Mexico 1970

Brazil took the Jules Rimet trophy home for good after beating Italy in the final of the ninth World Cup with a wonderful display of attacking football.

Once again the majestical Pele played a major part as Brazil dealt comfortably with the heat and altitude to lift the trophy for a third time.

Holders England had a difficult build up to the tournament.

They were labelled "thieves and drunks" by the Mexican press and defensive lynchpin Bobby Morre was arrested on trumped-up shoplifting charges in Colombia.

He was bailed to play in the tournament and turned in his usual cool displays, but England's challenge ground to a halt in the quarter-finals against West Germany.

Portugal, Hungary, France, Spain and Argentina all failed to qualify, but Morocco became the first African nation in a post-war finals with Israel also making their debut.

In the group stages England lost 1-0 to Brazil in a match which saw Gordon Banks pull off a save from Pele that is rated as possibly the best ever seen in the World Cup.

Despite the defeat they qualified for the quarter-finals, where they faced a rematch against West Germany.

England had beaten the West Germans in the final four years earlier, but the tables were turned after manager Alf Ramsey made a tactical blunder.

At one point England led 2-0 but Ramsey took off Bobby Charlton and the Germans secured an extra-time winner.

West Germany came up against Italy in the last four, with Franz Beckenbauer forced to play with his arm in a sling.

His courage went unrewarded and the Italians ran out 3-2 winners in extra-time to earn their first final appearance for 32 years.

Both the Italians and Brazil, who had knocked out Peru in the quarter-finals and Uruguay in the semis, were chasing their third World Cup victory.

But, when it came to the match, there was only ever going to be one winner.

Brazil were unstoppable and stormed to a 4-1 win with goals from Pele - in his third and final World Cup appearance - Gerson, Jairzinho and skipper Carlos Alberto.

Group 1 results:
Mexico 0-0 USSR
Belgium 3-0 El Salvador
USSR 4-1 Belgium
Mexico 4-0 El Salvador
USSR 2-0 El Salvador
Mexico 1-0 Belgium

Group 2 results:
Uruguay 2-0 Israel
Italy 1-0 Sweden
Uruguay 0-0 Italy
Sweden 1-1 Israel
Sweden 1-0 Uruguay
Italy 0-0 Israel

Group 3 results:
England 1-0 Romania
Brazil 4-1 Czechoslovakia
Romania 2-1 Czechoslovakia
Brazil 1-0 England
Brazil 3-2 Romania
England 1-0 Czechoslovakia

Group 4 results:
Peru 3-2 Bulgaria
West Germany 2-1 Morocco
Peru 3-0 Morocco
West Germany 5-2 Bulgaria
West Germany 3-1 Peru
Bulgaria 1-1 Morocco

Quarter-finals results:
Brazil 4-2 Peru
West Germany 3-2 England (aet)
Uruguay 1-0 USSR (aet)
Italy 4-1 Mexico

Semi-finals results:
Brazil 3-1 Uruguay
Italy 4-3 West Germany (aet)

3rd/4th place play-off:
West Germany 1-0 Uruguay

World Cup Final:
Brazil 4-1 Italy

 

West Germany 1974

Hosts West Germany beat the total footballers of Holland in a dramatic final after the losers had taken the lead in the opening minute.

The West Germans had some great players, including Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller, but it was Holland's Johan Cruyff who emerged as the player of the tournament.

Off the pitch there was little harmony among the West Germans and their players were constantly at loggerheads with the authorities over player bonuses.

Bad feeling remained after the final and the team's victory celebrations were spoiled when several players walked out of the banquet after officials barred their wives.

England failed to qualify for the finals, and were joined on the sidelines by Hungary, Spain and France.

East Germany, Haiti, Australia and Zaire all made the finals for the first time.

The East Germans pulled off the shock of the first round, beating the hosts in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history and causing a mutiny among the West German players.

The East Germans battled their way through to the second round but lost out as Holland topped the group.

