101. Did You Know?: 
The 1978 World Cup marked the only occasion during which a national team did not wear one of its official kits to play a match. The incident happened during the game between France and Hungary. The worldwide television broadcast of the games was in colour, but Argentina still only had black and white TV equipment in place; the team's tops were, therefore, indistinguishable on monochrome TV sets, resulting in the French side electing to wear the pale green and white striped shirts of a local team from Mar del Plata, Club Atletico Kimberley with their change blue shorts and red socks. It looked rather cool, actually, as you can see, and France won the game 3-1.
102. Did You Know?: The Battle of Nuremberg is the name sometimes given to the World Cup clash (and for once, that tag really is deserved) between Portugal and the Netherlands at the Frankenstadion, Nuremberg on 25 June 2006. Referee Valentin Ivanov of Russia dismissed four players and gave out sixteen cautions, setting a new international all-comers record for being a whistle-happy officious twat.
The match ended 1-0 to Portugal, with Maniche scoring in the twenty third minute. Before the goal, Mark van Bommel had been shown a yellow card. In the eighth minute, Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz tackled Cristiano Ronaldo, forcing a substitution of Portugal's star player. Boulahrouz was also cautioned. Ronaldo left the pitch in tears and proceeded to characterise Boulahrouz's tackle as 'clearly an intentional foul to get me injured' after the game. But, nobody was particularly bothered about that as everybody else in the whole world hates the greasy little shit and everything he stands for. In fact, most of us would have gladly bought Boulahrouz a pint and let him shag our girlfriends for what he did. Soon afterwards Maniche was booked and then shortly after the goal, Costinha slid into Philip Cocu, also receiving a yellow card. He then became the first player to be sent off just before half-time for handball. After Petit had been cautioned, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Luis Figo also received yellow cards. Astonishingly, the referee missed Figo headbutting van Bommel during this period. 
As Portugal manager Phil Scolari commented after the match, 'Jesus Christ may be able to turn the other cheek but Luis Figo isn't Jesus Christ.' No, indeed. Jesus didn't, by and large, stick the nutt on people. Or, if he did, the Gospels kept well-schtum about it. Boulahrouz was then sent off on sixty three minutes for a second caution after allegedly elbowing Figo. (I say 'allegedly' because Figo seemed to go down, not so much in stages but rather, installments.) Then Deco fouled Heitinga and was cautioned. In the ensuing brawl, Wesley Sneijder pushed Deco over (a clear sending-off offence under FIFA guidelines) but was only cautioned for this. Rafael van der Vaart subsequently received a yellow card, apparently for verbal misconduct. By this stage, most viewers had lost all interest in the actual outcome of the game but were merely taking bets on which team would end the match with most players left on the pitch. 
After Ricardo and Nuno Valente were also booked, Deco was sent off in the seventy eighth minute for not handing the ball back after a free-kick was given. And also 'looking at me in a funny way.' Probably. In injury time, van Bronckhorst was sent off for a second yellow card. In the aftermath of the match, Referee Ivanov was widely criticised for showing too many yellow cards for relatively minor fouls or even no fouls at all while on the other hand not punishing major assaults (specifically Figo's head butt on van Bommel). It would be the last match he ever refereed officially. For many, the abiding memory of the game was German television picking out Boulahrouz, Costinha and Deco, sitting side-by-side in the stand with utterly bemused expressions on their faces.
103. Did You Know?: The only players to have appeared in World Cup finals tournaments both before and after the Second World War were Erik Nilsson of Sweden and Alfred Bickel of Switzerland who both played in the finals of 1938 and 1950.
104. Did You Know?:
Rubbish moments of World Cup TV analysis, number three: Croatia vs Japan, 2006. 'You can almost smell the fatigue.' No you can't, David Pleat. Not even a little bit. Fatigue does not, by definition, exude any olfactory properties whatsoever. Touch of an elementary schoolboy-type error, there, pal.
105. Did You Know?:
In the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Joe Gaetjens played for the US team and had the distinction of scoring the winning goal in the sensational defeat of England at Belo Horizonte. He went on to play in France for Racing Club of Paris. In 1953, he returned to his home nation of Haiti to organise a youth soccer league. On 8 July 1963, for reasons still unknown, he was arrested by Papa Doc Duvalier's notorious secret police, the Tonton Macoutes, and was never seen again.
106. Did You Know?: Those old enough to remember the 1970 semi-final between Italy and West Germany will never forgot one of the most dramatic matches - an epic clash of styles between the opportunism of Gigi Riva's Squadra and the will-to-win of Beckenbauer's Mannschaft.
The match had club rivalry too, with the Inter trio of Facchetti, Mazzola and Riva facing old foes in Bayern's Maier, Beckenbauer and Müller. The Italians had been crowned European champions two years earlier, whilst the Germans finished runners-up at the previous World Cup. At the start of the game, stifled by the oppressive heat of the Azteca Stadium, both sides kept it tight. It was the Italians who sprung the first surprise. In the eighth minute, Roberto Boninsegna exchanged a defence-splitting one-two with Riva (see left) before dispatching an unstoppable half-volley. 
The Germans responded immediately, with the main threat coming from Franz Beckenbauer, first with a pass into space which Gerd Müller just failed to reach, then a forty-yard burst of acceleration before he was stopped in his tracks by a questionable challenge from Facchetti. Although the Germans dominated the first period, the Italians looked comfortable at the back, mopping up the assaults of Uwe Seeler. But little by little, his strike partner, Müller started to make his presence felt. First he just failed to control a curling cross from Wolfgang Overath. Then, his twenty-yard half-volley on the turn drew Albertosi into a smart save. The Fiorentina keeper had been picked instead of Dino Zoff by coach Ferruccio Valcareggi, much to the displeasure of the Italian press and he was soon called into action again, this time turning a shot from Jürgen Grabowski (see left) round the post. 
The second-half followed the same rhythm. The Germans failed to capitalise on an under-hit back pass from Bertini. Müller robbed Albertosi, Grabowski gathered and laid it back into the path of Overath, but his shot cannoned back off the crossbar. In the sixty seventh minute Beckenbauer charged forward only to be bundled over by Pierluigi Cera. The referee, Arturo Yamakasi, decided the foul had been committed outside the box. As the furious Germans argued the point, Beckenbauer stayed down, his right shoulder dislocated. 
Since the Germans had already made their two substitutions, Der Kaiser had to stay on the field. Next, Siggi Held walloped a volley past Albertosi only to see Roberto Rosato acrobatically clear off the line. The clock ticked on. But, as they had shown against England in the quarter-final, Beckenbauer and his team-mates did not know when they were beaten: In injury time, Grabowski swung in a cross from the left which was met by Karl-Heinz Schnellinger. So began probably the most memorable period of extra-time in footballing history. Beckenbauer set the tone by taking the field with his arm in a sling. Müller (see right) intercepted a Poletti back-pass and poked the ball home just before Albertosi could grab it. 
German joy was short lived, however. Nine minutes into extra time, Gianni Rivera - on as a substitute for Sandro Mazzola - sent over a free-kick which was cleared by Held to the advancing Tarcisio Burgnich, who beat Maier. And just before the teams changed ends, Italy went one better, Angelo Domenghini crossed from the left for Gigi Riva to run on and score. 
In the second half of extra time, the pace of the game was furious. Germany hit back when another Seeler header was pounced on by the ever-opportunistic Müller, who steered it home – his tenth goal of the tournament. Rivera, standing at the far post held his head in disbelief. But almost immediately from the restart, Boninsegna reached the byline and knocked the ball back for Rivera (see left) to score. At the final whistle, the players fell to the ground in exhaustion. An exhaustion that would cost the Italians dearly in the final four days later.
107. Did You Know?:
The Yashin Award is named in honour of the late Lev Yashin (USSR). The FIFA Technical Study Group recognises the top goalkeeper of each tournament based on the player's performance throughout the competition. Since its inception in 1994, it has been won by Belgium's Michel Preud'homme, Fabien Barthez of France, Mary Shelley's Oliver Kahn and Italy's Gianluigi Buffon. But, never by David Seaman. Which is probably fair enough.
108. Did You Know?: Senegal 'forgot' to enter the 1994 World Cup!
109. Did You Know?: The scandal of the 1978 tournament was not so much in the matches themselves, (although the result of that Argentina vs Peru game still stinks), but rather in FIFA awarding the hosting of the tournament to a country cowering under a particularly repressive military rule. The Argentine people paid a terrible price to stage the World Cup.
Millions of the Junta's opponents had been murdered and tortured in the two years before the event and when the world's media arrived they were kept well away from the horrible truth. The first president of the organising committee was blown up and another bomb exploded in a press facility. Thousands of extra security measures were introduced and ensured the competition itself passed off as peacefully as it could in such shocking circumstances.
110. Did You Know?: For the West Germans, the 1974 tournament got off to a decidedly shaky start. They had dazzled fans with their brilliance at the European Championship in 1972. 'Rambazamba' was the buzzword chosen by Günter Netzer and Franz Beckenbauer to describe the team's fluid tactics and formations, the German answer to 'total football.' But two years on, they found themselves performing lethargically, losing warm-up games and being booed by their own fans.
The Bayern Munich players seemed to have run out of steam after winning the European Cup, and Netzer was shockingly out of form. Erwin Kremers, Schalke's winger, was kicked out of the squad for calling a referee 'a stupid pig' on the final day of the Bundesliga season. And then came a dispute over bonuses. The players, egged on by Beckenbauer who was, in turn, being egged on by his agent Robert Schwan, demanded their share of the expected World Cup spoils. They wanted one hundred thousand deutschmarks each if they won the trophy. Needless to say, the public and German Football Federation were outraged. Coach Helmut Schön alternately threatened to quit or send them all home and nominate twenty two new players. In the end, a compromise figure of seventy thousand was agreed. 
The players were packed off to their training camp in Malente near the Danish border. 'The trip to Legoland was our big day out,' claimed Paul Breitner. But the reality was allegedly very different: Beckenbauer spent his nights with the actress Heidi Brühl, and others in the squad were said to have headed off to the Reeperbahn, Hamburg's notorious red-light district. Wolgang Overath was selected in midfield, with winger Uli Hoeness (see right) noting a direct political parallel: Overath replacing Günter Netzer was like Helmut Schmidt replacing Willi Brandt as President. 
In both cases, he felt, a visionary had given way to a pragmatist. But even pragmatism is no adequate description for the hosts' depressingly dull 1-0 win over Chile. Little short of unadulterated torture at times, it took a speculative, long-range strike from Breitner to win the game. The 3-0 victory over Australia four days later represented a slight improvement, but only slight. The match, with the green-shirted Germans being held for long periods by the mostly amateur Socceroos was marred by Beckenbauer spitting toward his own jeering fans in Hamburg's Volkspark. For the last twenty minutes of the match every time Der Kaiser touched the ball he was roundly booed. Even after two wins, the squad and their supporters were still miles apart. Then came the 1-0 defeat by East Germany which left West Germany as runners-up in their group. 
Schön reportedly offered to resign that night and, in the impasse that followed, Beckenbauer seized control. He talked the coach into making changes and revamped the team. Grabowski, Cullmann, Flohe and Netzer were dropped. Bonhof, Herzog, Wimmer and Hölzenbein were in. Four games later, West Germany, improbably, were the world champions.
111. Did You Know?: The only team to be eliminated during the qualifications rounds despite conceding no goals was Belgium. In their six 1974 qualifiers they beat Iceland and Norway twice without letting in any goals and took part in two no-score draws with the Netherlands. As a consequence, however, of the Dutch side's better goal-difference, Belgium finished only second in the group.
112. Did You Know?: For many years, Rivelino had a photo of a ginger-haired Scotsman above his desk and every time he looked at it his famous moustache would reportedly curl as he smiled and recalled just how much of a pain in the arse Billy Bremner had been.
