Top 7 most exciting World Cup finals in soccer history

The world of soccer is full of highlights and unforgettable moments, but nothing generates as much excitement as World Cup finals. Each tournament brings fans new stories of triumph and drama, leaving a mark in the hearts of millions of fans. From legendary goals to dramatic penalty shootouts, World Cup finals become true symbols of sporting spirit and unpredictability. In this article we will remember the seven most exciting finals in the history of the World Cup, which gave us unforgettable emotions, and a lot of bright moments gave us a bookmaker, and to continue to get them, pass Melbet registration, because all events have become part of the world sports chronicle.

World Cup 2018: France vs Croatia - 4:2

The path to the final was not easy for both teams. If at the group stage both France and Croatia performed quite confidently, taking the first places in their groups, then already at the stage 1/8 both teams had difficulties.

The French defeated Argentina in an incredible match (4:3), and the Croatians risked to drop out of the tournament, but defeated Denmark in a penalty shootout. I should add that for Croatia all stages of the playoffs to the final turned out to be as tiring as possible. In 1/8 and 1/4 the fate of the fights was decided in a penalty shootout, and in the semifinals, the Croatians beat England in extra time.

By the final, the French team approached the favorite and in the best physical conditions and confidently took the title of world champion. This match became one of the best finals of the World Cup, as well as the most effective (6 goals) final of the World Cup for the last 52 years.

It also made history as the first final in which an auto-goal was scored. Croatia forward Mario Mandzukic sent the ball into his own net in the 18th minute to open the scoring.

World Cup 1958: Brazil vs. Sweden - 5:2

The 1958 World Cup was held in Sweden. In the final of the tournament the hosts and the incredible Brazilian team with Garrincha, Pele and Vava in the squad met. It should be noted that the latter two made a decisive contribution to the victory of their team, making each of them a double.

In the semifinals, the Swedes met with Germany and won 3:1, and the Brazilians easily defeated France 5:2, and Pele distinguished himself with a hat-trick. In the final, the Latin Americans repeated their success and beat the hosts by the same score.

This final is the most effective in the history of the World Cup. Also in this game, Brazil set a record for goal difference in the final, winning by three goals.

This Mundial was to be remembered for a long time by fans primarily for its performance. In addition to seven goals in one of the best finals in the history of the tournament, the spectators got no less pleasure from the duel for third place between France and Germany. The match was incredibly eventful and ended with an incredible 6-3 victory for the French.

World Cup-1938: Italy vs Hungary - 4:2

The World Cup-1938 was held without a group stage. The teams started from the stage of 1/8 finals. The Italians could be eliminated at the first stage, defeating Norway only in extra time.

In 1/4 Italy defeated the hosts France (3:1), and in the semifinals in a difficult match defeated the Brazilians 2:1. Hungary's path to the final was easier than their final opponents. First, the Italians easily beat Indonesia (6:0), then Switzerland (2:0), and in the semifinals without problems to deal with the Swedes (5:1).

In the final, the Hungarian national team approached the tournament in the status of the favorite. And after the first half Italy confidently led 3:1. Hungarian goal by György Szarosi in the 70th minute renewed the intrigue in the match, but in the 82nd minute, the third scorer in the history of the Italian national team Silvio Piola made the score 4:2, putting a point in the match.

1930 World Cup: Uruguay - Argentina - 4:2

The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the first ever World Cup among national teams, independently organized by the International Football Federation. The tournament was held in Uruguay, where all countries that were FIFA members at the time were invited.

Due to logistical difficulties at the beginning of the twentieth century, only 13 national teams were able to attend the tournament. Team Uruguay was considered the favorite of the tournament, because it won soccer tournaments at the Summer Olympics in 1924 and 1928.

The path to the final was more or less easy for both teams. Both came out of the first place in their group, in the semifinals Uruguayans defeated the national team of Yugoslavia with a score of 6:1, and Argentina dealt with the United States with a similar score.

