ENGLAND 4- 2 WEST GERMANY

1966 WORLD CUP FINAL

On one glorious afternoon in late July 1966, as London swung under a spangled sun, England stood on top of the world. Fifty- five years later, it remains England’s yardstick. Alf Ramsey’s wingless wonders looked beaten after the brilliant Helmut Haller’s 89th- minute equaliser forced extra time, but the England boss had other ideas.

“Look at them, they’re finished,” said Ramsey, forbidding his players to lie on the pitch like their West German opponents. “You’ve won it once. Now you’ll have to go out there and win it again.”

Sure, it needed a helping hand from a home crossbar and an Azerbaijani ( not Russian) linesman to decide Geoff Hurst’s shot definitely crossed the line, but in true English fighting spirit, the underdog Hurst stood up again. Racing through with seconds remaining, the striker struck his third and England’s fourth, as commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme’s seminal “they think it’s all over” line underscored the first – and as yet, only – World Cup final hat- trick.

Images of Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet trophy may have grown ever more sepia, but it’s still the finest World Cup final of all time.