Brazil, who were struggling to adjust to life after Pele, claimed the runners-up spot and went into the third/fourth place play-off, which they lost 1-0 to Poland.

West Germany edged out the Poles in the other group to set up the final against Holland.

Despite their stylish play and early goal, the Dutch could not keep the Germans at bay.

Paul Breitner levelled matters with a penalty and Muller, playing his last match for West Germany, pounced for his 68th international goal to give the hosts the new World Cup trophy.

It was Muller's 14th goal of the tournament and took him past French legend Juste Fontaine's previous best of 13 World Cup goals.

Group 1 results:
West Germany 1-0 Chile
East Germany 2-0 Australia
Chile 1-1 East Germany
West Germany 3-0 Australia
Australia 0-0 Chile
East Germany 1-0 West Germany

Group 2 results:
Brazil 0-0 Yugoslavia
Scotland 2-0 Zaire
Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire
Scotland 0-0 Brazil
Scotland 1-1 Yugoslavia
Brazil 3-0 Zaire

Group 3 results:
Sweden 0-0 Bulgaria
Holland 2-0 Uruguay
Holland 0-0 Sweden
Bulgaria 1-1 Uruguay
Holland 4-1 Bulgaria
Sweden 3-0 Uruguay

Group 4 results:
Italy 3-1 Haiti
Poland 3-2 Argentina
Poland 7-0 Haiti
Argentina 1-1 Italy
Argentina 4-1 Haiti
Poland 2-1 Italy

Final round - Group A results:
Holland 4-0 Argentina
Brazil 1-0 East Germany
Holland 2-0 East Germany
Brazil 2-1 Argentina
Holland 2-0 Brazil
Argentina 1-1 East Germany

Group B results:
West Germany 2-0 Yugoslavia
Poland 1-0 Sweden
West Germany 4-2 Sweden
Poland 2-1 Yugoslavia
Sweden 2-1 Yugoslavia
West Germany 1-0 Poland

3rd/4th place play-off:
Poland 1-0 Brazil

World Cup Final:
West Germany 2-1 Holland

 

Argentina 1978

Some 48 years after reaching their first final, Argentina won their first World Cup, but the event was shrouded in controversy both on and off the pitch.

The country was ruled by a military dictatorship and there was a huge amount of opposition to Argentina hosting the event.

And, when a leading tournament official was assassinated en route to his first press conference, the doubts only intensified.

On the pitch, there were allegations of match rigging and the hosts' eventual victory was certainly not celebrated abroad.

Scotland qualified but England failed to reach the finals for the second tournament in a row.

There were threats of a major boycott in protest at General Videla's totalitarian regime.

But many of the top footballing nations - and first-timers such as Iran and Tunisia - ended up going.

The Scots may have wished they had not turned up as they were humiliated.

After grandiose and premature claims of title glory, the Tartan Army went out of the tournament after the first round, having lost to Peru and drawn against Iran.

France, who had not qualified since 1966, also fell at the first hurdle.

Holland - without the great Johan Cruyff, who had decided to stay away - waited until the second phase to show what they could do.

They made it to their second successive final by defeating Austria 5-1 and Italy 2-1, and drawing 2-2 with champions West Germany.

Argentina and Brazil battled it out in the other second-round group.

The hosts had to win their last game, against Peru, by four clear goals to pip Brazil on goal difference and go through to the final.

It did not prove a problem as they put six past the Peruvians, with Mario Kempes scoring twice.

Kempes went on to score two more in the final as Holland were beaten 3-1 after extra-time.

The odds had been stacked against the Dutch, who were made to wait by their hosts before the game, and were then on the wrong end of some dubious refereeing decisions.

