Top ten tourney moments
JUNE 21, 1970 -- Brazilians insist that Carlos Alberto’s goal in the final against Italy in Mexico City is the best of all time, and after watching Clodoaldo’s amazing midfield dribble and three perfect passes from Rivelino to Jairzinho to Pele to Alberto, who could argue?
JUNE 22, 1986 -- Diego Maradona’s “hand of God” goal for Argentina, scored with his fist in a quarterfinal against England in Mexico City, is allowed by Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser, who later ludicrously claims that treatment for a hemorrhoid complaint had impaired his eyesight.
JULY 30, 1966 -- This is the single-most contentious moment in World Cup history, with the debate still going on 44 years later. Did Geoff Hurst’s 101st-minute shot off the crossbar for England bounce down over the West German goal line or not?
JUNE 7, 1970 -- Pele leaps high and sends a forceful downward header toward an unguarded corner of the net. England goalkeeper Gordon Banks appears out of nowhere and makes the greatest save ever. Brazil wins, but history has been made in Guadalajara.
JULY 9, 2006 -- Italy’s Marco Materazzi has been needling France’s Zindine Zidane for 110 minutes in the final in Berlin. Zidane finally snaps and head-butts the defender in the chest. Zidane is ejected and misses the penalty shootout, and the Azzurri win the Cup.
JULY 8, 1982 -- French midfielder Patrick Battiston is one on one against West German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher, who races out of his net and demolishes him, breaking his jaw and dislodging four front teeth. No foul is called. Germany wins the semifinal in Seville.
JUNE 21, 1982 -- France is trouncing Kuwait, 3-1, in Valladolid, Spain, when it scores a fourth goal, prompting furious Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to march from VIP box to field and threaten to yank his team. Astonishingly, referee Miroslav Stupar nullifies the goal.
JUNE 16, 2006 -- Esteban Cambiasso will never score a more memorable goal than the one he nets against Serbia and Montenegro in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. It is the exclamation point at the end of a superb 26-pass move by Argentina.
JULY 19, 1966 -- Pak Doo Ik scores the lone goal, Lee Chang Myung makes the superb save on Gianni Rivera, and unheralded and unknown North Korea stuns the globe by ousting two-time world champion Italy from the tournament in the greatest upset ever.
JUNE 2, 1962 -- The “Battle of Santiago” disgraces World Cup host nation Chile and its opponent, Italy, as the teams literally fight rather than play, but it does contribute to English referee Ken Aston’s later inventing the system of yellow caution and red expulsion cards.
