Classic World Cup Matches

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The Dust  has settled on the classic which was Spain v Portugal. I take a look at some of the classic matches of World Cup's gone by. Some well known some you might have forgot.

Italy 3 Brazil 2

Date 5th July 1982

Venue Sarrià Stadium

Brazil came into this game as massive favourites having won there four previous games. Including smashing Scotland 4-1 and New Zealand 4-0. The team included some star names like Playmaking legend Zico, Captain and man mountain Sócrates, Falcão and Eder. Italian Star striker Paulo Rossi had failed to score before this game. Rossi had just come back to football following a year ban for match fixing he was under huge pressure to perform at this World Cup. Rossi lived up to the pressure with an early goal which got the Italians off to a great start. But Brazil fired back with a goal from Skipper Socrates. Rossi then added a second. A goal from Falcao levelled the game for Brazil. With the entering the final 15 minutes both teams needing a winner to stay in the tournament. Paulo Rossi the man who hadn't scored until now fired home a winning strike for Italy. Brazil were denined an equaliser late on but Italy Keeper Dino Zoff performed some late heroics.

Belgium 4 USSR 3

Date 5 June 1986

Venue Estadio León

One of the more under the radar World Cup  knockout matches, Belgium's golden generation saw off a very much fancied  Soviet Union side in a 4-3 thriller. The score was 2-2  by the 90th minute and, in extra time, Belgium scored via Stephane Demol and Nico Claesen. Igor Belanov scored his third of the game from the spot with nine minutes to go but the USSR, agonizingly, were unable to find a last-minute equaliser, prompting Belgium to progress to the quarter-final against Spain.

Nigeria 3 Spain 2

Date 13th June 1998

Venue Stade de la Beaujoire

A Group game that often doesnt get the coverage it desrves . But this was a classic game of back and fourth action. Spain pre TIKA TAKA star man was Raul Gonzalez and Nigeria had a very exciting young side which won Olympic gold in 1996. So both teams had high hopes coming into France 98. Spain took an early lead through goal scoring defender and current Spanish Manager Fernando Heirro. Nigeria hit back through Mutiu Adepoju. Spanish golden boy Raul then put Spain 2-1 up going into the break. Nigeria came out second half and won the game 3-2 with the help of an OG from Spanish Keeper Andoni Zubizarreta and then the game winning strike from then Ajax box to box midfielder  Sunday Oliseh. It was played at such a high pace and intensity.

West Germany 3 France 3

Date July 8th 1982

Venue Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium

Another one from the 82 World Cup  played in a baking hot summer night in Sevilla It is considered by then French captain Michel Platini to be his "most beautiful game.". Germany took the lead when the ball rebounded to Pierre Littbarski, who scored with his first-touch shot from 18 yards.Platini leveled on 27 minutes with a well taken penalty. Despite several good chances for both sides, the best being a Manuel Amoros effort hitting the crossbar in stoppage time, the score remained at 1-1. In the second minute of the first period, Marius Tresor struck an 11-yard volley off of a deflected free kick from just outside the box to put France ahead for the first time in the match, 2-1. Rummenigge entered the game shortly afterwards in place of Hans-Peter Briegel, but it was France who struck once again at the 98 minute mark, with Alain Giresse firing a first-touch shot from 18 yards off of Schumacher's right post and into the goal to give France a 3-1 advantage. Four minutes later, West Germany began its comeback, with Rummenigge flicking home an outside-of-the-foot volley from six yards that cut France's lead to 3-2. Three minutes into the second extra time period, Fischer scored by a bicycle kick from six yards, and the teams were level once more at 3-3, where the score remained through the end of extra time. Amongst all this drama we have failed to mention the incident the game is most remembered for which was the horror tackle from the German Keeper Harald Schumacher who's name and look couldn't be more German on French defender Patrick Battiston. The tackle would probably get you 6 months inside for GBH nowadays. But the German Keeper somehow remained on the field. The West Germans would then go on and win 5-4 on penalty's with pantomime villain Schumacher saving two.

Italy 4 West Germany 3

Date 17th June 1970

Venue Estadio Azteca

This was dubbed "game of the century" by many footballing publications. It burst into life in extra time. Italy took a 1-0 lead from the at the time Inter Milan forward Roberto Boninsegn. But West Germany equalized from defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger in injury time. To send the fans into frenzy German television commentator Ernst Huberty exclaimed "Schnellinger, of all people!" Gerd Müller put the Germans ahead in the 94th minute, but Tarcisio Burgnich leveled it back up four minutes later then Luigi Riva put the Italians back in front. German Hot Shoot and star striker Muller put German once again level to make 3-3!! But with just under 10 minutes to play Italian icon Gianni Rivera scored the match winning goal in the 111th minute. Being left unmarked near the penalty area, Rivera connected a fine cross made by Boninsegna, clinching the victory for the Italians who would meet the greatest team to ever win a World Cup at the time Brazil..