After what might be described, at best, as two fairly forgettable matches, there might be some value in England fans reminding themselves of more halcyon days. In the last 60 years, England have contributed to some many classic World Cup encounters. Harking back to former glories, here’s a list of some of the most memorable matches of World Cups past, one which Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard are no doubt striving to lengthen in South Africa.
’86 England v Poland, 3-0
England got off to a bad start at the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, losing their first match to Portugal followed by their captain Bryan Robson to a tournament-ending injury. They went into the final group game with Poland in need of a result and, having failed to score against Portugal and Morocco, it looked as though Bobby Robson might drop Everton striker Gary Lineker. But Bobby Robson kept faith in Lineker, and his decision paid dividends as the prolific marksman weighed in with a devastating first-half hat-trick. Lineker’s third goal after just 34 minutes sent England’s fans into raptures and they were roused into a spontaneous conga line in the sparsely populated stands in Monterrey.
’66 England v W Germany, 4-2
Fondly remembered for Kenneth Wolstenholme’s classic sound bite, Nobby Stiles’ false teeth and, of course, Bobby Moore lifting the iconic Jules Rimet Trophy, the final in 1966 was a match brimming with great goals and memorable incident. Goals from Martin Peters and Hurst helped England recover from going a goal down, but West Germans equalised in the dying minutes. Cue extra-time and ‘that goal’. Having lost his marker with a neat turn, Geoff Hurst’s shot from the edge of the six-yard box bounced off the underside of the bar and was adjudged to have crossed the line. Hurst later sealed his hat-trick to make England’s World Cup triumph certain.
’54 England v Belgium, 4-4
With a remarkable 140 goals in just 26 matches, the 1954 tournament in Switzerland remains the highest-scoring World Cup. In the quarter-finals, hosts Switzerland took a 3-0 lead over Austria, but the Austrians recovered to win 7-5, and in the group stages, eventual winners West Germany were thrashed 8-3 by Hungary’s ‘Golden Team’, which boasted such legends as Ferenc Puskas and Sandor Kocsis. Walter Winterbottom’s side played out an eight-goal thriller against Belgium after Ivor Broadis and Nat Lofthouse had put England 3-1 up. A 94th minute own goal from defender Jimmy Dickinson brought the scores level at 4-4. England were unfortunately knocked out in the quarter finals by Uruguay, but the group match against Belgium remains the highest-scoring draw in World Cup history and one of number of astonishing matches in a tournament famous for great comebacks.