Group 1 results:
Argentina 2-1 Hungary
Italy 2-1 France
Argentina 2-1 France
Italy 3-1 Hungary
Italy 1-0 Argentina
France 3-1 Hungary

Group 2 results:
West Germany 0-0 Poland
Tunisia 3-1 Mexico
West Germany 6-0 Mexico
Poland 1-0 Tunisia
West Germany 0-0 Tunisia
Poland 3-1 Mexico

Group 3 results:
Austria 2-1 Spain
Sweden 1-1 Brazil
Austria 1-0 Sweden
Brazil 0-0 Spain
Spain 1-0 Sweden
Brazil 1-0 Austria

Group 4 results:
Peru 3-1 Scotland
Holland 3-0 Iran
Scotland 1-1 Iran
Holland 0-0 Peru
Peru 4-1 Iran
Scotland 3-2 Holland

Final round - Group A results:
West Germany 0-0 Italy
Holland 5-1 Austria
Italy 1-0 Austria
West Germany 2-2 Holland
Holland 2-1 Italy
Austria 3-2 West Germany

Group B results:
Brazil 3-0 Peru
Argentina 2-0 Poland
Poland 1-0 Peru
Argentina 0-0 Brazil
Brazil 3-1 Poland
Argentina 6-0 Peru

3rd/4th place play-off:
Brazil 2-1 Italy

World Cup Final:
Argentina 3-1 Holland (aet)

 

Spain 1982

The star of the show was Paolo Rossi, who collected the Golden Boot as he helped Italy win their third World Cup.

Rossi had been banned in a match-fixing and bribery scandal, but he went from villain to hero as Italy beat West Germany to lift the title.

This was the first tournament with 24, rather than 16, teams and there were concerns before the event that many of the smaller nations would struggle to compete.

In the event most acquitted themselves admirably, and Northern Ireland pulled off one of the results of the tournament.

They beat hosts Spain 1-0 and topped their group in the opening stage.

The most bizarre incident, though, came when Kuwait walked off the pitch in their game against France in Valladolid after a row over whether the referee had blown his whistle to stop play.

They were ordered back on by Prince Fahid and France eventually won the match 4-1.

Scotland failed to reach the second stage and, although both Northern Ireland and England qualified, with Bryan Robson getting the fastest goal in World Cup history against France, that was as far as either team went.

England, back for the first time in 12 years, finished second to West Germany after two draws, while Northern Ireland finished bottom of their section as France topped the table.

The Germans had suffered the ignominy of being on the wrong end of the shock of the tournament, going down 2-1 to Algeria in the opening round.

X-rated challenge

But they made it through to the second phase after victory over Austria and the Germans, and went on to meet the French in the last four in a match that produced one of the most controversial incidents in World Cup history.

With the scores level at 1-1, France were denied a likely goal when German keeper Harald Schumacher took out Patrick Battiston with an x-rated challenge.

The French midfielder was carried off on a stretcher but Schumacher escaped a red card.

France took a 3-1 lead but Germany fought back to level the scores, before winning the match in a penalty shoot-out.

In the other semi-final, Rossi scored both goals as Italy beat Poland 2-0, and he was on target again in the final.

After Antonio Cabrini had become the first man to miss a penalty in a World Cup final, Rossi put the Italians ahead.

Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli made the game safe for the Azzurri, and Paul Breitner's late reply was little consolation for the Germans.

Group 1 results:
Italy 0-0 Poland
Peru 0-0 Cameroon
Italy 1-1 Peru
Poland 0-0 Cameroon
Poland 5-1 Peru
Italy 1-1 Cameroon

Group 2 results:
Algeria 2-1 West Germany
Austria 1-0 Chile
West Germany 4-1 Chile
Austria 2-0 Algeria
Algeria 3-2 Chile
West Germany 1-0 Austria

Group 3 results:
Belgium 1-0 Argentina
Hungary 10-1 El Salvador
Argentina 4-1 Hungary
Belgium 1-0 El Salvador
Belgium 1-1 Hungary
Argentina 2-0 El Salvador

Group 4 results:
England 3-1 France
Czechoslovakia 1-1 Kuwait
England 2-0 Czechoslovakia
France 4-1 Kuwait
France 1-1 Czechoslovakia
England 1-0 Kuwait