The photo, an iconic image taken during Scotland's epic goalless draw with World Champions Brazil in Frankfurt in 1974, showed an irate Rivelino with his fist under Bremner's chin. The battle between the imposing Brazilian star with the potent left foot and the nippy little hard man from Stirling is an enduring memory from a game that, for all its lack of goals, remains one of Scotland's best ever World Cup results and performances. 
Not only was it the closest Scotland ever came to defeating Brazil - three subsequent World Cup attempts would all end in failure - it was also evidence that, back in the finals for the first time since 1958, Scotland were worthy of their place among the world's elite. Willie Ormand's 1974 squad was probably the best side Scotland ever sent to a World Cup. It was brimming with quality. Danny McGrain, Sandy Jardine, David Hay, Kenny Dalglish, Joe Jordan, Denis Law, Tommy Hutchison, Peter Lormier, Willie Morgan and Jimmy Johnstone were all there. 
And, so was Bremner. Brazil were team without Pele, who had retired from international football and were something of a pale shadow of the side that wowed the world four years earlier. It was an uncharacteristically ruthless performance from Brazil who threatened early on, coming closest to scoring when Leivinha volleyed a shot against the crossbar. Hearing that Yugoslavia were thrashing Zaire at half-time, Scotland began pushing forward. 
Their best chance came when Joe Jordan's downward header from a corner was fumbled to the feet of Bremner with the goal gaping. But the ball came slightly too quicky for the Leeds skipper who could do no more than instinctively stick out a foot and prod it agonisingly wide of Leao's post. Peter Lorimer went close with a number of efforts whilst at the other end David Harvey made some notably fine saves. Rivelino should probably have been sent off for striking Bremner, having already been booked. Willie Ormond said afterwards 'We did enough to win, but the Brazilians just stopped us by fair means or foul and I felt we should have had a better deal from the referee.'
113. Did You Know?:
During the Soviet era, crack Ukranian outfit Dynamo Kiev were the main, and often only, rivals to the dominance of the football teams from Moscow. Kiev's ability to challenge the Moscow clubs, and frequently defeat them to win the Soviet championship, was a matter of much nationalistic pride in Ukraine. The club's best performances were in the 1970s and 80s, a time during which the USSR national football team was comprised almost exclusively of players from the club (including the legendary Oleg Blohkin).
114. Did You Know?: Two smartly taken Roger Hunt goals put England into the 1966 World Cup quarter finals with a 2-0 win over France.
But the game is more remembered for the injury to Jimmy Greaves that would, ultimately, put him out of the final and for Nobby Stiles being booked for a scything tackle on the French striker Jacques Simon. Nobby was fortunate not to be sent off and Alf Ramsey subsequently ignored calls from Football Association officials and the media that he should drop Stiles because of his competitive nature. 'If Stiles goes, so do I,' said Alf. And he wasn't joking. He knew how vital little Nobby's ball-winning performances were to the team.
115. Did You Know?: The first World Cup match where a coach was sent-off occurred when the Paraguayan coach Cayetano Re got his marching orders against Belgium in June 1986.
116. Did You Know?: Clubs that you might not immediately associate with having had World Cup players in their side include: Grimsby Town (Jackie Scott, Northern Ireland 1958), Clyde (Harry Haddock and others, Scotland 1958), Plymouth Argyle (Tom Baker, Wales 1958),
Kickers Offenbach (Engelbert Kraus, West Germany 1962), Blackpool (Alan Ball, England 1966), Moranbong Sports Group (Pak Doo Ik, and others, North Korea 1966), FC Chornomorets Odesa (Valeriy Porkujan, USSR 1970), Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan FC (Roni Shuruk, Israel 1970), Footscray JUST (Branko Buljevic, Australia 1974), Mazembe Lubumbashi (Ilunga Mwepu, and others, Zaire 1974), Don Bosco FC (Emmanuel Sanon, Haiti 1974), SC Bastia (Johnny Rep, the Netherland and Claude Papi, France 1978), Vicenza Calcio (Paulo Rossi, Italy 1978), PAS Tehran FC (Hossein Kazerani, Iran 1978), Patrick Thistle (Alan Rough, Scotland 1978 and 1982), Sport Boys (Ernesto Labarthe, Peru 1978), Jacksonville Tea Men 
(Jean-Pierre Tokoto, Cameroon 1982), KV Kortrijk (Djamel Zidane, Algeria 1982), Elche CF (Gilberto Yearwood, Honuras 1982), Toronto Blizzard (Jimmy Nicholl, Northern Ireland 1982), Cambridge United (Tommy Finney, Northern Ireland 1982), Miramar Rangers (Barry Pickering, New Zealand 1982), Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso (Cho Min-Kook and others, South Korea 1986), Szombathelyi Haladás (József Nagy, Hungary 1986), Luton Town (Mal Donachy, Northern Ireland 1982 and 1986), Bury (Phil Hughes, Northern Ireland 1986), Shrewsbury Town (Billy Hamilton, Northern Ireland 1986), Oldham Athletic (Andy Goram, Scotland 1986), Chicago Sting (Paul Krumpe, USA 1990), Millwall (Mick McCarthy, Republic of Ireland 1990), 
Swindon Town (Alan McLouglin, Republic of Ireland 1990), Bournemouth (Colin Clarke, Northern Ireland 1982 and Gerry Peyton, Republic of Ireland 1990), Kashima Antlers (Leonardo, Brazil 1994), Go Ahead Eagles (Peter Rufai, Nigeria 1994), Tranmere Rovers (John Aldridge, Republic of Ireland 1994), Wimbledon (Robbie Earle, Jamaica 1998), 
Kansas City Wizards (Uche Okafor, Nigeria 1998), Sunderland (Thomas Sørensen, Denmark 2002), Crystal Palace (Clinton Morrison, Republic of Ireland 2002), Crewe Alexandra (Efe Sodje, Nigeria 2002), Middlesbrough (Alen Bokšic, Croatia 2002), Hibernian (Ulises de la Cruz, Equador 2002), Gillingham (Ian Cox, Trinidad & Tobago 2006), Port Vale (Chris Birchall, Trinidad & Tobago 2006), St Johnstone (Jason Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago 2006), Reading (Bobby Convey, United States 2006), Bristol City (Luke Wilkshire, Australia 2006) and Nicosia Apoel FC (Jean-Paul Abalo, Togo 2006).
117. Did You Know?:
Côte d'Ivoire hold the unique record of being the only country that have never failed to score in a World Cup finals match. Les Éléphants scored in all three of their games in 2006 against Argentina, the Netherlands and Serbia and Montenegro.
118. Did You Know?: On 5 September 1993, Argentina welcomed Colombia to Buenos Aires for their final World Cup qualifier. Lying a point behind the Cafeteros, Alfio Basile's side needed a win to qualify directly while Colombia needed only a draw. What they produced, instead, was one of biggest debacles in the history of Argentine football as they were crushed 5-0 by the Colombians and consigned to a play-off against Australia.
This was a supremely talented Colombia side, one of the finest in Los Cafeteros history - including Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla, Freddy Rincon and Adolfo Valencia - but Argentina were yet to be beaten at home in World Cup qualifying history. Little was expected other than a routine home win. In the event, Freddy and Tino each scored twice, Valencia got the fifth. Argentina recovered well from their thrashing, beating Australia in the play-off to secure their place at USA '94. However, the tournament was one of controversy for them. Performances were unconvincing and Maradona failed a drug test after the opening win over Greece. After making it out of their group in third place, a Hagi-inspired Romania beat them 3-2 in the second round. Of course, for Colombia, 1994 was a World Cup they'd wish to forget even more.
119. Did You Know?: In the months leading up to the 1970 World Cup, a newspaper in Mexico, the host country, had described England as 'a team of thieves and drunks.' Bit rich coming from the Mexies that, like, but we'll forgive a bit of hyperbole.
Few people, therefore, were particularly surprised when England's captain was arrested en-route to the finals alleged to have stolen some jewelry. Whilst staying in Bogotá, Bobby Moore and team mate Bobby Charlton had visited their hotel's jewelry shop. Shortly after leaving the store, the two players were approached by security staff and asked to explain the disappearance of a bracelet. Moore was subsequently put under house arrest. Following delicate diplomatic intervention, he was bailed out in time to play in the finals - producing, in the second game against Brazil one of the finest defensive displays in the history of the tournament. The charges were eventually dropped without Moore having to return to Colombia. Unbeknown to the English players, accusing visiting celebrities of theft is something of a longstanding Colombian pass time. As Serious Drinking put it on their 1982 LP The Revolution Starts At Closing Time, 'News At Ten and Tina heard/Bobby could be doin' bird/Bobby Moore was innocent, okay!'
120. Did You Know?:
The youngest player in a World Cup qualifying match was, allegedly, Togo's Souleymane Mamam (subsequently of Manchester United, Royal Antwerp and KRC Mechelen) who was said to be thirteen years, three hundred and ten days old when he played as a substitute in a qualifying match against Zambia on 6 May 2001. Subsequent research has cast doubt upon this claim. By contrast, the oldest player to take part in a qualifying match was Taylor MacDonald of the US Virgin Islands who was forty six years, one hundred and eighty days old when he played against St Kitts & Nevis in 2004. Of the five thousand six hundred and two players who appeared in the 2010 World Cup qualifying matches, the youngest was fourteen year-old Abdi Abdifatah of Somalia, while the oldest was forty three year-old Kenny Dyer of Montserrat.
121. Did You Know?: Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be sent off with a red card in a World Cup match, during their clash with West Germany in 1974. Red cards were formally introduced in World Cup play in 1970, but no players were sent off in that tournament.
122. Did You Know?: For Colombia, the 1994 tournament got off to a bad start when Francisco Maturana, the team's coach, received death threats from fans seeking changes in the starting line-up.
Things got worse when the underdog US team defeated the heavily fancied Colombian side, leading to their elimination from the competition. Back home, the Colombian players were abused in the street by fans, but none more so than Andres Escobar, who had mistakenly scored the own goal which had given the USA their victory. One night, a few weeks after the tournament three men approached Escobar in the parking lot of a Medallin restaurant and, according to newspaper reports, said, 'Thanks for the goal.' Then they casually drew their guns and executed him, shouting, 'Goal! Goal!' as each bullet hit him.
123. Did You Know?: The fastest sending-off in a World Cup finals game occurred when Uruguay's Jose Batista was dismissed after fifty six seconds of a group match against Scotland in 1986, for a really nasty tackle from behind on Gordon Strachan. But then, we've all wanted to do that at one time or another, let's be fair.
124. Did You Know?: The Kuwaitis, in their first (and, so far only) World Cup finals had drawn their first match against an abject Czechoslovakian side in 1982. They then held out for the first half-hour against the talented French in their second encounter. Eventually, with the deadlock broken, France went 3-1 ahead and ought to have made it four, when their brilliant pocket-sized midfielder Alain Giresse ran unchallenged through the Kuwaiti defence and slotted the ball past Ahmad Al-Tarabulsi.
The Kuwaitis were furious, however, insisting they had stopped because they had heard a whistle, which had actually been blown by someone in the crowd. They surrounded the Soviet referee Miroslav Stupar and their resident prince, Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, appeared on the touchline to order his players off the pitch. The Sheikh then marched onto the field himself in his billowing pink robes and commanded that the referee disallow the goal. Without argument, the official obeyed, despite sustained French protests and the total embarrassment of several watching FIFA officials. When play subsequently recommenced, France went on to score their rightful fourth through Maxime Bossis. Stupar never officiated in another World Cup match whilst FIFA fined the Sheikh ten thousand dollars.
125. Did You Know?:
1962 – the Battle of Santiago. The Chilean supporters were well-up for their team's clash with Italy before kick-off, and it did not take long for their nasty passion to transfer itself to their heroes. The home fans, furious at a series of derogatory articles which had appeared in Italian newspapers prior to the World Cup, booed the Azzurri from the outset. 
