Biggest Shocks in World Cup History

The World Cup has given football fans endless moments of incredible talent, surprising outcomes and unbelievable wins over the years.

10:46 22 January 2020

But it’s also produced some of the most shocking moments in sport too. These are just a handful of shocking moments that rocked the world of football. With tips on football matches, you could potentially predict the next crazy thing that might happen in the next world cup.

Luis Suarez’ Save

Suarez is no stranger to controversy, but the biggest shock of his career came in 2000 when Ghana were looking set to beat Uruguay in the quart finals of the World Cup. Adiyiah knocked a header over the goalkeeper and over the heads of the Uruguayan players. But, in a fit of determination, Suarez decided he wasn’t going to give up quite that easily. He performed an incredible diving save, pushing the ball clear of the goal, which earned him a red card and Ghana a penalty. However, they missed, and it was too late for the one-man advantage to go in their favour. When it went to penalty and they lost, their fortune was set.

Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup

Few countries have been ranked outsiders quite as much as Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup. They were placed in the ‘group of death’ and were the least experienced team, so no-one thought for one moment that they would have any success in the competition. They earned themselves a 3-1 win against Uruguay in the opening of the tournament, which was quickly shrugged off as a fluke, but when they followed it with a win against Italy and a draw with England, people had to start taking notice. They only narrowly missed out on the quarter finals, but they performed much better than anyone anticipated they would, leaving football fans shocked.

Hand of God

Maradona kicked off the scoring in the 1986 World Cup semi-finals in the Argentina v England match. Officials saw him rise above Peter Shilton to nudge the ball into the net, but what really happened shook the world of football for decades after. Both the England team and fans at home saw Maradona punch the ball into the net, yet the goal stood. It remains one of the most controversial goals ever scored and was a contributing factor into destroying England’s hopes of winning the World Cup that season.

Hungary Lose the 1954 Final

Back in 1954, Germany were lacking the stars they have on their side today and as a result, few predicted that they would be able to make it very far in the Swiss World Cup. However, they made it to the final through grit and determination and found themselves against Hungary – a team that had been unbeaten for several years. Not only that, but they had also destroyed Germany 8-3 just a few weeks prior to the finals match. In one of the most shocking outcomes in World Cup history, West Germany defied the odds and won, beating Hungary 3-2 and claiming the World Cup title.