Every World Cup has its memorable moments, but there are a select few that have stood the test of time. These moments have been immortalized as the greatest performances on the world’s biggest stage. Here are some of the best of the best moments in the history of the World Cup.
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1958 Sweden: The Rise of Pele
Brazil has always been a contender for the World Cup title, but in the early 20th Century, it had always been the bridesmaid, never the bride. Just eight years removed from a heartbreaking loss in the 1950 final at home to Uruguay, Brazil was ready to set the record straight with an influx of young players. None of them was more influential than Pele.
At just 17 years old, Pele had been playing for the national team for a little over a year. He made his first World Cup appearance in the final match of the group stage. He got an assist to help beat the Soviet Union 2-0 and move on to the knockout rounds. He scored the lone goal against Wales in the quarterfinals to move on to his most iconic World Cup performance. He devastated France by scoring three goals in the span of 23 minutes in the second half, becoming the youngest player to score a hat trick in the World Cup. Pele would net two more in the final to defeat Sweden 5-2 in Stockholm to claim Brazil’s first title.
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1998 France: Les Bleus Triumph at Home
It had been 60 years since France last hosted a World Cup, but Les Bleus had been struggling. They had missed out on the previous two World Cups and fans were worried about the very real possibility of being embarrassed on home soil. Newly-appointed manager Amie Jacquet saw this as an opportunity to bring in the next generation of players, one that represented a diverse and modern France with young stars like Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Patrick Viera.
Political and social turmoil was also a significant issue in France during the 1990s, leading to tension and unrest among the population. But for a brief time, the nation came together and rallied around their national team. Les Bleus went undefeated in the tournament, starting by crushing their group stage opponents by a combined score of 9-1. Back-to-back wins in extra time and penalties, followed by a close win result over Croatia in the semifinals delivered France to the title match. A pair of headers by Zidane in the first half and a stoppage time finish to ice the match lifted the host nation past dominant Brazil to claim its first World Cup.
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1950 Brazil: USA 1-0 England
Despite finishing third at the first World Cup 20 years earlier, the U.S. was far from a soccer powerhouse. Though the sport had pockets of popularity in the country, there had yet to be a competitive squad put together following World War II. The U.S. had not won in its last seven international matches going back to 1934 and was sending a squad of amateur players to compete in Brazil. After being thumped 3-1 in the opening match by Spain, there was little hope heading into the second match against England, who were favored to win the title in their first ever appearance.
England went on the attack early by peppering the U.S. net, but brilliant goalkeeping by Frank Borghi kept the match scoreless. Eight minutes before halftime, a long shot was redirected by a diving header from Joe Gaetjens that snuck past the English goalkeeper and put the U.S. in front. After listening on the radio, local fans began to pour into the stadium to cheer on the underdog Americans in the hope that Brazil would not have to face England in the later rounds. A few more heroic saves by Borghi in the second half preserved the clean sheet in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
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1954 Switzerland: Miracle of Bern
After being banned from the 1950 World Cup, West Germany returned to international competition and was accepted into FIFA once again and qualified for the 1954 tournament. The gritty West German team, which featured many semi-professional players, battled its way out of the group stage and stunned Yugoslavia and Austria on the way to the final. There, they would face a Hungary squad, known as the Mighty Magyars, that had not lost in five years and had already beat the West Germans 8-3 in the group stage.
Although the rainy final presented less than ideal conditions, the West Germans had a secret weapon, boots with exchangeable studs invented by adidas to allow them to wear their regular boots on the muddy pitch. However, the Hungarians got on the board first with two goals in the first eight minutes. It looked like the West Germans would capitulate, but instead battled back to score three unanswered goals to shock the world and win their first World Cup. The win caused a massive rise of national pride back home in Germany and is viewed as a key turning point for the country’s success both on and off the pitch following World War II.
