The FIFA World Cup has had some great games and goals. Last-minute winning goals, or equalizers, have been scored in FIFA World Cup games. These are some of the greatest goals scored in the final minutes of FIFA World Cup games.
In the 1966 World Cup final, England took on West Germany in a classic match. England were 2–1 up until a late, almost last-minute, German equalizer made the score 2–2. As such, the game went into extra time.
During the extra-time period, Hurst scored England’s third goal, which bounced off the crossbar over the line. Or did it? Many Germans state otherwise, but the Russian linesman (was he a bitter war veteran?) gave it.
In the final minute of the match, Hurst picked up the ball and ran for a goal.
“And here comes Hurst. He’s got… some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over. It is now!” A terrific late strike made it England 4 - Germany 2, and the goal also sealed a World Cup final hat-trick for Hurst.
Italy played Germany at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion stadium in the semi-finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. During the game, neither Italy nor Germany scored in the standard 90 minutes. In the extra-time period, there were no goals in the first half, and for much of the second, the score remained 0–0.
However, the Italians went in front with just minutes to play. In the final minute, the ball was played to Del Piero in the box, who scored a second goal that ensured Italy’s place in the FIFA World Cup final. The game ended Italy 2 Germany 0, and the Italians went on to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy.
In the 1990 FIFA World Cup, England played Belgium in the second round. The game was a stalemate and ended 0–0 after 90 minutes. During the extra-tie period, penalties loomed when England were given a free-kick outside the Belgium penalty box. The free-kick was played into the penalty box, and Platt fired a fine volley in the 119th minute. The goal ensured a 1–0 win for England and set up a quarter-final clash with Cameroon.
In the France World Cup, the extra-time period had Golden Goals. The first team that scored during the extra-time period won the game. FIFA expected them to reduce the number of penalty shoot-outs, but few players have scored Golden Goals in the finals.
In France’s second-round game with Paraguay, a Golden Goal was scored. The game remained 0–0 after 90 minutes. In the second period of extra time, Blanc scored a Golden Goal for France, with just over five minutes of extra time to play. It was a rare World Cup Golden Goal, which was also a last-minute goal because it ended the match.
One of the classic World Cup games was Italy vs West Germany in the Mexico World Cup. In that game, the Italians took the lead and remained in front for almost the rest of the game. A cross from the left set up Schnellinger to score a last-minute goal from close range.
It was not an especially great goal, nor did it win the match for Germany, but it ensured the game went to an enthralling extra-time period in which five further goals were scored. If the Germans had not equalized, the Match of the Century would have been a more mundane 1–0 win for Italy.
Those were great World Cup goals scored in the last minute. They were crucial late, late goals that won games and World Cups for France, England, and Italy. So, don’t forget that a soccer game’s never over until the referee has blown the final whistle!
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