Style -- 2 days ago
With less that a month to go till England’s first group match against Italy on Saturday 14th, we thought it only right to re-live some of our best moments in the history of the greatest competition on earth. Will any of this year’s goals make next year’s list?
SIR GEOFF HURST’S HAT TRICK AGAINST GERMANY, 1966
“They think it’s all over. It is now!” Giving birth to one of the most famous sayings in English football, Sir Geoff Hurst’s controversial hat trick won the World Cup in 1966 against Germany. The first time ever that a player scored the only hat trick to win a Cup game. The team dubbed as ‘wingless wonders’ due to their (at the time) unusual formation are now immortalised in a bronze statue at Wembley stadium.
BRYAN ROBSON’S GOAL AGAINST FRANCE, 1982
Bryan Robson vs France 1982. Knocking the ball out of the goalkeeper’s hands, Robson scored in 27 seconds, the second fastest ever goal in the tournament. For Robson it was the first of two goals, with England winning 3-1. He ended up captaining England 65 times so this road runner is a firm favourite for us chaps.
DAVID PLATTS’S GOAL AGAINST BELGIUM, 1990
The 1990 World Cup is largely considered to be one of the worst England performances in history. However, we do feel there is a gem in David Platts, who bounced in to the game as a sub at 72 minutes and scored his first international goal with seconds to spare in the extra time.
DAVID BECKHAM’S FREEKICK AGAINST COLOMBIA, 1998
David Beckham, England’s hero, has played many inspirational moves but we have picked his superb free kick against Colombia in 1998. He curled it in at 30 yards after his team mate Anderton drove one home 9 minutes earlier. Together they put England in to the second round, with a victory of 2-0. Beckham has continued to create some of England’s best moments in 2002 against Argentina, and then again in 2006 against Ecudor.
GARY LINEKAR’S HAT TRICK AGAINST POLAND, 1986
In the 1986 World Cup, Gary Linekar scored a hat trick that took England to the last 16, after a rotten start in the tournament. Lineker went on to score six goals in Mexico as he became the first – and still only – England player to claim the Golden Boot. He did all of this with a light cast on his forearm. What a trooper.
MICHAEL OWEN’S GOAL AGAINST ARGENTINA, 1998
In 1998, in a England match against Argentina, Michael Owen scored one of the best goals ever. Only 18 at the time, he was one of England’s youngest player and after seven minutes on the pitch, followed his instinct and performed a spectacular goal that changed his life. England lost the game 2 -1 but the goal itself has gone down in England’s footballing history.
By Rio West
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