The Italians for their part claimed tension had been heightened by the home players' habit of spitting in their faces. The battle was not slow in commencing. Italy's Giorgio Ferrini was sent off by the English referee, Ken Aston, for retaliating against Honorino Landa and play was held up for eight minutes when Ferrini flatly refused to leave the pitch. 
Chile's Leonel Sanchez then punched Mario David and when Aston, who hadn't seen the indicent, took no action David was sent off for retaliating by kicking Sanchez in the neck. Humberto Maschio broke his nose in a clash with Eladio Rojas. Chile won the match 2-0 and the Italians were later attacked at their training camp. 
When highlights of the match were shown on BBC television, David Coleman introduced the game thus: 'Good evening. The game you are about to see is the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game.' Steady on, Dave.
126. Did You Know?: The first goal scored by a substitute in a World Cup final's match was by Mexico's Juan Basaguren against El Salvador in 1970.
127. Did You Know?: Switzerland v Ukraine, Cologne, 26 June 2006.
Quite possibly the single worst game of football ever played by anyone, ever. Bar none. I mean, seriously – yer actual Keith Telly Topping wants to find something vibrant to say about it but it was like sitting through a fourteen-hour King Crimson marathon. It's, genuinely, terrible when you find yourself agreeing with Mark Lawrenson. 'Two sides afraid to lose.' And, to make matters worse, we had Mick McCarthy and his monotone drone talking utter bollocks that evaporated on contact with the ear for two whole hours. And then, through penalties. Just horrible. How Ukraine had the nerve to celebrate at the end - see right - is beyond me. Or anybody else who watched it.
128. Did You Know?: The attendance at a play-off match on 17 June 1958 between Wales and Hungary was only two thousand eight hundred and twenty three punters due to a boycott by Swedes to show their sympathy toward a Hungarian rebel army leader who had been executed by the Soviets a day before the match.
Wales, with one of their finest ever sides including such giants as John Charles and Ivor Allchurch, won 2-1 but were subsequently beaten by Brazil in the quarter finals. Wales had qualified for the finals in controversial circumstances in the first place. They finished second to Czechoslovakia in their qualifying group and that would have been that but for a piece of politically naïve scheduling by FIFA. Although Israel and Egypt had been at war as recently as 1955, the Israelis were placed in the African-Asian group. It was no surprise that Egypt, Indonesia, Sudan and Turkey all withdrew in protest. That would have left Israel as qualifiers without having kicked a ball, a scenario which was against FIFA's rules. So the governing body opted to draw lots among the European teams who had finished second in their groups, with the winner playing-off against Israel. Wales were the lucky lotto winners and proceeded to beat the Israelis home and away to book a place in Sweden. To date, it's their only appearance in a World Cup finals.
129. Did You Know?: Italy beat three previous winners - Argentina, West Germany and Brazil - on their way to winning the 1982 World Cup.
130. Did You Know?:
The Dutch had something of a habit of leaving it late during their 1998 World Cup run. In the group matches they scored three times in the last twenty minutes against South Korea, eventually winning 5-0. In the second round, it took them until the ninety second minute to see off Yugoslavia when Edgar Davids scored. Mostly famously, in the quarter final, Denis Bergkamp's last minute touch of genius eliminated Argentina. (You will love the Dutch commentary on this, dear blog reader, trust me!) In the semi-final, it was Patrick Kluivert who scored two minutes from time to equalise against Brazil. Sadly, there were to be no more last-gasp heorics from the Brilliant Oranj, they lost on penalties.
131. Did You Know?: The Croatian national football team has been in existence since 1990 and was recognised by FIFA and UEFA in the summer of 1992, one year after Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia. Previous Croat national teams have played nineteen unofficial friendly matches, between 1940 and 1944.
132. Did You Know?: In 2009, the answer to one of football's great mysteries was revealed. In 1974, the Netherlands, led by Johan Cruyff waltzed through the World Cup to a final where – arguably – only their own arrogance cost them the World Cup. Cruyff was playing at Barcalona when, four years later, the Dutch made it to the final again, only to, again, lose to the hosts.
It was, however, without their talisman who had mysteriously retired from international football just a few months prior to the tournament. Cruyff also left Barcelona, immediately after the World Cup finished. In Holland there remains a deeply-held belief that had Cruyff played in the 1978 World Cup, they would have been champions. Many reasons have been postulated over the years for Cruyff's no show. Some argue that his broadly left-of-centre politics meant he didn't want to play in dictatorial right-wing Argentina (certainly that was the reason West Germany's Paul Breitner asked not to be selected for his country's squad and there are persistent allegations that it was the reason Cruyff's team mate Vim van Hanegem also dropped out of the Dutch squad at the eleventh hour). Another suggestion is that Cryuff fell out with the Dutch FA over sponsorship (famously in 1974 he had refused to play in an Adidas shirt and tore one of the famous three stripes off). Or, there's the suggestion that his wife, Danny, was some sort of sinister Yoko Ono-type figure who had convinced him not to play on the biggest stage. Its that last theory, as projected in Cruyff's former Barca team mate Carlos Rexach's autobiography in 2008, that prompted Johan, after thirty years, to set the record straight. It turns out that there was a bizarre plot to kidnap Cruyff and his family. 'Someone [put] a rifle at my head and tied me up and tied up my wife in front of the children at our flat in Barcelona,' Cruyff told the Guardian. 'The children were going to school accompanied by the police. The police slept in our house for three or four months. I was going to matches with a bodyguard.' The kidnap attempt happened in late 1977, so it is of little wonder that Cruyff was unwilling to leave his family and travel halfway around the globe to play in a World Cup a few months later. This may also be the reason he walked away from Barcelona – he would move over to America, an experience he loved, playing for the Washington Diplomats and guesting for the New York Cosmos.
133. Did You Know?: Peruvian goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga – nicknamed 'El Loco' by his team mates - was famously booked whilst inside Poland's half of the field in a match on 18 June 1978.
The keeper - who became a cult figure to millions during the tournament and was especially brilliant in his side's shock first round defeat of Scotland - habitually came out of his penalty area to allegedly 'help' his defence. On this particular occasion he went even further upfield and found himself on the halfway line, pulling down the breaking Grzegorz Lato with a fantastic rugby tackle. English referee Pat Partridge could barely contain his laughter as he pulled out his yellow card to the contrite goalie who merely stood apologetically with his hands behind his back awaiting to be allowed to run back to his goal like a naughty schoolboy.
134. Did You Know?: David Platt's one hundred and nineteenth minute winner past Belgium's Michel Preudhome at Bologna in 1990 is the latest goal ever scored by England in a competative match.
135. Did You Know?:
How do you treat players from a visiting team? If you were a Salvadoran fan at the 1969 World Cup qualifying match against Honduras, you hurled rotten eggs and dead rats at them. The hometown crowd was in an ugly mood during the game and even a decisive 3-0 victory for El Salvador did little to restore calm. The Honduran team was whisked from the stadium in armoured cars and flown home to safety. 'We're awfully lucky that we lost,' said Honduras' coach, Mario Griffin, ecstatic that he and his players had managed to escape El Salvador alive. 
Which is more than could be said for the visiting Honduran fans: Salvadorans set some one hundred and fifty of their cars on fire; then, as the Hondurans fled for the border on foot, Salvadoran fans kicked and beat them without mercy. Even the Salvadoran government got into the act. The next evening, El Salvador's army dropped a bomb on the Honduran capital, then sent ground troops across the border declaring war on their neighbours. The conflict lasted five days and left an estimated six thousand people dead.
136. Did You Know?: Two players who featured prominently at the 1954 World Cup went on to play for different nations in future World Cups.
By the time that Hungary's Galloping Major, Ferenc Puskas and Uruguay's Jose Santamaria were playing for the great Real Madrid side of the early 60s, they had became naturalised Spaniards and were selected for the 1962 World Cup. Spain's squad also included another imported Real star, Alfredo Di Stefano, who had previously played international football for his country of birth, Argentina and also for Colombia when he played for Millionairios of Bogata. Amazingly, despite including seven of Real's five-times Euopean Cup winning side (Gento, Del Sol et al) and a whole bunch of other stars from Barcelona, Atletico and Real Zaragoza, Spain were a huge disappointment in the '62 finals, beating Mexico but losing to Czechoslovakia and Brazil and finishing bottom of their group. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Or, you know, the Spanish equivalent.
137. Did You Know?: Turkey have a footballing tradition that, until quite recently, wasn't much to write home about.
Before 2002 (when they finished an impressive third in the competition) Turkey had only qualified for the 1950 and 1954 World Cups – and in 1950, they withdraw before the tournament started. As late as the 1987, they lost eight-nil to England (three years earlier, they'd lost by the same scoreline at home to England). Both results made most people happy. Because, nobody much likes the Turks. Because they stink of raki. And, then there's Hakan Sükür. And Emre (see right). And the renaming of Constantinople. (Only joking, you Turks. Actually, nobody enjoys a nice kebab more than yer actual Keith Telly Topping.)
138. Did You Know?: Winners of the World Cup Fair Play Trophy, awarded to the teams with the best disciplinary record of the tournament include Peru (1970), England (1990, Belgium (2002), Brazil (several times) and, more improbably, Argentina (1978).
139. Did You Know?: In the first half of extra time in the 1966 World Cup final, the tireless Alan Ball crossed and West Ham's Geoff Hurst turned sharply in the box and shot from close range.
Just in case you're the one person in the world who doesn't know what happened next (and, if you are, then what the hell are you doing reading this blog?) the ball hit the underside of the West German bar, bounced down and was scrambled clear. Referee Gottfried Dienst consulted his linesman, Tofik Bakhramov who, in a moment of huge drama as the pair had no common verbal language, indicated that it was a goal. Those who believe the ball did cross the line cite the good position of the linesman and the actions of Roger Hunt, the nearest England player, who wheeled away in celebration rather than heading the rebounding ball into the empty net. 
German supporters continue to claim to this day a possible bias concerning the Soviet linesman (Bakhramov was actually from Azerbaijan where the country's national stadium in Baku is now named after him), especially as the USSR had been defeated in the semi-finals by West Germany. Bakhramov stated in his memoirs that he believed the ball had bounced back not from the crossbar, but from the net, so it didn't matter where the ball hit the ground. In Jonathan Wilson's book on Eastern Bloc football, Behind the Iron Curtain, it is alleged that when Bakhramov was asked on his deathbed by a reporter how could he be sure the ball had crossed the line, he replied 'Stalingrad.'
140. Did You Know?: Despite a series of earthquakes that had ravaged the country, Chile was chosen to stage the 1962 World Cup.
Foul play was a feature of the finals, with the most notable victim being Pele, who hobbled out of the tournament in Brazil's second match. European teams seemed intent on copying the successful Catenaccio style of Inter Milan, and the result was a series of dull - and often violent - encounters, none more so than when hosts faced Italy in The Battle of Santiago. Brazil replaced Pele with Amarildo and still had Garrincha. The 'Little Bird' bamboozled England in the quarter-finals (a match in which Jimmy Greaves - see right - was pissed on by a passing stray dog)
. And, then Garrincha scored twice in the semi-final win against Chile before getting himself sent off. In those days, however, getting sent off didn't mean you were suspended for the next match so Garrincha was able to play in the final. There, Brazil faced Czechoslovakia, who had reached that stage largely on the back of outstanding performances by their goalkeeper Jilhelm Schroiff and the great Josef Masopust of Dulka Prague. Ironically it was Schroiff's blunders in the final that helped Brazil to a 3-1 victory after Masopust had scored the opening goal. Vava scored for the second final running, with Zito and Amarildo also on target to give Brazil their second successive trophy.
