could land behind the line. But a journey through World Cup history will bring forth the top 3 controversial moments, where one goal was allowed when it wasn’t a goal, one goal was aided by the hand than the feet and once the police was asked to help the helpless referee.
The Ghost Goal - England vs. Germany, 1966:
Although English fans might argue that the goal in 2010 was nothing compared to the one in 1966, the truth is - it is very similar. The venue was London's Wembley Stadium where England faced West Germany in the grand finale. The scores were tied at 2-2 in extra-time, and the full stadium was cheering for an English attack that could give them the trophy. Geoff Hurst was up to the challenge and delivered a close-range shot that hit the cross bar, bounced down and was cleared. The referee, Gottfried Dienst from Switzerland, was unsure whether the ball had crossed the line or not, and in confusion, he turned to his Azerbaijani linesman, who seemed certain that it did. England finished the match with 4 goals to West Germany’s 2, and managed to take the World Cup for the first time in their football history. Sir Geoff Hurst became the only man to claim a hat-trick in a World Cup final, yet the debate on the legality of the goal still sparks debate amongst football lovers.
Hand of what? - Argentina vs. England, 1986:
England was on the receiving end with Argentina making most of the referee’s short sightedness. The venue was Mexico City and England, who was the favourites to lift the Cup, were playing former champions Argentina in the quarter-finals. The game was tied at 0-0 when Maradona, in an attempt to head the ball, gloved the ball into the goal. Goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who was too close to Maradona thought he had fouled, as did the 21 players on the field, except Maradona of course. But the Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser had other ideas. He never ruled it as a foul and Argentina went on to win 2-1. Diego Maradona in a recent interview said he asked his players to come and hug him after the strike otherwise the referee wouldn’t have termed it as a goal. The English refer to the goal as ‘Hand of Rascal’, yet the world today calls it as the ‘Hand of God’.
The Worst incident of them All - Chile vs. Italy, 1962:
The venue was Santiago in an earthquake hit Chile in 1962 where Italy was playing against the hosts. The local side was charged-up for the match, not because of Italy’s reputation but because of just two Italians. These two people were journalists who had written unflattering articles about Chile and labelled it as an unfit host for the World Cup. The match saw players making deliberate attempts to harm each other, and although only two players from Italy were sent off, both the sides were guilty of bringing the game into disrepute. The moment when police was called in to restore order came after Chile’s Leonel Sanchez escaped punishment for the second time in the match despite being guilty on both occasions. He had punched Italy’s Mario David who was sent off after he fouled in retaliation, and later broke Humberto Maschio's nose deliberately. His remaining on the pitch, much to the Italians surprise and horror, caused both the teams to clash literally and the police had to be called into end the scuffle. They escorted the Italian team out of the stadium as well after they lost the match 2-0.
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