The 2022 FIFA World Cup, planned to begin on November 21, will be held in Qatar. Over the years, the world has experienced some of the greatest football matches thanks to the world cup, which has always brought excitement and enjoyment with it. Numerous games in the competition have gone on to become some of the best and most memorable FIFA World Cup games ever.
1. England 3-2 Cameroon 1990 (Richards: 10, Shearer: 5)
In the 1990 World Cup match against Cameroon, Gary Lineker saved England from an unexpected loss. Cameroon had a 2-1 lead when Lineker’s penalties in the 83rd and extra time made it possible for England to advance to the World Cup semifinals for the first time.
Lineker: The game was fantastic. They were such a terrific team, and it was a hard game. We could have easily lost since they played some really strong music.
2. England 4-2 West Germany 1966 (Richards: 9, Shearer: 1)
England won the World Cup for the first time in their history after defeating West Germany 4-2 in extra time. Sir Alf Ramsey was captain of the team. Germany scored an injury-time equalizer to force extra time, but England defeated their rivals at Wembley. Sir Geoff Hurst, the only player to accomplish so, scored a hat-trick in the championship game. Since then, England’s men have not achieved a major championship.
Shearer: It has to be the best game ever for any English person.
Lineker: Only 11 players were involved. Jimmy Greaves’s omission came as quite a shock. The game had a thrilling finish with an equalizer and the “was it over the line” goal. Then there was Kenneth Wolstenholme’s renowned observation.
3. England 2-2 Argentina 1998 (Argentina won 4-3 on penalties) (Richards: 8, Shearer: 6)
Shearer: It was an excellent game. In that game, I converted two penalties, the second of which was a mental error.
Lineker: The goal that Sol Campbell scored but wasn’t given credit for made the game extraordinary.
4. Argentina beat England 2-1 (1986)
This game, more than any other, polarised views on Diego Maradona’s brilliance. In the span of four minutes, he produced two of the most memorable World Cup moments.
He created the first right after halftime; it is known simply as “the Hand of God.” Maradona managed to get to the ball before English goalkeeper Peter Shilton following a poor clearance. He used his hand to cross over Shilton’s extended arm, and the referee approved of it, was the answer.
Four minutes later, in what is referred to as “the goal of the century,” the next dramatic development occurred. Maradona received the ball in his half and advanced with it past the goalie and five English defenders before burying it. The game had been taken over by Maradona, and England had little hope of recovering. In the 81st minute, Gary Lineker did score a consolation goal, but it was insufficient.
Even though it might be a stretch to call it one of the all-time great games, it ranks highly for controversy and amazing moments.
5. Uruguay 1-1 Ghana 2010 (Uruguay won 4-2 on penalties) (Richards: 6, Shearer: 10)
The 2010 World Cup quarterfinal between Uruguay and Ghana featured Luis Suarez at its center; it was the first senior competitive football meeting between the two teams. After handling the ball to prevent Ghana from scoring in overtime, the Uruguayan attacker was dismissed from the game. Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing chance, which resulted in a 4-2 penalty shootout loss for Ghana as Uruguay advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 1970.
Richards: Although the score wasn’t terrific, it was nonetheless enjoyable. It was a mess.
Shearer: Luis Suarez will always be associated with this. He was in the tunnel rejoicing after the handball and t
6. Italy 4-3 West Germany 1970 (Richards: 5, Shearer: 7)
The 1970 World Cup semi-final between Italy and West Germany started with Italy up 1-0, but German defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger tied the score in the final minute to force extra time. In the extra session, Gerd Muller scored twice, but it was in vain as Italy went on to win 4-3 and advance to the final,
Lineker: The semifinal was a wild one. The two Italian strikers had a great game. It was a fantastic end-to-end match. here they were defeated by Brazil.
7. West Germany 3-3 France 1982 (West Germany won 5-4 on penalties) (Richards: 4, Shearer: 8)
West Germany won yet another game, and this one did so as well. West Germany took the lead through Pierre Littbarski before France responded. In extra time, Les Blues quickly took a 3-1 lead, but the score remained 3-3. Horst Hrubesch’s game-winning penalty kick gave West Germany a 5-4 victory in the shootout. West Germany advanced to the championship game but fell to Italy.
Lineker: The German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher’s challenge on Patrick Battiston was one of the game’s pivotal moments and the reason everyone remembers it. That was incredible. Even though there was no foul, the referee gave the play a straight red card. Schumacher, whom I believe broke a lot of teeth, somehow managed to stay on the field, and Germany won the shootout with him in the net.
Shearing: It was awful. He simply destroyed him.
8. Brazil 4-1 Italy 1970 (Richards: 3, Shearer: 2)
The first World Cup final featuring two former champions occurred in 1970. Brazil won the World Cup for the third time in their history with a convincing 4-1 victory. Brazil’s fourth goal, which is regarded as one of the best goals ever scored in tournament history, was scored by Carlos Alberto.
Lineker: That Brazil team had some incredible players.
9. Italy 3-2 Brazil 1982 (Richards: 2, Shearer: 9)
Italy’s 3-2 victory over Brazil in the 1982 World Cup was an instant classic, removing them from the competition after the second group stage. Italy, who had just served a match-fixing suspension, reached the semi-finals thanks to a hat-trick from Paolo Rossi. The Italians eventually won the competition.
Shearer: Rossi’s goals throughout this World Cup made it one of my favorites to recall.
Lineker: This football game was amazing. Because of the Rossi incident, Italy received a lot of flak at home. Brazil was so captivating to watch that the majority of the world was a little bummed that they lost.
10. Brazil 1-7 Germany 2014 (Richards: 1, Shearer: 3)
In the 2014 World Cup semi-final in Belo Horizonte, eventual champion Germany humiliated Brazil on home soil. Due to a broken bone in his back, their star player Neymar was sidelined for the remainder of the competition, and captain Thiago Silva was also absent. But none would have anticipated that after 29 minutes, Germany would be up 5-0. Brazil suffered its greatest World Cup setback and its first competitive home loss in 39 years as a result.
Richards: With eight goals in a game, you wouldn’t anticipate that.
Shearer: We were unable to believe what was occurring. The number of goals Germany scored in such a short period was astounding.
Lineker: That was breathtaking. After the game, it appeared as though all of Brazil was in grief.