141. Did You Know?:
World Class players never to have appeared in a World Cup finals tournament include Duncan Edwards (see left), George Best, Ian St John, Ryan Giggs, John Toshack, Johnny Giles, Liam Brady, Dave Mackay, Jinky Jim Smith and Tony Green. Next time you're laughing at Kerry Dixon having played in a World Cup for six minutes, remember that!
142. Did You Know?: When Romania's Gheorghe Hagi scored his outrageous forty yard chip from deep on the left-wing over Colombia's Óscar Córdoba in the 1994 World Cup the question on everyone's lips was, did he mean it?
Of course he did, he was a bit good, the Hagi Gadjy. That Romanian team, of Petrescu, Popescu, Lupescu, Radicioiu, Dumitrsecu and ... lots of other blokes ending in escu was probably the finest the country had ever produced, the cream of fine Steaua and Dinamo Bucharest sides in the late 1980s flourishing in the post-Ceausescu world. Tragically, just as four years earlier against Jack Charlton's Ireland, they lost their bottle in a quarter final penalty shoot out with Sweden, Petrescu and Miodrag Belodedici missing vital spot-kicks.
143. Did You Know?: Liechtenstein's first international was an unofficial match against Malta, a 1-1 draw in 1981. Their first 'official' game came two years later, a 1-0 defeat by Switzerland. Liechtenstein's largest win, 4-0 over Luxembourg in a 2006 World Cup qualifier, was both the team's first ever away win and their first win in any competitive game. In 1996, Liechtenstein suffered its highest defeat, an 11-1 thrashing at the hands of Macedonia. T
he team's record in competitive games was so poor that it prompted author Charlie Connelly to follow their qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup in the book Stamping Grounds: Liechtenstein's Quest for the World Cup. The national team coach from 2002-2006, Martin Andermatt, was also the manager of Liechtenstein's top club-side FC Vaduz which, like all the country's clubs, plays in the Swiss league system. Four days before Liechtenstein scored its first win, the team made even more headlines with a stunning 2-2 draw in Vaduz against Portugal, the eventual losing finalists in Euro 2004. The best thing about Liechtenstein, however, is that their national anthem has the same tune as 'God Save The Queen.' When England played in Vaduz in a European Championship qualifier in 2003, watching all the skinheads stand up and bellow the national anthem twice in a row was a sight to see.
144. Did You Know?: Shirt swapping was once officially prohibited, in 1986, because FIFA did not want players to 'bare their chests' on the field. In the case of Diego Maradonna, that was probably a blessing…
145. Did You Know?:
Arie Haan's two long-range crackers against West Germany and Italy in 1978 had a collective distance from goal of, it is estimated, approximately sixty eight metres. Johan Cruyff had once, reportedly told Ajax manager Stefan Kovacs that Haan had 'gunpowder in his boots' something that Sepp Maier and Dino Zoff could certainly confirm.
146. Did You Know?: The 1990 World Cup finals got off to a surprising start. In the first match, Cameroon soaked up pressure from reigning champions Argentina for most of the first half.
On the hour, Andre Kana was sent off and it seemed certain that the champions would now take control. But six minutes later, the ten men took the lead. François Omam Biyik scored when he placed a perfect downward header past Argentine goalkeeper Nery Pumpido. Argentina pressed hard for an equaliser and Cameroon were further reduced to nine men when Benjamin Massing got the red card in the eighty ninth minute for a desperate hack on Claudio Caniggia – but the African team held on for a shock 1–0 win.
147. Did You Know?:
There have, to date, been forty five occasions in World Cup finals history when three or more goals have been scored by the same player. Forty one players have achieved this (Sándor Kocsis - see right, Just Fontaine, Gerd Müller and Gabriel Batistuta all did it twice). It's actually forty six if we recognise Bert Patenaude's disputed hat-trick in the 1930 USA vs Paraguay game. FIFA records credit him as having scored two but most contemporary reports suggest he actually scored three.
148. Did You Know?: In the six years following the 1966 World Cup final, England met West Germany on two occasions - a friendly, in Hanover in 1968 and that infamous World Cup quarter final in León two years later. The Germans won both but most English fans could find a Spitfire-full of excuses. The former was 'just a friendly' after all, whilst the latter was down to a combination of bad luck, Alf Ramsey's daft decision to take Bobby Charlton off, the altitude and Peter Bonetti having a 'mare. If only Bansky hadn't got The Flaming Abdabs, conventional wisdom had it, England would have won at a canter, disposed of Italy, beaten the Brazilians and retained the World Cup.
All whilst Charlie Croker and Camp Freddie blagged another load of bullion for Mr Bridger, presumably. When England were drawn against the West Germans in a two-legged quarter final of the 1972 European Nations Cup, it seems like a perfect opportunity to put this logic to the test. England had won their qualifying group (featuring Switzerland, Greece and Malta) easily enough although recent performances – notably dropping a point to the Swiss at Wembley the previous November – had made the press and punters wonder if it wasn't the time to introduce some new blood. 
Emerging talent like Alan Hudson, Kevin Keegan, Mick Channon, Malcolm Macdonald, Tony Currie, Rodney Marsh and Trevor Brooking were lighting up the first division and there were calls for the inclusion of some of these young guns in Ramsey's thinking. In the event, although Channon and Macdonald were in the twenty two-man squad, along with uncapped defenders David Nish and Colin Todd, and Marsh made it onto the bench (and, briefly, the pitch) it was The Old Guard to whom Ramsey turned, as so often in the past. Banks, Moore, Ball, Hurst and Peters remained from The Boys of '66 and Colin Bell, Emlyn Hughes, Francis Lee and Norman Hunter from the 1970 squad. Only Paul Madeley and Martin Chivers were more recent additions and neither of those were exactly spring chickens. The Germans, by contrast, contained only three players of 1966 vintage, Horst Höttges, Siggi Held and Franz Beckenbauer. The rest of the team – apart from Frankfurst's Jürgen Grabowski - was made up entirely of players from the twin powerhouses of West German football, Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was from the latter that Helmet Schön picked Günter Netzer. 
A few months later, in the first episode of Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? Terry Collier would describe Mönchengladbach as 'the West Hartlepool of West Germany.' That may have been true, but their football team, in the early Seventies, was a thing of beauty and Netzer was at the heart of everything they did. Like Madeley and Chivers, he wasn't a novice. He was twenty seven and had made his international debut as long ago as 1965 (against England, so Ramsey certainly knew all about him) but a perceived inconsistency meant he was often overlooked in favour of more 'reliable' workhoses like Köln's Wolfgang Overath and his own Mönchengladbach team-mate Herbert Wimmer. 
Overath, however, was injured so it was Netzer who anchored the German midfield. Curiously, Ramsey chose to go into the game without a midfield destroyer, the role Nobby Stiles and Alan Mullery had filled on so many previous occasions. Arsenal's hard-as-nails Peter Storey was the ideal candidate but he remained on the bench throughout the following ninety minutes. If Netzer is to be believed, before the game he and Beckenbauer had discussed their chances and Der Kaiser's opinion was that if they got away with only getting beat by three goals, it would be a major achievement. In the event West Germany came to Wembley and did what the Hungarians had done in 1953, they gave England a bloody good lesson in the game they had invented. After twenty minuites, Bobby Moore committed the cardinal sin of trying to dribble inside his own penalty area and lost the ball to Uli Hoeness, at twenty the youngest player on the pitch. His snapshot took a deflection off Hunter and beat Banks. In the second half, England rallied. 
Hughes hit the bar with a shot that had Sepp Maier beaten. With thirteen minutes left, and Marsh having replaced Geoff Hurst at the scene of Hurst's (and English football's) greatest triumph six years earlier, Peters fed Colin Bell. His shot was parried into the path of Franny Lee, who equalised. But parity didn't last long and Moore, again, was at fault. Beaten for pace by Held, England's captain found his opponent's foot rather than the ball. Netzer hit the penalty to Banks' right. The keeper got there and pushed the ball away, just as he had in Stoke's recent FA Cup semi-final with Arsenal but, agonisingly, this time it hit the inside of the post and dropped into the net. In the last minute, Gerd Müller spun on a sixpence to add a third. It had been a thoroughly chastening night for English football. David Coleman's description of the first goal ('cool by Moore … Too cool!' - what a pity England's recovery wasn't as good as Coleman's) typified a general state of absolute denial in England afterwards. In the second leg, in Berlin a fortnight later, Ramsay sent out a side which included six defenders, playing for (and getting) an utterly pointless 0-0 draw. It was a very different England side (Marsh, MacDonald, Channon and Mike Summerbee included) that lined-up for the Home International against Wales in Cardiff a week after that. A classy 3-0 victory suggested Ramsey's caution at Wembley and, esepcially, in Berlin has been misplaced. 
A few months after that, England would be back in Wales for a World Cup qualifier when Kevin Keegan played for his country for the first time. Bell scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory. After the West Germany game, Geoff Hurst never played for England again. The result sent quite literal shockwaves across the continent. Corrie dello Sport celebrating The Germans 'imagination and genius.' L'Equipe said 'this team has no equal in Europe.' Geoffrey Green in The Times spoke of Nezter's 'elegance and inventiveness' but stuck the knife into Ramsay's team selection. 'Experience is valuable up to a point, but there is now the look of too-solid flesh about [some] members of an England side still committed to a lateral, negative game when a pass down the lines of longitude is so badly needed ... That is why the Germans beat us. While we fenced and parried sideways, they thrust swiftly forward.' In Tor! his book on the history of German football, Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger writes 'The win carried so many myth-making ingredients - the romantic picture of Netzer surging through midfield, his flowing mane illuminated by the floodlights.' West Germany went on to win the Nations Cup, beating the USSR 3-0 in the final in Brussels.
149. Did You Know?: One of the most famous 'Colemanballs' in the history of football commentary came from the man who invented the sub-genre, David Coleman. In the opening game of Group C at the 1970 World Cup, the much-fancied Brazilians were taking on a hard-working Czech side. Brazil dominated the opening moments of the game at Guadalajara and Pele missed a sitter after being set-up by Rivelino who sold a Czech defender an outrageous dummy.
Then, after six minutes, the Czech's broke away and a couple of bits of sloppy defending by the Brazilians – specifically Brito and the goalie, Felix - allowed Ladislav Petras to sneak in and score. Coleman, who'd so far had his tongue rammed up the collective Brazilian arse, was momentarily stunned. 'The Brazilian side' he screamed in a sudden apparent non-sequitar. 'All that you ever heard about them has come true.' This referred to the widely-held opinion in the European football media that, yes, these Brazilian boys knew a few clever bendy-the-ball tricks but, in all seriousness, they were a bunch fancy-dan-wankers who didn't like it up 'em. That they were, defensively, rubbish and when they came up against some decent (hard) European teams like West Germany, or Italy, or England, they were going to get a right good hiding. There was something almost gleeful in the way Coleman said it. Pfft, skill/schmill, these blokes can't even defend. Brazil promptly went on to win the match 4-1, beat England in their next game (keeping a clean sheet into the bargain), massacre the Romanians, Peru and Uruguay and then hammer the Azzurri in the final. Yeah, it was true, they weren't be best defenders in the world but, so what? It didn't matter; you score three, they'll score five! For David Coleman 'for those of you watching in black and white, Zaire are in the light shirts' was just four years away.
150. Did You Know?:
The most goals scored by a individual player in a World Cup qualifying match was thirteen - unlucky for some - by Archie Thompson of Australia in the Socceroos 31-0 (or, as they used to say on the teleprinter on Grandstand whenever a score like that happened 31 [THIRTY ONE] - 0) win over American Samoa on 11 April 2001. It was certainly unlucky for Archie and his team mates because, just to repeat, Australia still didn't qualify for the finals!