The first World Cup final turned out to be one of the best in the history of soccer, and disputes between the teams began even before the final whistle. The national teams couldn't decide for a long time whose ball they would play with. In the end, the referee found a solution to the problem - the first half of the finalists played the Argentine ball, and the second - Uruguayan.

Curiously, Argentina won the first half and Uruguay won the second half. Losing after the first half 1:2, in the second half the hosts of the mundial were able to pull themselves together, and after half an hour they made an incredible 4:2 comeback, becoming the winner of the first World Cup in history.

World Cup 1986: Argentina vs. Germany - 3:2

Argentina arrived at the 1986 World Cup as one of the main contenders for the title, and one of the best players in history, Diego Maradona, played in its squad. I note that Maradona distinguished himself at the tournament with 5 goals, two of which have forever entered the history of soccer. These are the goals in the quarterfinals against England, better known as the "hand of God" and "goal of the century".

Both national teams did not get to the final without problems, especially the FRG. In 1/8 it defeated Morocco (1:0), scoring the winning goal in the 87th minute, and in the quarterfinals in general risked to fly out of the tournament from the hosts of the mundial - the national team of Mexico, but still defeated her in a penalty shootout.

More than 114 thousand fans came to the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to watch the final live. And I'm sure that none of them regretted attending this match. Until the 74th minute Argentina led 2:0, it seemed that the result of the match was already known. But after 7 minutes, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Rudi Feller's precise strikes restored the equality in the match.

Azteca Stadium is one of the top 10 biggest stadiums in the world.

Much to the dismay of the German fans, the miracle was not destined to happen. In the 83rd minute, Jorge Burruchaga escaped to meet the German goalkeeper and put an end to this incredible match (3:2).

1966 FIFA World Cup: England vs Germany - 4:2 (extra time)

The 1966 World Cup was held in England. It was the first Mundial where individual matches were broadcast to countries on other continents. And for the England national team the victory at the home World Cup 1966 is still the only one at big soccer tournaments among the national teams.

Both finalists overcame the group stage without difficulty, taking first place in their groups. In the quarterfinals, the British beat Argentina (1:0), and Germany defeated Uruguay (4:0). The semifinals were a bit more difficult for both teams: England beat Portugal (2:1), and Germany defeated the USSR with a similar score.

The final match started quite lively and by the 18th minute the teams had already exchanged goals. The tie remained tied until the 78th minute, when English midfielder Martin Peters put his team ahead. The English needed to hold on in the final minutes of the match, but in the 89th minute Wolfgang Weber equalized the score.

The game went into overtime, where English forward Jeffrey Charles Gerst made the difference, bringing victory to his team thanks to goals in the 101st and 120th minutes. However, England's crucial third goal sparked an incredible amount of debate and controversy.

The fact is that after Gerst's shot, the ball hit the crossbar and went down on the goal line. The linsman under tremendous pressure "Wembley" decided to count the goal. After this controversial moment, experts conducted a number of studies, according to the results of which German experts say that there was no goal, and English experts - on the contrary. Therefore, this final can be considered both one of the best and dramatic in history.

World Cup-1954: Germany - Hungary - 3:2

In my opinion, the most colorful World Cup final took place in 1954, where Germany met Hungary. I should add that the 1954 World Cup went down in history as the most productive. On average, the teams scored 5.38 goals per game.

The finalists met in the group stage, and then Hungary crushed their opponents with a score of 8:3. There are rumors that Germany's coach Sepp Herberg has purposely put out a non-main squad for this match so as not to open all the cards prematurely.

The quarterfinals for both teams passed without much difficulty, but in the semifinals Hungary felt significant resistance from the national team of Uruguay and managed to win only in extra time.

The Germans approached the final match in the best physical readiness. But the beginning of the match was the worst for them. Already in the 8th minute they lost to the Hungarians in two goals, but by the 18th minute they managed to fix everything and equalized the score. The game went into extra time, but in the 84th minute Helmut Rahn finished the attack perfectly after a solo pass. There was simply not enough time and energy for the Hungarians to get back on track.