Group 5 results:
Spain 1-1 Honduras
Yugoslavia 0-0 Northern Ireland
Spain 2-1 Yugoslavia
Honduras 1-1 Northern Ireland
Yugoslavia 1-0 Honduras
Northern Ireland 1-0 Spain

Group 6 results:
Brazil 2-1 USSR
Scotland 5-2 New Zealand
Brazil 4-1 Scotland
USSR 3-0 New Zealand
USSR 2-2 Scotland
Brazil 4-0 New Zealand

Second round - Group A results:
Poland 3-0 Belgium
USSR 1-0 Belgium
Poland 0-0 USSR

Group B results:
West Germany 0-0 England
West Germany 2-1 Spain
Spain 0-0 England

Group C results:
Italy 2-1 Argentina
Brazil 3-1 Argentina
Italy 3-2 Brazil

Group D results:
France 1-0 Austria
Austria 2-2 Northern Ireland
France 4-1 Northern Ireland

Semi-finals results:
Italy 2-0 Poland
West Germany 3-3 France (aet)
(West Germany win 5-4 on penalties)

3rd/4th place play-off:
Poland 3-2 France

World Cup Final:
Italy 3-1 West Germany (3-1)

Mexico 1986

The Mexico World Cup was dominated by one man in a way no one had managed since Pele.

Argentina's Diego Maradona proved beyond doubt that he was the best player of his generation, and maybe of all time.

He scored one of the finest goals ever seen as he steered the South Americans to the final and, although he was not at his most influential, Argentina still won a thriller 3-2.

However, his glittering tournament also contained one of the most contentious on-pitch moments in World Cup history.

Playing against England in the quarter-finals he punched the ball past Peter Shilton to give Argentina the lead.

Three of the home nations qualified for Mexico, but only England made it through the group stages.

Northern Ireland and Scotland, who failed to beat 10-man Uruguay, both missed out on the last 16.

England struggled initially but a Gary Lineker hat-trick against Poland sent them through to play Paraguay in the second round.

Lineker went on to win the Golden Boot as the tournament's leading scorer with six goals.

England's 3-0 win set up a quarter-final against Argentina, with the memory of the Falklands War still fresh in the minds of people in both countries.

Maradona gave Argentina the lead with his infamous "Hand of God" goal and, before the England defenders could recover their composure, the maverick Argentine ran from his own half to score arguably the greatest World Cup goal of all time.

Lineker pulled one back for England as substitute John Barnes tormented the South Americans' defence, but Argentina held on.

A gifted French team, with Platini, Giresse and Tigana in midfield, beat Brazil on penalties after a marvellous quarter-final, but they lost to West Germany in the last four.

Argentina cruised past Belgium in the other semi to set up a potentially great final, and it turned out to be a classic.

The Germans came back from two goals down to equalise with less than 10 minutes remaining.

However, a defence-splitting pass from Maradona set up Jorge Burruchaga to clinch a 3-2 victory and secure Argentina's second World Cup.

Group 1 results:
Bulgaria 1-1 Italy
Argentina 3-1 South Korea
South Korea 1-1 Bulgaria
Italy 1-1 Argentina
Argentina 2-0 Bulgaria
Italy 3-2 South Korea

Group 2 results:
Mexico 2-1 Belgium
Paraguay 1-0 Iraq
Mexico 1-1 Paraguay
Belgium 2-1 Iraq
Mexico 1-0 Iraq
Paraguay 2-2 Belgium

Group 3 results:
France 1-0 Canada
USSR 6-0 Hungary
France 1-1 USSR
Hungary 2-0 Canada
USSR 2-0 Canada
France 3-0 Hungary

Group 4 results:
Brazil 1-0 Spain
Algeria 1-1 Northern Ireland
Brazil 1-0 Algeria
Spain 2-1 Northern Ireland
Brazil 3-0 Northern Ireland
Spain 3-0 Algeria