The 1978 World Cup marked the only occasion during which a national team did not wear one of its official kits to play a match. The incident happened during the game between France and Hungary. The worldwide television broadcast of the games was in colour, but Argentina still only had black and white TV equipment in place; the team's tops were, therefore, indistinguishable on monochrome TV sets, resulting in the French side electing to wear the pale green and white striped shirts of a local team from Mar del Plata, Club Atletico Kimberley with their change blue shorts and red socks. It looked rather cool, actually, as you can see, and France won the game 3-1.102. Did You Know?: The Battle of Nuremberg is the name sometimes given to the World Cup clash (and for once, that tag really is deserved) between Portugal and the Netherlands at the Frankenstadion, Nuremberg on 25 June 2006. Referee Valentin Ivanov of Russia dismissed four players and gave out sixteen cautions, setting a new international all-comers record for being a whistle-happy officious twat.
The match ended 1-0 to Portugal, with Maniche scoring in the twenty third minute. Before the goal, Mark van Bommel had been shown a yellow card. In the eighth minute, Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz tackled Cristiano Ronaldo, forcing a substitution of Portugal's star player. Boulahrouz was also cautioned. Ronaldo left the pitch in tears and proceeded to characterise Boulahrouz's tackle as 'clearly an intentional foul to get me injured' after the game. But, nobody was particularly bothered about that as everybody else in the whole world hates the greasy little shit and everything he stands for. In fact, most of us would have gladly bought Boulahrouz a pint and let him shag our girlfriends for what he did. Soon afterwards Maniche was booked and then shortly after the goal, Costinha slid into Philip Cocu, also receiving a yellow card. He then became the first player to be sent off just before half-time for handball. After Petit had been cautioned, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Luis Figo also received yellow cards. Astonishingly, the referee missed Figo headbutting van Bommel during this period. 
As Portugal manager Phil Scolari commented after the match, 'Jesus Christ may be able to turn the other cheek but Luis Figo isn't Jesus Christ.' No, indeed. Jesus didn't, by and large, stick the nutt on people. Or, if he did, the Gospels kept well-schtum about it. Boulahrouz was then sent off on sixty three minutes for a second caution after allegedly elbowing Figo. (I say 'allegedly' because Figo seemed to go down, not so much in stages but rather, installments.) Then Deco fouled Heitinga and was cautioned. In the ensuing brawl, Wesley Sneijder pushed Deco over (a clear sending-off offence under FIFA guidelines) but was only cautioned for this. Rafael van der Vaart subsequently received a yellow card, apparently for verbal misconduct. By this stage, most viewers had lost all interest in the actual outcome of the game but were merely taking bets on which team would end the match with most players left on the pitch. 
After Ricardo and Nuno Valente were also booked, Deco was sent off in the seventy eighth minute for not handing the ball back after a free-kick was given. And also 'looking at me in a funny way.' Probably. In injury time, van Bronckhorst was sent off for a second yellow card. In the aftermath of the match, Referee Ivanov was widely criticised for showing too many yellow cards for relatively minor fouls or even no fouls at all while on the other hand not punishing major assaults (specifically Figo's head butt on van Bommel). It would be the last match he ever refereed officially. For many, the abiding memory of the game was German television picking out Boulahrouz, Costinha and Deco, sitting side-by-side in the stand with utterly bemused expressions on their faces.103. Did You Know?: The only players to have appeared in World Cup finals tournaments both before and after the Second World War were Erik Nilsson of Sweden and Alfred Bickel of Switzerland who both played in the finals of 1938 and 1950.
104. Did You Know?:
Rubbish moments of World Cup TV analysis, number three: Croatia vs Japan, 2006. 'You can almost smell the fatigue.' No you can't, David Pleat. Not even a little bit. Fatigue does not, by definition, exude any olfactory properties whatsoever. Touch of an elementary schoolboy-type error, there, pal.105. Did You Know?:
In the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Joe Gaetjens played for the US team and had the distinction of scoring the winning goal in the sensational defeat of England at Belo Horizonte. He went on to play in France for Racing Club of Paris. In 1953, he returned to his home nation of Haiti to organise a youth soccer league. On 8 July 1963, for reasons still unknown, he was arrested by Papa Doc Duvalier's notorious secret police, the Tonton Macoutes, and was never seen again.106. Did You Know?: Those old enough to remember the 1970 semi-final between Italy and West Germany will never forgot one of the most dramatic matches - an epic clash of styles between the opportunism of Gigi Riva's Squadra and the will-to-win of Beckenbauer's Mannschaft.
The match had club rivalry too, with the Inter trio of Facchetti, Mazzola and Riva facing old foes in Bayern's Maier, Beckenbauer and Müller. The Italians had been crowned European champions two years earlier, whilst the Germans finished runners-up at the previous World Cup. At the start of the game, stifled by the oppressive heat of the Azteca Stadium, both sides kept it tight. It was the Italians who sprung the first surprise. In the eighth minute, Roberto Boninsegna exchanged a defence-splitting one-two with Riva (see left) before dispatching an unstoppable half-volley. 
The Germans responded immediately, with the main threat coming from Franz Beckenbauer, first with a pass into space which Gerd Müller just failed to reach, then a forty-yard burst of acceleration before he was stopped in his tracks by a questionable challenge from Facchetti. Although the Germans dominated the first period, the Italians looked comfortable at the back, mopping up the assaults of Uwe Seeler. But little by little, his strike partner, Müller started to make his presence felt. First he just failed to control a curling cross from Wolfgang Overath. Then, his twenty-yard half-volley on the turn drew Albertosi into a smart save. The Fiorentina keeper had been picked instead of Dino Zoff by coach Ferruccio Valcareggi, much to the displeasure of the Italian press and he was soon called into action again, this time turning a shot from Jürgen Grabowski (see left) round the post. 
The second-half followed the same rhythm. The Germans failed to capitalise on an under-hit back pass from Bertini. Müller robbed Albertosi, Grabowski gathered and laid it back into the path of Overath, but his shot cannoned back off the crossbar. In the sixty seventh minute Beckenbauer charged forward only to be bundled over by Pierluigi Cera. The referee, Arturo Yamakasi, decided the foul had been committed outside the box. As the furious Germans argued the point, Beckenbauer stayed down, his right shoulder dislocated. 
Since the Germans had already made their two substitutions, Der Kaiser had to stay on the field. Next, Siggi Held walloped a volley past Albertosi only to see Roberto Rosato acrobatically clear off the line. The clock ticked on. But, as they had shown against England in the quarter-final, Beckenbauer and his team-mates did not know when they were beaten: In injury time, Grabowski swung in a cross from the left which was met by Karl-Heinz Schnellinger. So began probably the most memorable period of extra-time in footballing history. Beckenbauer set the tone by taking the field with his arm in a sling. Müller (see right) intercepted a Poletti back-pass and poked the ball home just before Albertosi could grab it. 
German joy was short lived, however. Nine minutes into extra time, Gianni Rivera - on as a substitute for Sandro Mazzola - sent over a free-kick which was cleared by Held to the advancing Tarcisio Burgnich, who beat Maier. And just before the teams changed ends, Italy went one better, Angelo Domenghini crossed from the left for Gigi Riva to run on and score. 
In the second half of extra time, the pace of the game was furious. Germany hit back when another Seeler header was pounced on by the ever-opportunistic Müller, who steered it home – his tenth goal of the tournament. Rivera, standing at the far post held his head in disbelief. But almost immediately from the restart, Boninsegna reached the byline and knocked the ball back for Rivera (see left) to score. At the final whistle, the players fell to the ground in exhaustion. An exhaustion that would cost the Italians dearly in the final four days later.107. Did You Know?:
The Yashin Award is named in honour of the late Lev Yashin (USSR). The FIFA Technical Study Group recognises the top goalkeeper of each tournament based on the player's performance throughout the competition. Since its inception in 1994, it has been won by Belgium's Michel Preud'homme, Fabien Barthez of France, Mary Shelley's Oliver Kahn and Italy's Gianluigi Buffon. But, never by David Seaman. Which is probably fair enough.108. Did You Know?: Senegal 'forgot' to enter the 1994 World Cup!
109. Did You Know?: The scandal of the 1978 tournament was not so much in the matches themselves, (although the result of that Argentina vs Peru game still stinks), but rather in FIFA awarding the hosting of the tournament to a country cowering under a particularly repressive military rule. The Argentine people paid a terrible price to stage the World Cup.
Millions of the Junta's opponents had been murdered and tortured in the two years before the event and when the world's media arrived they were kept well away from the horrible truth. The first president of the organising committee was blown up and another bomb exploded in a press facility. Thousands of extra security measures were introduced and ensured the competition itself passed off as peacefully as it could in such shocking circumstances.110. Did You Know?: For the West Germans, the 1974 tournament got off to a decidedly shaky start. They had dazzled fans with their brilliance at the European Championship in 1972. 'Rambazamba' was the buzzword chosen by Günter Netzer and Franz Beckenbauer to describe the team's fluid tactics and formations, the German answer to 'total football.' But two years on, they found themselves performing lethargically, losing warm-up games and being booed by their own fans.
The Bayern Munich players seemed to have run out of steam after winning the European Cup, and Netzer was shockingly out of form. Erwin Kremers, Schalke's winger, was kicked out of the squad for calling a referee 'a stupid pig' on the final day of the Bundesliga season. And then came a dispute over bonuses. The players, egged on by Beckenbauer who was, in turn, being egged on by his agent Robert Schwan, demanded their share of the expected World Cup spoils. They wanted one hundred thousand deutschmarks each if they won the trophy. Needless to say, the public and German Football Federation were outraged. Coach Helmut Schön alternately threatened to quit or send them all home and nominate twenty two new players. In the end, a compromise figure of seventy thousand was agreed. 
The players were packed off to their training camp in Malente near the Danish border. 'The trip to Legoland was our big day out,' claimed Paul Breitner. But the reality was allegedly very different: Beckenbauer spent his nights with the actress Heidi Brühl, and others in the squad were said to have headed off to the Reeperbahn, Hamburg's notorious red-light district. Wolgang Overath was selected in midfield, with winger Uli Hoeness (see right) noting a direct political parallel: Overath replacing Günter Netzer was like Helmut Schmidt replacing Willi Brandt as President. 
In both cases, he felt, a visionary had given way to a pragmatist. But even pragmatism is no adequate description for the hosts' depressingly dull 1-0 win over Chile. Little short of unadulterated torture at times, it took a speculative, long-range strike from Breitner to win the game. The 3-0 victory over Australia four days later represented a slight improvement, but only slight. The match, with the green-shirted Germans being held for long periods by the mostly amateur Socceroos was marred by Beckenbauer spitting toward his own jeering fans in Hamburg's Volkspark. For the last twenty minutes of the match every time Der Kaiser touched the ball he was roundly booed. Even after two wins, the squad and their supporters were still miles apart. Then came the 1-0 defeat by East Germany which left West Germany as runners-up in their group. 
Schön reportedly offered to resign that night and, in the impasse that followed, Beckenbauer seized control. He talked the coach into making changes and revamped the team. Grabowski, Cullmann, Flohe and Netzer were dropped. Bonhof, Herzog, Wimmer and Hölzenbein were in. Four games later, West Germany, improbably, were the world champions.111. Did You Know?: The only team to be eliminated during the qualifications rounds despite conceding no goals was Belgium. In their six 1974 qualifiers they beat Iceland and Norway twice without letting in any goals and took part in two no-score draws with the Netherlands. As a consequence, however, of the Dutch side's better goal-difference, Belgium finished only second in the group.
112. Did You Know?: For many years, Rivelino had a photo of a ginger-haired Scotsman above his desk and every time he looked at it his famous moustache would reportedly curl as he smiled and recalled just how much of a pain in the arse Billy Bremner had been.
