The Most Intense & Crazy World Cup Matches of All Time
It’s almost World Cup season again, with each ticking minute one step closer to one of the greatest sporting events on the planet. Full of passion, controversy and surprises, the world will surely be glued to their screens when the next tournament kicks off in a few days.
We’re here to unveil the tensest and craziest moments in previous World Cup games - the upsets, the shocks and the jaw-droppers. As always, make sure you visit quality betting sites such as BoyleSports bookie if you’re thinking about betting online on some of the crazy markets like the results we’re about to talk about!
5. West Germany vs France, 1982
We’re going back to the 80s for our first entry, with a heated match between two sides that have bad blood - Germany (west Germany in this case) and France - during the semi-finals of the tournament.
The game was non-stop end-to-end action, with Germany capitalising on the fact that France was missing one of their best players, Rummenigge. The big moment of the game came 15 minutes after the second half had begun when Frances’ forward Patrick Battiston decided to run onto a through ball.
He ran with the ball but didn't manage to catch the fact that Germany’s keeper, Harald Schumacher, was running towards him like a wrecking ball. The two collided and Battiston came out worse for wear.
By worse for wear we mean cracked ribs, teeth knocked out and even getting his vertebrae whilst also being knocked out. But the most controversial part was the keeper didn't receive a card and no foul was given.
Despite the game being absolutely electric with Germany finally coming out on top, everyone only remembers that tackle.
4. Argentina vs England, 1986
The infamous game that made Maradonna a household name for pretty much the rest of his life - he made 2 of the most talked about World Cup moments in the span of just 4 minutes.
Firstly, we had the well-known Hand of God incident, where Maradona managed to beat England's keeper Peter Shilton by using his hand and no foul was given.
Whilst that was controversial, Maradona's brilliance four minutes later is not up for discussion. He managed to take the ball from his own half, around 5 of England's defenders and then comfortably slotted the ball in the net without seemingly breaking a sweat.
3. Uruguay vs Ghana, 2010
No one expected Ghana to perform the way they did - they were stone-cold underdogs in the 2010 World Cup. But they soon became the feel-good underdogs after the sheer passion they showed in their games.
They managed to get through to the quarter-finals of the tournament, which is a testament to all African teams as they don't usually manage to get so far into the competition.
The game was absolutely incredible - Ghana matched the world-class team step for step, ending the 90 minutes in a draw. There was added drama in extra time as Luis Suarez blocked a goal with his hand, leading to the last kick of extra time being a penalty.
Unfortunately, Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar, which meant it was penalties. It came down to Ghana missing and Uruguay only needing to score their last penalty, which they did. A true testament to the passion and fire some of the underdog teams bring to the World Cup.
2. Netherlands vs Spain, 2014
Spain came into the tournament as cup defenders, having won the 2010 World Cup, and their very first game would be a rematch of their previous final competitors - the Netherlands.
It seemed like a neck-and-neck game, with Xabi Alonso managing to get an early penalty and send the reigning champs into the lead. That would all turn to dust as soon as Netherlands got into gear shortly after.
Cue a barrage of Dutch goals, kicked off by an incredible header from Van Persie. This set off a chain of excellence from the Dutch side, with the Netherlands managing to bag 5 goals in total and Spain slowly coming to the realisation that they may not walk away from the tournament holding the cup again that year!
1.Germany vs Brazil, 2014
With the country hosting the tournament, Brazil had heavy expectations of them - especially the young star Neymar. They were partially delivering on that promise by managing to get through to the semi-finals.
The semi-finals turned into a slaughter - what was expected to be a close game of two great teams turned into a very one-sided affair within 30 minutes. Germany's sheer excellence during the game and Brazil's lacking defence led to the Germans trouncing Brazil 7-1.
Arguably one of the most impressive results in recent World Cup history - will we be seeing matches like this again this tournament? Who knows - but we can be sure it’s going to be full of excitement and end-to-end action!