Group 5 results:
Denmark 1-0 Scotland
Uruguay 1-1 West Germany
Denmark 6-1 Uruguay
West Germany 2-1 Scotland
Scotland 0-0 Uruguay
Denmark 2-0 West Germany

Group 6 results:
Morocco 0-0 Poland
Portugal 1-0 England
England 0-0 Morocco
Poland 1-0 Portugal
Morocco 3-1 Portugal
England 3-0 Poland

Second Round results:
Belgium 4-3 USSR (aet)
Mexico 2-0 Bulgaria
Brazil 4-0 Poland
Argentina 1-0 Uruguay
France 2-0 Italy
West Germany 1-0 Morocco
England 3-0 Paraguay
Spain 5-1 Denmark

Quarter-finals results:
France 1-1 Brazil (aet)
(France win 4-3 on penalties)
West Germany 0-0 Mexico (aet)
(West Germany win 4-1 on penalties)
Argentina 2-1 England (2-1)
Belgium 1-1 Spain (aet)
(Belgium win 5-4 on penalties)

Semi-finals results:
West Germany 2-0 France
Argentina 2-0 Belgium

3rd/4th place play-off:
France 4-2 Belgium (aet)

World Cup Final:
Argentina 3-2 West Germany

 

Italy 1990

Italia 90 was dominated by negative, defensive football and the final was probably the worst in World Cup history.

It was won by West Germany, who beat Argentina 1-0 thanks to a dubious Andreas Brehme penalty.

The South Americans were a shadow of the side that had lifted the trophy four years before.

They were lucky even to make it past the first stage after losing to nine-man Cameroon in the opening game.

The Indomitable Lions were every neutral's favourites before finally losing to a mightily relieved England in the last eight.

The English went on to reach the last four for the first time since 1966, before losing to Germany on penalties.

The match in Turin produced one of the most vivid images of the tournament as Paul Gascoigne burst into tears after a booking which meant he would miss the final if England beat the Germans.

Luciano Pavarotti, who sang the tournament anthem Nessun Dorma, became a global celebrity, but, with the exception of Roger Milla and his Cameroon team-mates, there were too few stars on the pitch.

The Republic of Ireland were making their first appearance in the final stages of a World Cup.

They drew 1-1 with England in their group match, a result which helped both teams go through.

In the last 16, Ireland beat Romania on penalties, while England overcame Belgium courtesy of a dramatic David Platt volley in the last minute of extra-time.

That brought them up against Cameroon in the last eight and the Africans gave England an almighty shock.

With 38-year-old Roger Milla once again excelling as a second-half substitute, Cameroon took a 2-1 lead before two Gary Lineker penalties helped England through, again after extra-time.

A solitary goal from the prolific Toto Schilaci saw Italy beat Ireland to move into the last four, where they played Argentina in Naples, while England faced their old rivals.

Both matches went to penalties, with Germany and Argentina winning to set up a re-match of the 1986 final.

England lost the third-place play-off 2-1 to the hosts, but Germany gained revenge for their defeat by Argentina four years before.

Brehme coolly converted the decisive penalty in the 85th minute to win the Germans their third title.

Argentina became the first side not to score in the final and to have not one, but two players sent off.

Group 1 results:
Italy 1-0 Austria
Czechoslovakia 5-1 United States
Italy 1-0 United States
Czechoslovakia 1-0 Austria
Austria 2-1 United States
Italy 2-0 Czechoslovakia

Group 2 results:
Cameroon 1-0 Argentina
Romania 2-0 USSR
Argentina 2-0 USSR
Cameroon 2-1 Romania
USSR 4-0 Cameroon
Argentina 1-1 Romania

Group 3 results:
Brazil 2-1 Sweden
Costa Rica 1-0 Scotland
Scotland 2-1 Sweden
Brazil 1-0 Costa Rica
Costa Rica 2-1 Sweden
Brazil 1-0 Scotland