The photo, an iconic image taken during Scotland's epic goalless draw with World Champions Brazil in Frankfurt in 1974, showed an irate Rivelino with his fist under Bremner's chin. The battle between the imposing Brazilian star with the potent left foot and the nippy little hard man from Stirling is an enduring memory from a game that, for all its lack of goals, remains one of Scotland's best ever World Cup results and performances. 
Not only was it the closest Scotland ever came to defeating Brazil - three subsequent World Cup attempts would all end in failure - it was also evidence that, back in the finals for the first time since 1958, Scotland were worthy of their place among the world's elite. Willie Ormand's 1974 squad was probably the best side Scotland ever sent to a World Cup. It was brimming with quality. Danny McGrain, Sandy Jardine, David Hay, Kenny Dalglish, Joe Jordan, Denis Law, Tommy Hutchison, Peter Lormier, Willie Morgan and Jimmy Johnstone were all there. 
And, so was Bremner. Brazil were team without Pele, who had retired from international football and were something of a pale shadow of the side that wowed the world four years earlier. It was an uncharacteristically ruthless performance from Brazil who threatened early on, coming closest to scoring when Leivinha volleyed a shot against the crossbar. Hearing that Yugoslavia were thrashing Zaire at half-time, Scotland began pushing forward. 
Their best chance came when Joe Jordan's downward header from a corner was fumbled to the feet of Bremner with the goal gaping. But the ball came slightly too quicky for the Leeds skipper who could do no more than instinctively stick out a foot and prod it agonisingly wide of Leao's post. Peter Lorimer went close with a number of efforts whilst at the other end David Harvey made some notably fine saves. Rivelino should probably have been sent off for striking Bremner, having already been booked. Willie Ormond said afterwards 'We did enough to win, but the Brazilians just stopped us by fair means or foul and I felt we should have had a better deal from the referee.'113. Did You Know?:
During the Soviet era, crack Ukranian outfit Dynamo Kiev were the main, and often only, rivals to the dominance of the football teams from Moscow. Kiev's ability to challenge the Moscow clubs, and frequently defeat them to win the Soviet championship, was a matter of much nationalistic pride in Ukraine. The club's best performances were in the 1970s and 80s, a time during which the USSR national football team was comprised almost exclusively of players from the club (including the legendary Oleg Blohkin).114. Did You Know?: Two smartly taken Roger Hunt goals put England into the 1966 World Cup quarter finals with a 2-0 win over France.
But the game is more remembered for the injury to Jimmy Greaves that would, ultimately, put him out of the final and for Nobby Stiles being booked for a scything tackle on the French striker Jacques Simon. Nobby was fortunate not to be sent off and Alf Ramsey subsequently ignored calls from Football Association officials and the media that he should drop Stiles because of his competitive nature. 'If Stiles goes, so do I,' said Alf. And he wasn't joking. He knew how vital little Nobby's ball-winning performances were to the team.115. Did You Know?: The first World Cup match where a coach was sent-off occurred when the Paraguayan coach Cayetano Re got his marching orders against Belgium in June 1986.
116. Did You Know?: Clubs that you might not immediately associate with having had World Cup players in their side include: Grimsby Town (Jackie Scott, Northern Ireland 1958), Clyde (Harry Haddock and others, Scotland 1958), Plymouth Argyle (Tom Baker, Wales 1958),
Kickers Offenbach (Engelbert Kraus, West Germany 1962), Blackpool (Alan Ball, England 1966), Moranbong Sports Group (Pak Doo Ik, and others, North Korea 1966), FC Chornomorets Odesa (Valeriy Porkujan, USSR 1970), Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan FC (Roni Shuruk, Israel 1970), Footscray JUST (Branko Buljevic, Australia 1974), Mazembe Lubumbashi (Ilunga Mwepu, and others, Zaire 1974), Don Bosco FC (Emmanuel Sanon, Haiti 1974), SC Bastia (Johnny Rep, the Netherland and Claude Papi, France 1978), Vicenza Calcio (Paulo Rossi, Italy 1978), PAS Tehran FC (Hossein Kazerani, Iran 1978), Patrick Thistle (Alan Rough, Scotland 1978 and 1982), Sport Boys (Ernesto Labarthe, Peru 1978), Jacksonville Tea Men 
(Jean-Pierre Tokoto, Cameroon 1982), KV Kortrijk (Djamel Zidane, Algeria 1982), Elche CF (Gilberto Yearwood, Honuras 1982), Toronto Blizzard (Jimmy Nicholl, Northern Ireland 1982), Cambridge United (Tommy Finney, Northern Ireland 1982), Miramar Rangers (Barry Pickering, New Zealand 1982), Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso (Cho Min-Kook and others, South Korea 1986), Szombathelyi Haladás (József Nagy, Hungary 1986), Luton Town (Mal Donachy, Northern Ireland 1982 and 1986), Bury (Phil Hughes, Northern Ireland 1986), Shrewsbury Town (Billy Hamilton, Northern Ireland 1986), Oldham Athletic (Andy Goram, Scotland 1986), Chicago Sting (Paul Krumpe, USA 1990), Millwall (Mick McCarthy, Republic of Ireland 1990), 
Swindon Town (Alan McLouglin, Republic of Ireland 1990), Bournemouth (Colin Clarke, Northern Ireland 1982 and Gerry Peyton, Republic of Ireland 1990), Kashima Antlers (Leonardo, Brazil 1994), Go Ahead Eagles (Peter Rufai, Nigeria 1994), Tranmere Rovers (John Aldridge, Republic of Ireland 1994), Wimbledon (Robbie Earle, Jamaica 1998), 
Kansas City Wizards (Uche Okafor, Nigeria 1998), Sunderland (Thomas Sørensen, Denmark 2002), Crystal Palace (Clinton Morrison, Republic of Ireland 2002), Crewe Alexandra (Efe Sodje, Nigeria 2002), Middlesbrough (Alen Bokšic, Croatia 2002), Hibernian (Ulises de la Cruz, Equador 2002), Gillingham (Ian Cox, Trinidad & Tobago 2006), Port Vale (Chris Birchall, Trinidad & Tobago 2006), St Johnstone (Jason Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago 2006), Reading (Bobby Convey, United States 2006), Bristol City (Luke Wilkshire, Australia 2006) and Nicosia Apoel FC (Jean-Paul Abalo, Togo 2006).117. Did You Know?:
Côte d'Ivoire hold the unique record of being the only country that have never failed to score in a World Cup finals match. Les Éléphants scored in all three of their games in 2006 against Argentina, the Netherlands and Serbia and Montenegro.118. Did You Know?: On 5 September 1993, Argentina welcomed Colombia to Buenos Aires for their final World Cup qualifier. Lying a point behind the Cafeteros, Alfio Basile's side needed a win to qualify directly while Colombia needed only a draw. What they produced, instead, was one of biggest debacles in the history of Argentine football as they were crushed 5-0 by the Colombians and consigned to a play-off against Australia.
This was a supremely talented Colombia side, one of the finest in Los Cafeteros history - including Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla, Freddy Rincon and Adolfo Valencia - but Argentina were yet to be beaten at home in World Cup qualifying history. Little was expected other than a routine home win. In the event, Freddy and Tino each scored twice, Valencia got the fifth. Argentina recovered well from their thrashing, beating Australia in the play-off to secure their place at USA '94. However, the tournament was one of controversy for them. Performances were unconvincing and Maradona failed a drug test after the opening win over Greece. After making it out of their group in third place, a Hagi-inspired Romania beat them 3-2 in the second round. Of course, for Colombia, 1994 was a World Cup they'd wish to forget even more.119. Did You Know?: In the months leading up to the 1970 World Cup, a newspaper in Mexico, the host country, had described England as 'a team of thieves and drunks.' Bit rich coming from the Mexies that, like, but we'll forgive a bit of hyperbole.
Few people, therefore, were particularly surprised when England's captain was arrested en-route to the finals alleged to have stolen some jewelry. Whilst staying in Bogotá, Bobby Moore and team mate Bobby Charlton had visited their hotel's jewelry shop. Shortly after leaving the store, the two players were approached by security staff and asked to explain the disappearance of a bracelet. Moore was subsequently put under house arrest. Following delicate diplomatic intervention, he was bailed out in time to play in the finals - producing, in the second game against Brazil one of the finest defensive displays in the history of the tournament. The charges were eventually dropped without Moore having to return to Colombia. Unbeknown to the English players, accusing visiting celebrities of theft is something of a longstanding Colombian pass time. As Serious Drinking put it on their 1982 LP The Revolution Starts At Closing Time, 'News At Ten and Tina heard/Bobby could be doin' bird/Bobby Moore was innocent, okay!'120. Did You Know?:
The youngest player in a World Cup qualifying match was, allegedly, Togo's Souleymane Mamam (subsequently of Manchester United, Royal Antwerp and KRC Mechelen) who was said to be thirteen years, three hundred and ten days old when he played as a substitute in a qualifying match against Zambia on 6 May 2001. Subsequent research has cast doubt upon this claim. By contrast, the oldest player to take part in a qualifying match was Taylor MacDonald of the US Virgin Islands who was forty six years, one hundred and eighty days old when he played against St Kitts & Nevis in 2004. Of the five thousand six hundred and two players who appeared in the 2010 World Cup qualifying matches, the youngest was fourteen year-old Abdi Abdifatah of Somalia, while the oldest was forty three year-old Kenny Dyer of Montserrat.121. Did You Know?: Carlos Caszely of Chile became the first player to be sent off with a red card in a World Cup match, during their clash with West Germany in 1974. Red cards were formally introduced in World Cup play in 1970, but no players were sent off in that tournament.
122. Did You Know?: For Colombia, the 1994 tournament got off to a bad start when Francisco Maturana, the team's coach, received death threats from fans seeking changes in the starting line-up.
Things got worse when the underdog US team defeated the heavily fancied Colombian side, leading to their elimination from the competition. Back home, the Colombian players were abused in the street by fans, but none more so than Andres Escobar, who had mistakenly scored the own goal which had given the USA their victory. One night, a few weeks after the tournament three men approached Escobar in the parking lot of a Medallin restaurant and, according to newspaper reports, said, 'Thanks for the goal.' Then they casually drew their guns and executed him, shouting, 'Goal! Goal!' as each bullet hit him.123. Did You Know?: The fastest sending-off in a World Cup finals game occurred when Uruguay's Jose Batista was dismissed after fifty six seconds of a group match against Scotland in 1986, for a really nasty tackle from behind on Gordon Strachan. But then, we've all wanted to do that at one time or another, let's be fair.
124. Did You Know?: The Kuwaitis, in their first (and, so far only) World Cup finals had drawn their first match against an abject Czechoslovakian side in 1982. They then held out for the first half-hour against the talented French in their second encounter. Eventually, with the deadlock broken, France went 3-1 ahead and ought to have made it four, when their brilliant pocket-sized midfielder Alain Giresse ran unchallenged through the Kuwaiti defence and slotted the ball past Ahmad Al-Tarabulsi.
The Kuwaitis were furious, however, insisting they had stopped because they had heard a whistle, which had actually been blown by someone in the crowd. They surrounded the Soviet referee Miroslav Stupar and their resident prince, Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, appeared on the touchline to order his players off the pitch. The Sheikh then marched onto the field himself in his billowing pink robes and commanded that the referee disallow the goal. Without argument, the official obeyed, despite sustained French protests and the total embarrassment of several watching FIFA officials. When play subsequently recommenced, France went on to score their rightful fourth through Maxime Bossis. Stupar never officiated in another World Cup match whilst FIFA fined the Sheikh ten thousand dollars.125. Did You Know?:
1962 – the Battle of Santiago. The Chilean supporters were well-up for their team's clash with Italy before kick-off, and it did not take long for their nasty passion to transfer itself to their heroes. The home fans, furious at a series of derogatory articles which had appeared in Italian newspapers prior to the World Cup, booed the Azzurri from the outset. 