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2002 South Korea/Japan: Dos a Cero
The U.S. was at a critical juncture in its modern soccer history. It had qualified for its fourth-consecutive World Cup, which included hosting in 1994, but had finished dead last in the previous tournament in France. The team assembled by then-Head Coach Bruce Arena, mainly made up of players from MLS and featuring St. Paul native Tony Sanneh, tore through the group stage including a shocking win over heavily-favored Portugal, they would face arch-rivals Mexico, in the Round of 16.
The U.S. had beaten El Tri by that legendary 2-0 scoreline twice in the past two years, but still had a chip on its shoulder from decades of Mexico’s dominance in North America. Once again, Mexico was favored to move on easily. The Americans set the record straight early on. Brian McBride smashed home a deflected cross from Claudio Reyna in the eighth minute to take the early lead. In the 65th minute, Eddie Lewis played an inch-perfect cross into the middle of the Mexico penalty area for Landon Donovan to head home the finisher and book the U.S. a place in the Quarterfinals.
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1994 United States: Salenko Scores Five
Competing for the first time since the Berlin Wall came down and under its new name, Russia was looking to make an impression at the 1994 World Cup. It was drawn into a tough group, featuring eventual third-place Sweden and champions Brazil. Faltering against Brazil in the opener and suffering through the incredible heat and humidity at the Silverdome to lose to Sweden, Russia was facing elimination. It could still get through as one of the four third-place qualifiers but needed to win big in its final match against Cameroon and hope for an Italy loss.
One man, Oleg Salenko, took the task upon himself to get his side through. Fifteen minutes into the match, Salenko put a shot between the legs of the Cameroon goalkeeper to get Russia in front. He slotted home a second in the 41st minute and converted a penalty in the 44th to get his hat trick. But he wasn’t done there. He scored two more times before the 75th minute to help win the match 6-1. The goal differential was secured, but Italy drew its final group stage match sending Russia home. Salenko scored six goals in the tournament, tying him for the Golden Boot. They were the only international goals in his career.
1986 Mexico: The Goal of the Century
Argentina was an absolute powerhouse in the late 1980s. Led by Diego Maradona, La Celeste y Blanca were playing some of the best soccer in the world. The team swept through the group stage and beat South American rivals Uruguay to reach the quarterfinals where they would face England, a team they hated for reasons beyond soccer. In addition to a contentious match in the 1966 World Cup, the two countries were just four years removed from the Falklands War which cost many Argentine lives. Needless to say, it was an emotionally-charged match.
Maradona was front and center in this match, and after scoring the infamous “Hand of God” goal just minutes earlier, he scored one of the most impressive goals in the history of the game. After receiving the ball in his own half, he cut back and spun out to escape two defenders and sprint down the field. A quick cut with the outside of his boot beat a third man, and a move back to his right got past a fourth. A slight touch with his left boot got the ball around the goalkeeper, opening up a right-footed finish to score the eventual match-winner just as a tackle came in.
2010 South Africa: The Goal Heard ‘Round the World
The 2010 World Cup was famous for being the first time the tournament was hosted in Africa, but for U.S. fans, it will be remembered for one goal. After a 1-1 draw to shock England in the opening match, the U.S. had to battle back to earn a draw against Slovenia and was sitting in third place facing elimination. They needed a win in the final match against Algeria.
As time was ticking town and the scoreless match entered stoppage time, Algeria made a thrust towards the U.S. goal only to be denied by Tim Howard. Howard’s quick distribution allowed the U.S. to counter and catch Algeria outnumbered defensively. Landon Donovan found Jozy Altidore in space, who played a ball to Clint Dempsey in front of goal. The Algerian goalkeeper slid to deny Dempsey’s shot but Donovan was right there to bury the rebound and send the whole country into a frenzy.
Bonus: Alcides Ghigga
In 1950, Uruguay stunned Brazil by beating the host nation 2-1 at the brand new Maracana stadium thanks to a goal from Alcides Ghigga. Years later, he would give one of my personal favorite sports quotes of all-time: “Only three people have managed to silence the Maracana: Frank Sinatra, the Pope and me.”
