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Game of the Century (football)
Encyclopedia
The semi-final of the 1970 FIFA World Cup
between Italy
and West Germany
is known as the "Game of the Century" . It was played on 17 June 1970 at the Estadio Azteca
in Mexico City
. Italy won 4–3 after five goals were scored in extra time, the only FIFA World Cup
game in which this has happened.
scored in the 8th minute. However, defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
equalized for West Germany during injury time at the end of the second half. German television commentator Ernst Huberty exclaimed "Schnellinger, of all people!", since Schnellinger played in Italy's professional football league, Serie A
, at AC Milan
(for whom he rarely scored) and previously for A.S. Roma
and A.C. Mantova
. It was also his first and only goal in 47 matches for the national team. The second half ended with the scores level at 1–1, and at this point the match became a battle of endurance during the two periods of extra time.
Gerd Müller
put West Germany ahead in the 94th minute, but Tarcisio Burgnich
equalised four minutes later and Luigi Riva
put the Italians back in front. Gerd Müller
scored again for West Germany to level at 3–3. Yet, as television cameras were still replaying Müller's goal, Italy's Gianni Rivera
scored the decisive goal in the 111th minute. Being left unmarked near the penalty area, Rivera connected a fine cross made by Boninsegna, securing the victory for Italy at 4–3.
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WEST GERMANY:
|
GK
1
Sepp Maier
RB
7
Berti Vogts
CB
15
Bernd Patzke
CB
5
Willi Schulz
LB
3
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
CM
4
Franz Beckenbauer
CM
12
Wolfgang Overath
RW
20
Jürgen Grabowski
CF
9
Uwe Seeler (c)
CF
13
Gerd Müller
LW
17
Hannes Löhr
Substitutions:
MF
14
Reinhard Libuda
MF
10
Siegfried Held
Manager:
Helmut Schön
they were permanently assigned the Jules Rimet Trophy, which from the 1974 world championship was substituted by the FIFA World Cup Trophy
. Had Italy managed to prevail the inverse would have happened since both teams had two Rimet Cup wins under their belts.
There is a monument commemorating this match in front of the Azteca
. On a plaque the following sentence is engraved: El Estadio Azteca rinde homenaje a las selecciones de: Italia (4) y Alemania (3) protagonistas en el Mundial de 1970, del "Partido del Siglo" 17 de junio de 1970. English
: The Azteca Stadium pays homage to the National Teams of Italy (4) and Germany (3), who starred in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, the "Game of the Century". June 17th 1970.
(2006) Motson's World Cup Extravaganza GREAT GAMES: ITALY 4-3 WEST GERMANY, 1970
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
between Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
and West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
is known as the "Game of the Century" . It was played on 17 June 1970 at the Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics....
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Italy won 4–3 after five goals were scored in extra time, the only FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
game in which this has happened.
The match
Italy led for the majority of the match, after Roberto BoninsegnaRoberto Boninsegna
Roberto Boninsegna is an Italian former football player.He started his career in Serie B with Prato in 1963-64 season. He transferred to FC Potenza, who was Serie B team in 1964-65 season. He also played for Varese in 1965-66 and Cagliari between 1966-1969...
scored in the 8th minute. However, defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger is a former German footballer. He was one of the world's best defenders for a decade in the 1960s. He was nicknamed the "Volkswagen" for his continuity of performance, both in quantity and in quality...
equalized for West Germany during injury time at the end of the second half. German television commentator Ernst Huberty exclaimed "Schnellinger, of all people!", since Schnellinger played in Italy's professional football league, Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, at AC Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
(for whom he rarely scored) and previously for A.S. Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
and A.C. Mantova
A.C. Mantova
Mantova Football Club is an Italian football club, based in Mantua, Lombardy. Mantova had played consecutively in the Italian Serie B from the 2005–06 season to 2009–10 as Associazione Calcio Mantova, when they were relegated after ending the season in 20th place.During the summer 2010, the club...
. It was also his first and only goal in 47 matches for the national team. The second half ended with the scores level at 1–1, and at this point the match became a battle of endurance during the two periods of extra time.
Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
put West Germany ahead in the 94th minute, but Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich
Tarcisio Burgnich is a former Italian football defender.After short spells at Udinese, Juventus and Palermo, it was with Internazionale that he found his spiritual home in the 1960s...
equalised four minutes later and Luigi Riva
Luigi Riva
Luigi Riva , best known as Gigi Riva or by his nickname Rombo di Tuono , is a former Italian footballer, the all-time leading scorer for the Italian national team...
put the Italians back in front. Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
scored again for West Germany to level at 3–3. Yet, as television cameras were still replaying Müller's goal, Italy's Gianni Rivera
Gianni Rivera
Giovanni Rivera is an Italian former football midfielder, mostly as an offensive playmaker, who was awarded the Ballon d'Or, one of the most prestigious individual awards in football, in 1969. He played the majority of his career with Serie A side A.C. Milan...
scored the decisive goal in the 111th minute. Being left unmarked near the penalty area, Rivera connected a fine cross made by Boninsegna, securing the victory for Italy at 4–3.
