ENGROSSING ENCOUNTERS
The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins on November 20. We take you through 10 memorable matches from the previous editions.
1938, First Round
(Strasbourg) — Brazil 6-5 Poland
Brazil had all the bases covered to become the first side to win the World Cup when it arrived in France, with Leonidas the most prominent star at the tournament.
He scored the first of his 11 goals in a scintillating first-round fixture in Strasbourg’s Meinau Stadium. The game was tied at 4-4 after 90 minutes. However, Leonidas scored two more in extra-time and the Polish side, despite a late goal from Ernest Wilimowski, fell just short and was knocked out of the tournament. Wilimowski, nicknamed ‘Ezi’, had scored four times in the match. As for Brazil, it progressed to the quarterfinals where it beat Czechoslovakia 2-1 in a replay before deciding to rest Leonidas for the semifinal against Italy, confident that it will reach the final and needed Leonidas to be fresh. But the South Americans never made it and in pre-substitute days, the star striker looked on as his team lost 1-2 to the eventual champion.
The 1938 edition turned out to be the last World Cup that used a straight knockout format. It involved 30 minutes of extra-time if the score was level after 90 minutes and if the deadlock could not be broken even after the extra half hour, the two sides would replay the match.
1962, Semifinal
(Santiago) — Brazil 4-2 Chile
“We must have the World Cup because we have nothing,” said a defiant Carlos Dittborn, President of the Chilean Football Federation, after his country had been devastated by earthquakes.
The tournament went ahead with Chile reaching the semifinals, winning en route a savagely-combative Santiago game against Italy.
Against Chile, Brazil lost Pele who got injured early on. However, Garrincha was too much for it even though towards the end, he was sent off for, at last, retaliating to rough treatment and was hit by a bottle as he went off the pitch.
With Brazil dominant, Garrincha scored twice in the first half, a deadly 20-yard left-footer and a leading header at a corner.
Toro’s mighty free kick gave Chile hope, but Garrincha’s corner was headed in by Vava, who headed Brazil’s fourth after Leonel Sanchez had scored a penalty for Chile.
Surprisingly, Garrincha was amnestied to play in the final.
1966, Quarterfinal
(Liverpool) — Portugal 5-3 North Korea
They had twice thrashed Australia in play-offs but little was known of the North Koreans though Middlesbrough’s fans had taken them to their hearts. They had sensationally knocked out Italy 1-0 there and swept into a dramatic, pulsating 3-0 lead in 20 minutes against powerful Portugal.
After a cutting right wing move, Pak Seung-zin drove the Koreans ahead. Their sheer adventurous brio seemed to have stunned the Portuguese and Li Dong-woon and left winger Yang Seung-kook made it 3-0.
It was only now that the dazzling Eusebio took the game in hand with his glorious long-legged running and pulverising right-footed shot. The Koreans, geared with almost naive commitment to attack, simply couldn’t handle him. In the 28th minute, Eusebio raced on to a pass from left winger Simoes for his first goal.
When the giant Torres was brought down in the box, Eusebio netted the penalty, picked up the ball and was tearing back into the middle when a Korean stopped and reproached him.
At the half-hour mark, Eusebio raced through to equalise. A coruscating solo run from the left led to him being brought down and scoring the penalty in the follow-up.
Augusto got Portugal’s fifth and the Koreans retreated into years of isolation.
1970, Group Stage
(Guadalajara) — Brazil 1-0 England
Reigning champion England came up against a Brazilian team poised for greatness in an epic struggle played out in the searing heat in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Both sides had great chances — Jeff Astle missing a glorious opening for England, while it took one of the greatest saves of all time from Gordon Banks to keep out Pele’s powerful downward header.
Eventually, Brazil scored the winning goal one minute shy of the hour mark. After exchaning passes with Paulo Cesar, Tostao shrugged off Alan Ball, nutmegged Moore, skinned Wright, swivelled and chipped the ball into the feet of Pele, who was centrally positioned in a heavily marked area.
Three England players charged at him, but Pele calmly put the ball into the path of the charging Jairzinho who took a touch before smashing the ball over a diving England goalkeeper and into the net.
The famous photograph of Pele and Bobby Moore swapping shirts at the end was a proof of the mutual respect between the two sides.
1982, Second Group Stage
(Barcelona) — Italy 3-2 Brazil
The vindication of Paolo Rossi... Suspended for his role in a betting scandal, amnestied from suspension just in time for the finals, the little centre-forward looked rusty at first. But by this game, he was in full flight and ended the tournament as top-scorer.
It was a brilliant Brazilian team, formidable in midfield. Brazil was a strong favourite but its defence and attack did not match a superb midfield with Falcao, Socrates, Cerezo and Zico, ruthlessly marked by Claudio Gentile, who ripped his shirt off.
Italy was ahead in five minutes, Rossi gliding in Antonio Cabrini’s ideal cross from the left. Eluding Claudio Gentile, Zico set up Socrates for a rocket between goalkeeper Dino Zoff and his near post. Cerezo’s careless pass enabled Rossi to make it 2-1 for Italy. Falcao’s fulminating right-footer equalised for Brazil.
But when Marco Tardelli drove a ball back into the Brazilian box, Rossi pounced again for the winner.
1986, Quarterfinals (Guadalajara) — France 1-1 Brazil (France won 4-3 on penalties)
Pele, who watched this match from the stands, described it as the “match of the century.”
