Top 10 greatest World Cup games
There have been 710 World Cup matches since the tournament began in 1930. Some have been entirely forgettable; others have burned themselves into the memory, providing moments that we will take to the grave. Here is an entirely subjective list of the 10 greatest World Cup games of all time:
1. Italy 3, Brazil 2, Group C, 1982
Never mind the World Cup; this has a strong claim as the greatest football match ever. Tele Santana's breathtakingly talented Brazil side, which seemed to be hurtling toward immortality with the quality of its attacking play, needed only a draw to qualify for the semifinals. Italy, which had roused itself after a dismal first group stage, needed a win. In a game of constant momentum shifts, Italy twice led through prodigal son Paolo Rossi, who had just returned from a two-year ban for match-fixing; twice Brazil equalized, through sublime goals from Socrates and Falcao, before Rossi sealed his hat trick from close range. Italy's superior defense was the difference *-- Brazil's was on the hopeless side of inadequate -- but, on this unforgettably steamy afternoon in Barcelona, the Azzurri's attack was every bit as good as their opponents'.
6. West Germany 2, Holland 1, final, 1974
From breathtaking start -- Holland's artists scored before West Germany had even touched the ball -- to bittersweet finish, this was a game of impossible intensity. World War II cast a huge shadow over a match between two teams that had more in common than they would ever dare to admit, and some feel Holland's preoccupation with the war, and consequent desire to humiliate the Germans, cost them this match. Others felt that the key element was the non-performance of Dutch star Johan Cruyff, who, after winning a first-minute penalty, was tossed around like a rag doll by his marker, Berti Vogts. In the end, it was another true great -- remarkable goal poacher Gerd Muller -- who had the final say with the winner just before halftime.
*sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soc...greatest.games/index.html#.SportsIllustrated/
Not sure if Bendy played,read that he had a re occurrence of the groin injury.
