FIFA World Cup History: Zinedine Zidane Head-Butt to Roberto Baggio’s Missed Penalty, Most Heartbreaking Moments From Football WC

The World Cup arouses passion and sense of pride among the fans whose expectations the players have constantly got to exceed. The players are put under a lot of pressure with millions watching your each and every move. This pressure sometimes leads to players committing avoidable mistakes or even losing their plot completely leading to catastrophe. Such heart breaks have become a norm when we consider a tournament as big as a World Cup. Here we look at some of the most heartbreaking tales that have emerged from the past editions. FIFA World Cup 2018 Schedule in IST for PDF Download: Fixtures, Groups, Time Table with Match Timings & Venue Details of Football WC in Russia.

1. Zinedine Zidane gets sent off in his last professional match (2006 World Cup)

Zinedine Zidane came out of retirement to lead his country France to a World Cup final where the mighty Italians awaited in the 2006 World Cup. Zizou scored a first-half penalty to give the Les Bleus the lead before Marco Materazzi leapt highest to equalise for Italy. In the second half of extra time when the match was heading towards extra time, in a complete moment of madness, Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi in the chest after the defender apparently provoked the French legend.

Zidane was immediately sent off, and his departure meant France also lost a key man for the penalty duty. David Trezeguet then failed from the spot to hand Italy the cup. But, what a painful end to Zinedine Zidane’s career, considered arguably one of the greatest of all time.

2. Roberto Baggio’s missed penalty in the shootout loss to Brazil in final (1994 World Cup)

Italian playmaker Roberto Baggio was at the prime of his form at the 1994 World Cup in the USA. He has single-handedly guided his team to the final of the tournament by scoring important goals at the right moments when his side desperately searched for one. He scored twice in the Round of 16 match against Nigeria in a 2-1 win, found the winner against Spain in the quarters before his brace knocked out the Bulgarians in the semis.

In the final against Brazil with his side trailing 3-2 in the shootout, Baggio saw his penalty sail over the crossbar as he failed to keep his team in the cup. He left the field in tears in what is still considered one of the saddest moments on a football pitch.

3. Brazil humiliated by Germany 7-1 in front of home fans (2014 World Cup)

Imagine playing in front of capacity stadium in a World Cup semi-final and getting absolutely annihilated by a German juggernaut an to an extent where the entire nation weeps, the Brazil faced the heartbreak which just does not erase from the minds of the fans. Four years have now passed since that fateful evening in Belo Horizonte which till date is the darkest moment in Brazilian football history. The absence of Neymar was one of the main factors for Brazil’s disastrous performance, but the eleven men on the pitch were certainly capable of defeating the Germans.

4. Arjen Robben two costly misses in the final defeat against Spain in South Africa (2010 World Cup)

Arjen Robben is always considered as one of the Netherland’s greats, but history will also judge him as a player who had the chance to win the World Cup for the Dutch in the finals of the competition in 2010 in South Africa. He was put through on clear on goal and when one on one with Iker Casillas of Spain and he squandered both these opportunities. Spain won the cup in extra time in a keenly contested game by an Andres Iniesta effort but the entire Orange army still has painful memories of those two crucial moments when Robben fluffed his lines.

5. Gazza’s tears after being booked against Germany (1990 World Cup)

Paul Gascoigne is one of best English midfielders of all time and he is enthusiasm and skills guided England to their first and only World Cup semi-final since their victorious campaign in 1966. Playing against Germany was always going to be tough for the English team, but they held firm. One of the most iconic images from the game was the booking of Gazza which rendered him unavailable for the final due to an accumulation of cards. A teary-eyed Gazza just could not come to terms with the booking and was in utter despair. England went out on penalties and did not make the finals is a different story, but 1990 World Cup will always be remembered for Gazzas passion for The Three Lions.

We look forward to more stories and events that will surely crop up in Russia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Although it is a team sport, it is usually an individual who often ends up deciding his countries campaign.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2018 05:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).