France overcame its 1982 disappointment by clinching the 1984 European Championships in style. Its contest against Brazil in Mexico was a pulsating contest between two teams loaded with flamboyant players.
Careca blasted in the first goal after a typically smart move from Brazil but France equalised when a Dominique Rocheteau cross from the right went past both French striker Yannick Stopyra and Brazilian goalkeeper Carlos before Michel Platini, who turned 31 that day, tapped into an empty net.
Substitute Zico had the chance to win it from the penalty spot for Brazil but his effort was saved by Joel Bats.
That miss ultimately resulted in a shoot-out, which, despite a miss from the inspirational Platini, France won to set up another semifinal meeting with West Germany.
2010, Round of 16
(Johannesburg) — Germany 4-1 England
Germany’s thrilling strike force shredded old rival England into bits to reach the quarterfinals in a 4-1 win marked by a major blunder from the match officials who ruled out a good goal.
Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski took advantage of some pathetic defending by the Three Lions to put Germany 2-0 up after 32 minutes before Matthew Upson headed one back.
Minutes later, a shot by England’s Frank Lampard went over the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, hit the bar and bounced behind the goal-line.
However, neither Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda nor his assistants saw the goal, and waved play on.
The sense of injustice burning among England’s legions of passionate fans dimmed, however, when Thomas Mueller scored twice in the second half.
2010, Quarterfinals (Johannesburg) — Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (Uruguay won 4-2 on penalties)
Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss in the dying seconds of extra time cost the African side a place in the World Cup semifinals and broke hearts across the continent.
Uruguay’s 4-2 shootout win after a 1-1 draw took it into the last four for the first time in 40 years and stopped Ghana becoming the first African side to reach the semis.
Ghana had taken the lead on the stroke of half-time when Sulley Muntari, restored to the starting line-up after an earlier bust-up with the coach, fired a speculative shot from long range that deceived Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera.
Uruguay equalised 10 minutes into the second half when Diego Forlan struck a wicked swerving free kick over the top of the defence and keeper Richard Kingson.
Late in extra-time, Uruguay forward Luis Suarez was sent off after stopping a goal-bound header from Dominic Adiyiah’s with his hands. However, Gyan grazed the top of the crossbar with his penalty kick and then clutched his head in his hands as the opportunity of a lifetime slipped by.
2014, Semifinals
(Belo Horizonte) — Germany 7-1 Brazil
Germany inflicted the most shocking result in World Cup history when it thrashed host Brazil 7-1 in a semifinal that brought grief to millions of home fans and caused utter astonishment around the world.
The Germans scored five goals in 18 first-half minutes to rewrite the record books as Brazil’s defence caved in to leave their dreams of a sixth world title in tatters. German striker Miroslav Klose became the tournament’s highest scorer of all time with his 16th World Cup goal to move one clear of Brazilian Ronaldo.
After a brief 10-minute spell when Brazil looked dangerous down the left flank, it began wobbling when Thomas Mueller opened the scoring after 11 minutes when he stole away from his marker David Luiz and volleyed home.
Klose made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute with his record-breaking goal after smacking in a rebound off goalkeeper Julio Cesar. Toni Kroos scored with a sweet shot and the midfielder struck again to make it 4-0. Sami Khedira added the fifth before half-time after a smart one-two with Mesut Ozil.
After German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was forced to make some saves, substitute Andre Schuerrle struck in the 69th and 79th minutes.
Brazil, playing without injured forward and talisman Neymar, and defender and captain Thiago Silva at the back, wilted. Oscar scored a last-minute consolation goal for the host nation.
2018, Round of 16
(Kazan) — France 4-3 Argentina
Kylian Mbappe... No teenager had imposed such will on a World Cup match since Pele — just 17 — mesmerised the world with his wizardry in the 1958 finals in Sweden.
In the end, Argentina — and Lionel Messi — were sent packing.
Argentina’s suspect backline came to haunt it as early as the 12th minute when a tearing run by Mbappe was brought to a halt when Rojo, outpaced by the youngster, outmuscled him, conceding a penalty. Antoine Griezmann rolled the ball down the middle after Franco Armani had guessed the direction wrong, diving to his left.
The equaliser arrived against the run of play when Angel Di Maria — often unappreciated (he was considered surplus both in Real Madrid and Manchester United) — scored the longest-range goal (30 yards) of this World Cup with a left-footed snap shot that sailed past the outstretched Hugo Llloris with four minutes left for the fist-half whistle. Fortune continued to favour Argentina after the break with Messi twisting and turning to unleash a low shot, which was diverted past a flummoxed Llloris by Gabriel Mercado, who was lucky to be at the right place. Argentina’s advantage, however, was shortlived as Benjamin Pavard struck the sweetest right-footed volley from outside the box, after a botched up clearance, in the 58th minute.
A distressed Argentina, unable to come to terms with the quick change in fates, allowed France to muscle back into the game and soon paid the price when Mbappe reacted quickest to a blocked shot from Blaise Matuidi to drive a low shot across the goal to restore France’s lead in the 64th minute. The teenager, miraculously left unmarked, effectively closed the game, scoring his second of the night — four minutes later — after Olivier Giroud found him in space.
Sergio Aguero’s injury-time headed goal — from a left-footed Messi cross — created some last-minute mayhem but the result and the hero of the day remained unchanged.