Group 4 results:
Colombia 2-0 UAE
West Germany 4-1 Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia 1-0 Colombia
West Germany 5-1 UAE
Yugoslavia 4-1 UAE
West Germany 1-1 Colombia

Group 5 results:
Belgium 2-0 South Korea
Uruguay 0-0 Spain
Spain 3-1 South Korea
Belgium 3-1 Uruguay
Uruguay 1-0 South Korea
Spain 2-1 Belgium

Group 6 results:
England 1-1 Rep of Ireland
Holland 1-1 Egypt
England 0-0 Holland
Rep of Ireland 0-0 Egypt
England 1-0 Egypt
Rep of Ireland 1-1 Holland

Second round results:
Czechoslovakia 4-1 Costa Rica
Cameroon 2-1 Colombia (aet)
West Germany 2-1 Holland
Argentina 1-0 Brazil
Rep of Ireland 0-0 Romania (aet)
(Rep of Ireland win 5-4 on penalties)
Italy 2-0 Uruguay
England 1-0 Belgium (aet)
Yugoslavia 2-1 Spain

Quarter-finals results:
Argentina 0-0 Yugoslavia (aet)
(Argentina win 3-2 on penalties)
Italy 1-0 Rep of Ireland
West Germany 1-0 Czechoslovakia
England 3-2 Cameroon (aet)

Semi-finals results:
Argentina 1-1 Italy (aet)
(Argentina win 4-3 on penalties)
West Germany 1-1 England (aet)
(West Germany win 4-3 on penalties)

3rd/4th place play-off:
Italy 2-1 England

World Cup Final:
West Germany 1-0 Argentina

 

USA 1994

The 1994 World Cup saw Brazil become the first team to win the tournament four times as they beat Italy on penalties.

Despite initial concerns about taking the event to the United States, huge crowds ensured the tournament was a great success.

The hosts did their bit on the pitch by reaching the second round, where they lost 1-0 to the eventual champions, and they were not the only lesser side to distinguish themselves.

Sweden and Bulgaria both reached the last four, with the Scandinavians beating Bulgaria 4-0 to finish third.

However, there was a shocking postscript to the match between Colombia and the United States when Andres Escobar was murdered on his return to the troubled South American country.

Escobar had conceded an own goal in a surprise 2-1 defeat.

Diego Maradona was banned mid-tournament after taking illegal, performance-enhancing drugs, and none of the British teams even made it as far as America.

The tournament saw far better football than the dour play that affected Italia 90 and it got off to an entertaining start in the group stages.

The Republic of Ireland scored a notable 1-0 win over Italy courtesy of a Ray Houghton goal, and the Italians were lucky to scrape through the group stages.

Arrigo Sacchi's constant tactical changes unsettled the team, and the eventual finalists were also fortunate to beat Nigeria to reach the quarter-finals.

Ireland fell in the last 16, losing 2-0 to Holland, but Europe dominated the last eight, with seven teams reaching the stage for the first time since 1958.

Carried the flag

South American giants Argentina, unable to cope without Maradona, missed out after losing 3-2 to Romania.

The only non-European side to make the quarter-finals were Brazil, who eased past the hosts in the last 16, and they carried the flag for the rest of the world by beating Holland 3-2.

The shock of the round came when Bulgaria came back from a one-goal deficit to beat Germany 2-1 through goals from the legendary Hristo Stoichkov and Iordan Letchkov.

In the semi-finals, Brazil squeezed past an inspired Swedish team thanks to a single Romario goal to set up a final against fellow three-time winners Italy.

The Azzurri beat Bulgaria 2-1 with a brace from Roberto Baggio.

The "Divine Ponytail" was Italy's best player throughout the tournament, but the final was to be a bitter disappointment for the skillful Italian.

The two sides had an audience of 94,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, but they produced a poor match that was out of keeping with the rest of the tournament.