FIFA History - 5 Nail-Biting Moments

FIFA, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, in French and International Federation of Association Football, in English is a non-profit organization that governs association football, beach soccer, and futsal at the international level. Since its establishment in 1904, FIFA has been organizing and promoting the international tournaments of association football, the FIFA World Cup being the most popular. It first commenced in 1930, and since then, the tournament is being held after every four years. FIFA has a massive fan following that enthusiastically waits for the next event as soon as the current one ends. The Americans are one of the nations who are great FIFA enthusiasts. Football, known as Soccer in the USA, is a passion for all young and old citizens of the country. Soccer fans are excited for the World Cup every four years because it is known for its history-making moments. Every time the competitions bring more intensity than the last ones. The fans spend hours watching and discussing each game every four years, wearing custom soccer team jerseys, and rooting for their favorite players. It gets even better when they encounter the nail-biting moments in the game between their favorite teams. We have listed down 5 top nail-biting moments of the FIFA World Cup to relive the historical moments of the event.

1. England Vs. Argentina, 1986

If you are a baby boomer or Gen X soccer fan, you must remember the historic FIFA moment when Diego Maradona, the Argentinian player with "The Hand of God," scored his first goal in the game. It can be easily considered as one of the most nail-biting moments in FIFA history.

The game was 6 minutes into the second half. None of the teams had succeeded in making a single goal till then. Maradona, the diminutive legend, was constantly head-to-head with much taller Peter Shilton, the English goalkeeper. What Diego did should have cost him a red card. He punched the ball over the keeper’s head and into the goal. The officials couldn’t see the move. Argentina immediately became the lead. The matters got intense when after few minutes, Maradona again got the ball in the second half. He aimed to score a goal from 60 yards distance, and the ball whooshed straight into the net! The moment was unbelievable for the fans. People call it the goal of the century. The consecutive goals and the 60 yards aim make this undoubtedly the number one moment of FIFA history and Diego Maradona a legend of all time.

2. Brazil Vs. Italy, 1994

In 1994, the US hosted the FIFA World Cup and named the legendry moment of the final game under its cap. The final was played between the two top teams, Brazil and Italy. The fans were on the edges of their seats when Roberto Baggio got the penalty chance. The Italian striker missed the opportunity that ultimately caused Italy to lose. The finals between the traditional rivals became more extreme for Italian fans when Baggio bent over in complete despair among the cheering and celebrating Brazilian team and its fans. For Italians, the planet stopped revolving when Baggio aimed for the net from his striking point to make the breaking or making penalty kick. This moment got etched in soccer history when the miss crushed Baggio, who was the rising and shining star of the tournament at that time.

3. Argentina Vs. The Netherlands, 1998

It was not only a history-making moment for the soccer fans, but it also became a turning point for Argentina. The Argentinian team was most expected to come out as a winner of this game since the beginning. However, Dennis Bergkamp, the Dutch midfielder, kicked the ball straight into the net, passing over Carlos Roa, Argentinian keeper, to score the winning goal. The single goal took Netherlands one step forward since it was the quarter-final qualifying game for both teams. It was an experience for the fans when they witnessed a last-minute win for a team that was not expected to go forward in the tournament. It is one of the most beautiful final-moment goals in the records.

4. West Germany Vs. England, 1966

The moment is not only marked as most exciting but also as the most controversial goal in FIFA history. In the current era, technological advancement has enabled the authorities to closely monitor the game as they want. However, in 1966, it was totally up to their judgment to determine the foul or the validity of players’ moves. The dispute arose when Geoff Hurst, the English striker, made the third goal in the final game. Both the teams were on the same score and were into extra time, anxiously waiting for a "Hail Mary." In the tense atmosphere, Hurst shot the ball toward the net, where it hit the crossbar before bouncing down into the net. The fans held their breath, watching as the two referees discussed the outcome. Finally, the referees decided that the ball had crossed the goal line. England ultimately won the world cup with another goal by Hurst, but the gasping fans of 1966 will never forget the disqualified goal that could have cost England a major win.

5. Portugal Vs. Spain 2018

The list will remain incomplete without Cristiano Ronaldo’s hattrick against Spain in 2018. Cristiano scored a hattrick during his team’s opener clash to resolve a 3-3 tie against Spain. Nothing better can be recalled in the 2018 World cup than the 6-goal thriller Iberian derby (the name for football rivalry between Spain and Portugal). Ronaldo’s triplet also became the 51st hattrick in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

The above five moments are undoubtedly the historical moments of the global soccer tournament. If you are a soccer fan and somehow have missed the thrilling scenes, you must search the World Wide Web to watch the glorious moments of the FIFA World Cup.

Shawn joy is a community manager and a professional blogger at Apparelnbags. He loves to write his thoughts into his blogs.