Half a century on, Germans still dispute THAT goal

HAMBURG: Fifty years after THAT goal at Wembley, West Germany captain Uwe Seeler still insists England’s Geoff Hurst’s controversial shot never crossed the line in the 1966 World Cup final.

Hurst’s second goal in the 101st minute of extra time -- which put England 3-2 ahead after the match had finished 2-2 over 90 minutes -is arguably the most controversial goal in international football history.

England went on to claim a 42 win over West Germany with Hurst becoming the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

But whether or not the ball bounced behind the line from Hurst’s shot for England’s third goal has been debated for half a century with Saturday marking the 50th anniversary of the 1966 final.

Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst awarded the goal after consulting with his linesman, Azerbaijan’s Tofiq Bahramov, of the then USSR.

Some modern studies, using film analysis and computer simulation, suggest the ball never crossed the line, something Seeler has been insisting on for half a century.

“I was standing at the back of the box and saw exactly that the ball didn’t cross the line,” said the 79-year- old Seeler.

Hurst’s shot beat West Germany goalkeeper Hans Tilkowski, the ball hit the underside of the crossbar, bounced on the line before being headed away by defender Wolfgang Weber.

But Dienst’s decision has always baffled the Germans and their skipper Seeler.

“We were al l in a state of commotion, none of us knew what was going on,” said Seeler.

“No one (in the West Germany team) could understand why the goal was given.” — AFP