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World Cup oddities

The player to score the most goals in a single World Cup game is Oleg Salenko, with five against Cameroon in USA '94. Russia won the game 6-1, a result that saw them knocked out of the tournament.

Salenko's only other claim to fame is being in Blue_Wes' World Cup USA '94 Dream Team.
 
The names of the world cup mascots:


World Cup Willie
Juanito
Tip and Tap
Gauchito
Naranjito
Pique
Ciao
Striker
Footix
Ato, Kaz, and Nik (The Spheriks)
Goleo VI Sidekick: Pille
Zakumi
Fuleco
Zabivaka

Fun fact: Goleo VI appears in Atomic Kitten's "All Together Now (Strong Together)", released in the spring of 2006. The song was a remake of The Farm's "All Together Now".
 
In May 1960, as the preparations were well under way for the 1962 world cup, Chile suffered the largest earthquake ever recorded (9.5 magnitude), which caused enormous damage to the national infrastructure. In the face of this, Carlos Dittborn, the president of the Organization Committee, coined the phrase "Because we don't have anything, we will do everything in our power to rebuild".

Sadly, Dittborn did not live to see the success of his efforts, as he died one month before the start of the tournament. The World Cup venue at Arica was named Estadio Carlos Dittborn in his honour and bears his name to this day.
 
In the 1954 final, West Germany were unseeded (they were banned from playing in 1950). Hungary were clear favourites, 36 games unbeaten and with Puskas playing. They had also beaten a reserve German side 8-3 earlier in the tournament. It started to rain - something the captain lied playing in (it is still called Fritz-Walter-Wetter ("Fritz Walter's weather") in Germany).

Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas, had provided shoes with exchangeable studs for the German team.

West Germany won the "Miracle of Berne" 3-2 thanks to an effort by Puskas being deemed offside in the late stages of the game.

West Germany's victory in the final is considered one of the greatest upsets of all time and one of the finest achievements in German sporting history. The West German team was made up of amateur players, as Germany did not have a professional league at this time, while the Hungarians were de jure amateurs, like all the communist countries at that time, but playing football as professionals, mainly for Budapesti Honvéd FC and later for major clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, and were ranked best in the world. This is the only time a team has won the World Cup with amateur footballers.
 
try looking up,found out by a German"UNI",think in Berlin..that the German 58 winners were all "injected" by "something",which MAY have helped them win.
Also the first world cup,(i believe),which players HAD to take drug tests was the 1966 wc finals....two players tested positive,both from the same team and game ..the final...!!
 
When hosts Brazil scored against Mexico in the first match of the 1950 World Cup there was a pitch invasion.

Not from fans but from reporters seeking immediate quotes from goalscorer and goalkeeper. This was apparently the custom in Brazil. English ref George Reader had to clear the pitch before the game could continue.
 
Turkey - semi-finalists in 2002 you'll remember - have only qualified twice for the World Cup. That just struck me as very low.

Of course, it also reminded me of the 80s, when England habitually thrashed them :smile:
 
This is still the best save ever at a world cup:

[video=youtube;ngE9RCAdWaE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngE9RCAdWaE[/video]
 
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This tiny little stadium in Antibes - now host to a French eighth tier side - has hosted a World Cup Finals fixture.

img-001234.jpeg
 
In 1978 France played Hungary in Group in Mar Del Plata. However, both teams turned up in the changed kits of white. Neither brought their first choice. France ended up playing in a green and white striped number (resembling a pacer sweet, for those with long memories) which was borrowed from a local side from the Argentine third tier.
 
Guiseppe Bergomi played in four World Cups but didn't play a single World Cup qualifying game

1982 - called in to the squad after the qualifiers
1986 - Italy qualified as winners
1990 - Italy qualified as hosts
1998 - called in to the squad after the qualifiers
 
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