The most highly anticipated clash of any edition of the FIFA World Cup is the grand finale and it promises to live up to the expectations almost every time. The first edition was inaugurated about 96 years ago and from then on, the viewers have been celebrating this fixture as the most intense battle in football between the nations. There have been some phenomenal fixtures across the years with some end-to-end and heartbreaking matches for teams. The 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals between Argentina and France was probably the most iconic match in the history of football.
Similarly, there have been some exciting matches in the FIFA World Cup all through the years and one of the most heartbreaking moments would be the penalty miss from Roberto Baggio. In the tense match between Italy and Brazil, Baggio had to score from the spot to keep Italy alive but he hit it over the crossbar and he earned the tag, “The man who died standing”. Mario Götze’s last minute-winner against Argentina in 2014 was another such moment.
Top 7 interesting World Cup Finals of all time
1)Argentina 3-3 France (4-2 pens), 2022
The finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is considered as the greatest FIFA World Cup Final in the history of the tournament. Argentina were the clear favourites to win the match with a 2 goal lead in the first 80 minutes of the game.
However, Kylian Mbappe pulled the game from thin air as he scored twice in 97 seconds to level the game and that took the game to extra time. Lionel Messi’s effort to put Argentina through in the extra time was nullified by Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick goal with a penalty from the spot. Emiliano Martinez stepped up for Argentina with his mind games in the penalty shootout and that secured the win for Lionel Messi and his men.
West Germany 3–2 Hungary, 1954
In the 1954 edition of the FIFA World Cup, Hungary entered into the tournament by being the clear favourites and they were in tremendous form. Under the leadership of an unstoppable Ferenc Puskas, they went into the finals with a 31-match unbeaten streak and with a history of defeating their opposition by 8-3 in the group stage.
Hungary took a 2-0 lead over the West Germans within 8 minutes but the match was followed with a heavy rain that interrupted the flow of the Hungarians. West Germans fought back with 3 goals and they secured a terrific comeback over the inevitable Hungarians, to secure the World Cup title.
England 4-2 West Germany, 1966
In the 1966 FIFA World Cup, England experienced their most significant moment in sporting history with the World Cup. However, the game was a tight one that went on with a scoreline of 2-2. But, there came a controversial decision from the referees when Geoff Hurst’s strike was given as goal even though there wasn’t conclusive evidence. Later on, he completed his hat-trick with another goal and Geoff Hurst won the sole World Cup for England in their footballing history.
Argentina 3-2 West Germany, 1986
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was considered to be the tournament for Diego Maradona as he was absolutely dominant in his campaign. There was a controversial moment earlier in the World Cup when Maradona pulled out “The Hand of God” against England. Despite Argentina taking the lead with 2 goals early on, Germany clawed back into the game with two goals.
In the 84th minute, Diego Maradona gave the perfect pass to set up Jorge Burruchaga and he slotted it past the goalkeeper to secure the victory. Diego Maradona’s campaign was the best ever World Cup for an individual and the title was the icing on the cake for him.
Germany 1-0 Argentina, 2014
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was almost the end of the long-standing dream for the Argentinian fans and it was probably the most disastrous final for Argentina. Gonzalo Higuain got a golden chance in the final but he didn’t attempt for the goal thinking he was offside but he wasn’t.
As the game went on to the Extra Time, Andre Schurrle curled the ball perfectly for Mario Gotze and he converted it brilliantly to take the lead. Germany went on to secure yet another World Cup title keeping a hold on Lionel Messi’s long awaited dream.
Brazil 0-0 Italy (3-2 pens), 1994
The 1994 edition of the FIFA World Cup was one of the finest for Roberto Baggio as he was leading the Italian side with authority. Brazil’s attacking unit was led by Romario and it was the ultimate clash of the heavyweights.
The 120 minutes of football wasn’t enough to decide the winner and that forced the game into the penalty shootouts. Roberto Baggio had the defining moment for Italy but he missed from the spot and he was absolutely devastated with himself. Brazil secured a hard fought victory but the agony of Roberto Baggio felt heavier for all the football fans.
Uruguay 2–1 Brazil, 1950
The 1950 FIFA World Cup wasn’t exactly the most traditional finals as it was the deciding game of a four-team final round. Brazil needed just a draw to secure their World Cup title but they ended up throwing the game away. Brazil took the lead early on in the game but then Uruguay did a great job to fight back with 2 late goals to seal the victory for Uruguay. It was considered as one of the most thrilling matches considering the intense fight put up by Uruguay to snatch the World Cup title away from the Brazilians.