The Italians for their part claimed tension had been heightened by the home players' habit of spitting in their faces. The battle was not slow in commencing. Italy's Giorgio Ferrini was sent off by the English referee, Ken Aston, for retaliating against Honorino Landa and play was held up for eight minutes when Ferrini flatly refused to leave the pitch. 
Chile's Leonel Sanchez then punched Mario David and when Aston, who hadn't seen the indicent, took no action David was sent off for retaliating by kicking Sanchez in the neck. Humberto Maschio broke his nose in a clash with Eladio Rojas. Chile won the match 2-0 and the Italians were later attacked at their training camp. 
When highlights of the match were shown on BBC television, David Coleman introduced the game thus: 'Good evening. The game you are about to see is the most stupid, appalling, disgusting and disgraceful exhibition of football, possibly in the history of the game.' Steady on, Dave.126. Did You Know?: The first goal scored by a substitute in a World Cup final's match was by Mexico's Juan Basaguren against El Salvador in 1970.
127. Did You Know?: Switzerland v Ukraine, Cologne, 26 June 2006.
Quite possibly the single worst game of football ever played by anyone, ever. Bar none. I mean, seriously – yer actual Keith Telly Topping wants to find something vibrant to say about it but it was like sitting through a fourteen-hour King Crimson marathon. It's, genuinely, terrible when you find yourself agreeing with Mark Lawrenson. 'Two sides afraid to lose.' And, to make matters worse, we had Mick McCarthy and his monotone drone talking utter bollocks that evaporated on contact with the ear for two whole hours. And then, through penalties. Just horrible. How Ukraine had the nerve to celebrate at the end - see right - is beyond me. Or anybody else who watched it.128. Did You Know?: The attendance at a play-off match on 17 June 1958 between Wales and Hungary was only two thousand eight hundred and twenty three punters due to a boycott by Swedes to show their sympathy toward a Hungarian rebel army leader who had been executed by the Soviets a day before the match.
Wales, with one of their finest ever sides including such giants as John Charles and Ivor Allchurch, won 2-1 but were subsequently beaten by Brazil in the quarter finals. Wales had qualified for the finals in controversial circumstances in the first place. They finished second to Czechoslovakia in their qualifying group and that would have been that but for a piece of politically naïve scheduling by FIFA. Although Israel and Egypt had been at war as recently as 1955, the Israelis were placed in the African-Asian group. It was no surprise that Egypt, Indonesia, Sudan and Turkey all withdrew in protest. That would have left Israel as qualifiers without having kicked a ball, a scenario which was against FIFA's rules. So the governing body opted to draw lots among the European teams who had finished second in their groups, with the winner playing-off against Israel. Wales were the lucky lotto winners and proceeded to beat the Israelis home and away to book a place in Sweden. To date, it's their only appearance in a World Cup finals.129. Did You Know?: Italy beat three previous winners - Argentina, West Germany and Brazil - on their way to winning the 1982 World Cup.
130. Did You Know?:
The Dutch had something of a habit of leaving it late during their 1998 World Cup run. In the group matches they scored three times in the last twenty minutes against South Korea, eventually winning 5-0. In the second round, it took them until the ninety second minute to see off Yugoslavia when Edgar Davids scored. Mostly famously, in the quarter final, Denis Bergkamp's last minute touch of genius eliminated Argentina. (You will love the Dutch commentary on this, dear blog reader, trust me!) In the semi-final, it was Patrick Kluivert who scored two minutes from time to equalise against Brazil. Sadly, there were to be no more last-gasp heorics from the Brilliant Oranj, they lost on penalties.131. Did You Know?: The Croatian national football team has been in existence since 1990 and was recognised by FIFA and UEFA in the summer of 1992, one year after Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia. Previous Croat national teams have played nineteen unofficial friendly matches, between 1940 and 1944.
132. Did You Know?: In 2009, the answer to one of football's great mysteries was revealed. In 1974, the Netherlands, led by Johan Cruyff waltzed through the World Cup to a final where – arguably – only their own arrogance cost them the World Cup. Cruyff was playing at Barcalona when, four years later, the Dutch made it to the final again, only to, again, lose to the hosts.
It was, however, without their talisman who had mysteriously retired from international football just a few months prior to the tournament. Cruyff also left Barcelona, immediately after the World Cup finished. In Holland there remains a deeply-held belief that had Cruyff played in the 1978 World Cup, they would have been champions. Many reasons have been postulated over the years for Cruyff's no show. Some argue that his broadly left-of-centre politics meant he didn't want to play in dictatorial right-wing Argentina (certainly that was the reason West Germany's Paul Breitner asked not to be selected for his country's squad and there are persistent allegations that it was the reason Cruyff's team mate Vim van Hanegem also dropped out of the Dutch squad at the eleventh hour). Another suggestion is that Cryuff fell out with the Dutch FA over sponsorship (famously in 1974 he had refused to play in an Adidas shirt and tore one of the famous three stripes off). Or, there's the suggestion that his wife, Danny, was some sort of sinister Yoko Ono-type figure who had convinced him not to play on the biggest stage. Its that last theory, as projected in Cruyff's former Barca team mate Carlos Rexach's autobiography in 2008, that prompted Johan, after thirty years, to set the record straight. It turns out that there was a bizarre plot to kidnap Cruyff and his family. 'Someone [put] a rifle at my head and tied me up and tied up my wife in front of the children at our flat in Barcelona,' Cruyff told the Guardian. 'The children were going to school accompanied by the police. The police slept in our house for three or four months. I was going to matches with a bodyguard.' The kidnap attempt happened in late 1977, so it is of little wonder that Cruyff was unwilling to leave his family and travel halfway around the globe to play in a World Cup a few months later. This may also be the reason he walked away from Barcelona – he would move over to America, an experience he loved, playing for the Washington Diplomats and guesting for the New York Cosmos.133. Did You Know?: Peruvian goalkeeper Ramon Quiroga – nicknamed 'El Loco' by his team mates - was famously booked whilst inside Poland's half of the field in a match on 18 June 1978.
The keeper - who became a cult figure to millions during the tournament and was especially brilliant in his side's shock first round defeat of Scotland - habitually came out of his penalty area to allegedly 'help' his defence. On this particular occasion he went even further upfield and found himself on the halfway line, pulling down the breaking Grzegorz Lato with a fantastic rugby tackle. English referee Pat Partridge could barely contain his laughter as he pulled out his yellow card to the contrite goalie who merely stood apologetically with his hands behind his back awaiting to be allowed to run back to his goal like a naughty schoolboy.134. Did You Know?: David Platt's one hundred and nineteenth minute winner past Belgium's Michel Preudhome at Bologna in 1990 is the latest goal ever scored by England in a competative match.
135. Did You Know?:
How do you treat players from a visiting team? If you were a Salvadoran fan at the 1969 World Cup qualifying match against Honduras, you hurled rotten eggs and dead rats at them. The hometown crowd was in an ugly mood during the game and even a decisive 3-0 victory for El Salvador did little to restore calm. The Honduran team was whisked from the stadium in armoured cars and flown home to safety. 'We're awfully lucky that we lost,' said Honduras' coach, Mario Griffin, ecstatic that he and his players had managed to escape El Salvador alive. 
Which is more than could be said for the visiting Honduran fans: Salvadorans set some one hundred and fifty of their cars on fire; then, as the Hondurans fled for the border on foot, Salvadoran fans kicked and beat them without mercy. Even the Salvadoran government got into the act. The next evening, El Salvador's army dropped a bomb on the Honduran capital, then sent ground troops across the border declaring war on their neighbours. The conflict lasted five days and left an estimated six thousand people dead.136. Did You Know?: Two players who featured prominently at the 1954 World Cup went on to play for different nations in future World Cups.
By the time that Hungary's Galloping Major, Ferenc Puskas and Uruguay's Jose Santamaria were playing for the great Real Madrid side of the early 60s, they had became naturalised Spaniards and were selected for the 1962 World Cup. Spain's squad also included another imported Real star, Alfredo Di Stefano, who had previously played international football for his country of birth, Argentina and also for Colombia when he played for Millionairios of Bogata. Amazingly, despite including seven of Real's five-times Euopean Cup winning side (Gento, Del Sol et al) and a whole bunch of other stars from Barcelona, Atletico and Real Zaragoza, Spain were a huge disappointment in the '62 finals, beating Mexico but losing to Czechoslovakia and Brazil and finishing bottom of their group. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Or, you know, the Spanish equivalent.137. Did You Know?: Turkey have a footballing tradition that, until quite recently, wasn't much to write home about.
Before 2002 (when they finished an impressive third in the competition) Turkey had only qualified for the 1950 and 1954 World Cups – and in 1950, they withdraw before the tournament started. As late as the 1987, they lost eight-nil to England (three years earlier, they'd lost by the same scoreline at home to England). Both results made most people happy. Because, nobody much likes the Turks. Because they stink of raki. And, then there's Hakan Sükür. And Emre (see right). And the renaming of Constantinople. (Only joking, you Turks. Actually, nobody enjoys a nice kebab more than yer actual Keith Telly Topping.)138. Did You Know?: Winners of the World Cup Fair Play Trophy, awarded to the teams with the best disciplinary record of the tournament include Peru (1970), England (1990, Belgium (2002), Brazil (several times) and, more improbably, Argentina (1978).
139. Did You Know?: In the first half of extra time in the 1966 World Cup final, the tireless Alan Ball crossed and West Ham's Geoff Hurst turned sharply in the box and shot from close range.
Just in case you're the one person in the world who doesn't know what happened next (and, if you are, then what the hell are you doing reading this blog?) the ball hit the underside of the West German bar, bounced down and was scrambled clear. Referee Gottfried Dienst consulted his linesman, Tofik Bakhramov who, in a moment of huge drama as the pair had no common verbal language, indicated that it was a goal. Those who believe the ball did cross the line cite the good position of the linesman and the actions of Roger Hunt, the nearest England player, who wheeled away in celebration rather than heading the rebounding ball into the empty net. 
German supporters continue to claim to this day a possible bias concerning the Soviet linesman (Bakhramov was actually from Azerbaijan where the country's national stadium in Baku is now named after him), especially as the USSR had been defeated in the semi-finals by West Germany. Bakhramov stated in his memoirs that he believed the ball had bounced back not from the crossbar, but from the net, so it didn't matter where the ball hit the ground. In Jonathan Wilson's book on Eastern Bloc football, Behind the Iron Curtain, it is alleged that when Bakhramov was asked on his deathbed by a reporter how could he be sure the ball had crossed the line, he replied 'Stalingrad.'140. Did You Know?: Despite a series of earthquakes that had ravaged the country, Chile was chosen to stage the 1962 World Cup.
Foul play was a feature of the finals, with the most notable victim being Pele, who hobbled out of the tournament in Brazil's second match. European teams seemed intent on copying the successful Catenaccio style of Inter Milan, and the result was a series of dull - and often violent - encounters, none more so than when hosts faced Italy in The Battle of Santiago. Brazil replaced Pele with Amarildo and still had Garrincha. The 'Little Bird' bamboozled England in the quarter-finals (a match in which Jimmy Greaves - see right - was pissed on by a passing stray dog)
. And, then Garrincha scored twice in the semi-final win against Chile before getting himself sent off. In those days, however, getting sent off didn't mean you were suspended for the next match so Garrincha was able to play in the final. There, Brazil faced Czechoslovakia, who had reached that stage largely on the back of outstanding performances by their goalkeeper Jilhelm Schroiff and the great Josef Masopust of Dulka Prague. Ironically it was Schroiff's blunders in the final that helped Brazil to a 3-1 victory after Masopust had scored the opening goal. Vava scored for the second final running, with Zito and Amarildo also on target to give Brazil their second successive trophy.141. Did You Know?:
World Class players never to have appeared in a World Cup finals tournament include Duncan Edwards (see left), George Best, Ian St John, Ryan Giggs, John Toshack, Johnny Giles, Liam Brady, Dave Mackay, Jinky Jim Smith and Tony Green. Next time you're laughing at Kerry Dixon having played in a World Cup for six minutes, remember that!142. Did You Know?: When Romania's Gheorghe Hagi scored his outrageous forty yard chip from deep on the left-wing over Colombia's Óscar Córdoba in the 1994 World Cup the question on everyone's lips was, did he mean it?
