Our top stuff-ups from past Cups.
Becks' red card
David Beckham pretty much carried his side for a decade, but he did have the odd brain snap. In 1998, in a second-round game against Argentina, he kicked opposition defender Diego Simeone in the calf after being fouled himself. Beckham was sent off and the Poms lost the game in a penalty shootout.
Diego Maradona’s drug bust
In '94 in the US, Maradona was making an amazing comeback after missing a few years through a positive test for cocaine. For a man seemingly past it, he’d started with a bang with a goal in the first game. But the banned drug ephedrine was found in his system. He was sent home in disgrace.
The Battle of Santiago
The 1962 game between Italy and Chile was the most violent ever. The first foul occurred after 12 seconds. Police had to remove one player and intervene in on-field brawls three times as kicks were aimed at necks, and punches thrown, one of which broke a player’s nose.
That Italian penalty
There's an argument that Lucas Neill should have stood still in the penalty box in the Socceroos' 2006 second-round match versus Italy, but we still reckon the Italian bloke cheated. And if Fabio Grosso hadn't gone down, then who knows what might have happened? It still brings a tear to our eyes four years later.
Ronaldo goes missing
In '98, Ronaldo was the best player in the world. But 72 minutes before the start of the final, he was left off the team sheet. Half an hour later, he was back on it. He’d had a fit in his sleep and was rushed off for brain and heart tests. Understandably, he played crap and France won three-nil.
USA beats England
In a 1950 group match, the score finished USA 1 – England 0. The part-time Seppo squad, made up of posties and dishwashers, was at 500-1. The Pom papers thought the result was a misprint and assumed they’d won 10-0 or 10-1. Even 60 years later, the Yanks beating the Poms at soccer still makes us laugh.
Which World Cup moment do you think is the dodgiest? Leave your comment below.
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