Of course he did, he was a bit good, the Hagi Gadjy. That Romanian team, of Petrescu, Popescu, Lupescu, Radicioiu, Dumitrsecu and ... lots of other blokes ending in escu was probably the finest the country had ever produced, the cream of fine Steaua and Dinamo Bucharest sides in the late 1980s flourishing in the post-Ceausescu world. Tragically, just as four years earlier against Jack Charlton's Ireland, they lost their bottle in a quarter final penalty shoot out with Sweden, Petrescu and Miodrag Belodedici missing vital spot-kicks.143. Did You Know?: Liechtenstein's first international was an unofficial match against Malta, a 1-1 draw in 1981. Their first 'official' game came two years later, a 1-0 defeat by Switzerland. Liechtenstein's largest win, 4-0 over Luxembourg in a 2006 World Cup qualifier, was both the team's first ever away win and their first win in any competitive game. In 1996, Liechtenstein suffered its highest defeat, an 11-1 thrashing at the hands of Macedonia. T
he team's record in competitive games was so poor that it prompted author Charlie Connelly to follow their qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup in the book Stamping Grounds: Liechtenstein's Quest for the World Cup. The national team coach from 2002-2006, Martin Andermatt, was also the manager of Liechtenstein's top club-side FC Vaduz which, like all the country's clubs, plays in the Swiss league system. Four days before Liechtenstein scored its first win, the team made even more headlines with a stunning 2-2 draw in Vaduz against Portugal, the eventual losing finalists in Euro 2004. The best thing about Liechtenstein, however, is that their national anthem has the same tune as 'God Save The Queen.' When England played in Vaduz in a European Championship qualifier in 2003, watching all the skinheads stand up and bellow the national anthem twice in a row was a sight to see.144. Did You Know?: Shirt swapping was once officially prohibited, in 1986, because FIFA did not want players to 'bare their chests' on the field. In the case of Diego Maradonna, that was probably a blessing…
145. Did You Know?:
Arie Haan's two long-range crackers against West Germany and Italy in 1978 had a collective distance from goal of, it is estimated, approximately sixty eight metres. Johan Cruyff had once, reportedly told Ajax manager Stefan Kovacs that Haan had 'gunpowder in his boots' something that Sepp Maier and Dino Zoff could certainly confirm.146. Did You Know?: The 1990 World Cup finals got off to a surprising start. In the first match, Cameroon soaked up pressure from reigning champions Argentina for most of the first half.
On the hour, Andre Kana was sent off and it seemed certain that the champions would now take control. But six minutes later, the ten men took the lead. François Omam Biyik scored when he placed a perfect downward header past Argentine goalkeeper Nery Pumpido. Argentina pressed hard for an equaliser and Cameroon were further reduced to nine men when Benjamin Massing got the red card in the eighty ninth minute for a desperate hack on Claudio Caniggia – but the African team held on for a shock 1–0 win.147. Did You Know?:
There have, to date, been forty five occasions in World Cup finals history when three or more goals have been scored by the same player. Forty one players have achieved this (Sándor Kocsis - see right, Just Fontaine, Gerd Müller and Gabriel Batistuta all did it twice). It's actually forty six if we recognise Bert Patenaude's disputed hat-trick in the 1930 USA vs Paraguay game. FIFA records credit him as having scored two but most contemporary reports suggest he actually scored three.148. Did You Know?: In the six years following the 1966 World Cup final, England met West Germany on two occasions - a friendly, in Hanover in 1968 and that infamous World Cup quarter final in León two years later. The Germans won both but most English fans could find a Spitfire-full of excuses. The former was 'just a friendly' after all, whilst the latter was down to a combination of bad luck, Alf Ramsey's daft decision to take Bobby Charlton off, the altitude and Peter Bonetti having a 'mare. If only Bansky hadn't got The Flaming Abdabs, conventional wisdom had it, England would have won at a canter, disposed of Italy, beaten the Brazilians and retained the World Cup.
All whilst Charlie Croker and Camp Freddie blagged another load of bullion for Mr Bridger, presumably. When England were drawn against the West Germans in a two-legged quarter final of the 1972 European Nations Cup, it seems like a perfect opportunity to put this logic to the test. England had won their qualifying group (featuring Switzerland, Greece and Malta) easily enough although recent performances – notably dropping a point to the Swiss at Wembley the previous November – had made the press and punters wonder if it wasn't the time to introduce some new blood. 
Emerging talent like Alan Hudson, Kevin Keegan, Mick Channon, Malcolm Macdonald, Tony Currie, Rodney Marsh and Trevor Brooking were lighting up the first division and there were calls for the inclusion of some of these young guns in Ramsey's thinking. In the event, although Channon and Macdonald were in the twenty two-man squad, along with uncapped defenders David Nish and Colin Todd, and Marsh made it onto the bench (and, briefly, the pitch) it was The Old Guard to whom Ramsey turned, as so often in the past. Banks, Moore, Ball, Hurst and Peters remained from The Boys of '66 and Colin Bell, Emlyn Hughes, Francis Lee and Norman Hunter from the 1970 squad. Only Paul Madeley and Martin Chivers were more recent additions and neither of those were exactly spring chickens. The Germans, by contrast, contained only three players of 1966 vintage, Horst Höttges, Siggi Held and Franz Beckenbauer. The rest of the team – apart from Frankfurst's Jürgen Grabowski - was made up entirely of players from the twin powerhouses of West German football, Bayern Munich and Borussia Mönchengladbach. It was from the latter that Helmet Schön picked Günter Netzer. 
A few months later, in the first episode of Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? Terry Collier would describe Mönchengladbach as 'the West Hartlepool of West Germany.' That may have been true, but their football team, in the early Seventies, was a thing of beauty and Netzer was at the heart of everything they did. Like Madeley and Chivers, he wasn't a novice. He was twenty seven and had made his international debut as long ago as 1965 (against England, so Ramsey certainly knew all about him) but a perceived inconsistency meant he was often overlooked in favour of more 'reliable' workhoses like Köln's Wolfgang Overath and his own Mönchengladbach team-mate Herbert Wimmer. 
Overath, however, was injured so it was Netzer who anchored the German midfield. Curiously, Ramsey chose to go into the game without a midfield destroyer, the role Nobby Stiles and Alan Mullery had filled on so many previous occasions. Arsenal's hard-as-nails Peter Storey was the ideal candidate but he remained on the bench throughout the following ninety minutes. If Netzer is to be believed, before the game he and Beckenbauer had discussed their chances and Der Kaiser's opinion was that if they got away with only getting beat by three goals, it would be a major achievement. In the event West Germany came to Wembley and did what the Hungarians had done in 1953, they gave England a bloody good lesson in the game they had invented. After twenty minuites, Bobby Moore committed the cardinal sin of trying to dribble inside his own penalty area and lost the ball to Uli Hoeness, at twenty the youngest player on the pitch. His snapshot took a deflection off Hunter and beat Banks. In the second half, England rallied. 
Hughes hit the bar with a shot that had Sepp Maier beaten. With thirteen minutes left, and Marsh having replaced Geoff Hurst at the scene of Hurst's (and English football's) greatest triumph six years earlier, Peters fed Colin Bell. His shot was parried into the path of Franny Lee, who equalised. But parity didn't last long and Moore, again, was at fault. Beaten for pace by Held, England's captain found his opponent's foot rather than the ball. Netzer hit the penalty to Banks' right. The keeper got there and pushed the ball away, just as he had in Stoke's recent FA Cup semi-final with Arsenal but, agonisingly, this time it hit the inside of the post and dropped into the net. In the last minute, Gerd Müller spun on a sixpence to add a third. It had been a thoroughly chastening night for English football. David Coleman's description of the first goal ('cool by Moore … Too cool!' - what a pity England's recovery wasn't as good as Coleman's) typified a general state of absolute denial in England afterwards. In the second leg, in Berlin a fortnight later, Ramsay sent out a side which included six defenders, playing for (and getting) an utterly pointless 0-0 draw. It was a very different England side (Marsh, MacDonald, Channon and Mike Summerbee included) that lined-up for the Home International against Wales in Cardiff a week after that. A classy 3-0 victory suggested Ramsey's caution at Wembley and, esepcially, in Berlin has been misplaced. 
A few months after that, England would be back in Wales for a World Cup qualifier when Kevin Keegan played for his country for the first time. Bell scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory. After the West Germany game, Geoff Hurst never played for England again. The result sent quite literal shockwaves across the continent. Corrie dello Sport celebrating The Germans 'imagination and genius.' L'Equipe said 'this team has no equal in Europe.' Geoffrey Green in The Times spoke of Nezter's 'elegance and inventiveness' but stuck the knife into Ramsay's team selection. 'Experience is valuable up to a point, but there is now the look of too-solid flesh about [some] members of an England side still committed to a lateral, negative game when a pass down the lines of longitude is so badly needed ... That is why the Germans beat us. While we fenced and parried sideways, they thrust swiftly forward.' In Tor! his book on the history of German football, Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger writes 'The win carried so many myth-making ingredients - the romantic picture of Netzer surging through midfield, his flowing mane illuminated by the floodlights.' West Germany went on to win the Nations Cup, beating the USSR 3-0 in the final in Brussels.149. Did You Know?: One of the most famous 'Colemanballs' in the history of football commentary came from the man who invented the sub-genre, David Coleman. In the opening game of Group C at the 1970 World Cup, the much-fancied Brazilians were taking on a hard-working Czech side. Brazil dominated the opening moments of the game at Guadalajara and Pele missed a sitter after being set-up by Rivelino who sold a Czech defender an outrageous dummy.
Then, after six minutes, the Czech's broke away and a couple of bits of sloppy defending by the Brazilians – specifically Brito and the goalie, Felix - allowed Ladislav Petras to sneak in and score. Coleman, who'd so far had his tongue rammed up the collective Brazilian arse, was momentarily stunned. 'The Brazilian side' he screamed in a sudden apparent non-sequitar. 'All that you ever heard about them has come true.' This referred to the widely-held opinion in the European football media that, yes, these Brazilian boys knew a few clever bendy-the-ball tricks but, in all seriousness, they were a bunch fancy-dan-wankers who didn't like it up 'em. That they were, defensively, rubbish and when they came up against some decent (hard) European teams like West Germany, or Italy, or England, they were going to get a right good hiding. There was something almost gleeful in the way Coleman said it. Pfft, skill/schmill, these blokes can't even defend. Brazil promptly went on to win the match 4-1, beat England in their next game (keeping a clean sheet into the bargain), massacre the Romanians, Peru and Uruguay and then hammer the Azzurri in the final. Yeah, it was true, they weren't be best defenders in the world but, so what? It didn't matter; you score three, they'll score five! For David Coleman 'for those of you watching in black and white, Zaire are in the light shirts' was just four years away.150. Did You Know?:
The most goals scored by a individual player in a World Cup qualifying match was thirteen - unlucky for some - by Archie Thompson of Australia in the Socceroos 31-0 (or, as they used to say on the teleprinter on Grandstand whenever a score like that happened 31 [THIRTY ONE] - 0) win over American Samoa on 11 April 2001. It was certainly unlucky for Archie and his team mates because, just to repeat, Australia still didn't qualify for the finals! 