Match overview
| style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> |  ITALY: |
|||
| GK | 1 | Enrico Albertosi Enrico Albertosi Enrico "Ricky" Albertosi is an Italian former footballer who played goalkeeper for the Italian national team in the 1966 World Cup and the 1970 World Cup.... |
||
| DF | 2 | Tarcisio Burgnich Tarcisio Burgnich Tarcisio Burgnich is a former Italian football defender.After short spells at Udinese, Juventus and Palermo, it was with Internazionale that he found his spiritual home in the 1960s... |
||
| DF | 3 | Giacinto Facchetti Giacinto Facchetti Giacinto Facchetti was an Italian football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered... (c) |
||
| DF | 5 | Pierluigi Cera Pierluigi Cera Pierluigi Cera is a former Italian footballer.During his club career he played for Verona, Cagliari and Cesena. He earned 18 caps for the Italy national football team, and played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, including the 1970 FIFA World Cup Final.-References:... |
||
| DF | 8 | Roberto Rosato Roberto Rosato Roberto Rosato was an Italian footballer.He played for 15 seasons in the Serie A for A.C. Torino, A.C. Milan and Genoa C.F.C.... |
||
| MF | 10 | Mario Bertini Mario Bertini Mario Bertini is a former Italian footballer defender / midfielder.During his club career he played for Empoli, Fiorentina and Inter Milan. He earned 25 caps for the Italy national football team, and played in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. In the final he marked Pele in his movements in depth out side... |
||
| MF | 15 | Sandro Mazzola | ||
| MF | 16 | Giancarlo De Sisti Giancarlo De Sisti Giancarlo de Sisti is a former Italian footballer and football manager.Best known by his nickname Picchio, during his career he played for A.S. Roma and ACF Fiorentina... |
||
| FW | 13 | Angelo Domenghini Angelo Domenghini Angelo Domenghini is an Italian former footballer.Born in Lallio, province of Bergamo, he played for Italy in both the finals of the 1968 European Championship and 1970 World Cup. He played 164 times for Internazionale scoring 54 goals for the club. He also played for Cagliari. He ended his career... |
||
| FW | 20 | Roberto Boninsegna Roberto Boninsegna Roberto Boninsegna is an Italian former football player.He started his career in Serie B with Prato in 1963-64 season. He transferred to FC Potenza, who was Serie B team in 1964-65 season. He also played for Varese in 1965-66 and Cagliari between 1966-1969... |
||
| FW | 11 | Luigi Riva Luigi Riva Luigi Riva , best known as Gigi Riva or by his nickname Rombo di Tuono , is a former Italian footballer, the all-time leading scorer for the Italian national team... |
||
| Substitutions: | ||||
| MF | 14 | Gianni Rivera Gianni Rivera Giovanni Rivera is an Italian former football midfielder, mostly as an offensive playmaker, who was awarded the Ballon d'Or, one of the most prestigious individual awards in football, in 1969. He played the majority of his career with Serie A side A.C. Milan... |
||
| DF | 4 | Fabrizio Poletti Fabrizio Poletti Fabrizio Poletti is a former Italian footballer.During his club career he played for AC Asti , Torino , Cagliari and Sampdoria.... |
||
| Manager: | ||||
 Ferruccio Valcareggi |
||||
WEST GERMANY:
Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria...
Bernd Patzke
Bernd Patzke is a former German football player.-External links:*...
Willi Schulz
Willi Schulz is a former German international football player.Schulz played his first of altogether 66 games for West Germany in 1959 at a time when he was still an amateur for lower league club Union Günnigfeld...
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger is a former German footballer. He was one of the world's best defenders for a decade in the 1960s. He was nicknamed the "Volkswagen" for his continuity of performance, both in quantity and in quality...
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
Wolfgang Overath
Wolfgang Overath is a former West German football player. He represented his country three times in World Cup finals, culminating in 1974 with victory on home soil...
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
Hannes Löhr
Johannes Löhr is a former German international football player and manager.Hannes Löhr was coach of the West German team that won Bronze at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.-External links:*...
Reinhard Libuda
Reinhard "Stan" Libuda was a German footballer playing on the right wing....
Siegfried Held
Sigfried "Siggi" Held is a former German football player and now a football coach. He played as a centre-forward.Born in Freudenthal, Sudetenland , his first football club was Kickers Offenbach. In 1965 he became a player in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund...
Helmut SchönHelmut Schön
Helmut Schön was a German football player and manager. He is best remembered for his exceptional career as manager of West Germany....
Consequences
The stress and effort profused in winning the hard-fought match proved to be the undoing of the Italian team in the subsequent final game, where the Azzurri were roundly defeated by Brazil 4 goals to one. Brazil thus became the first team to win three world football championships and, according by the rules set out by Jules RimetJules Rimet
Jules Rimet was a French football administrator who was the 3rd President of FIFA, serving from 1921 to 1954. He was FIFA's longest serving president, having served for 33 years. He also served as the president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1946...
they were permanently assigned the Jules Rimet Trophy, which from the 1974 world championship was substituted by the FIFA World Cup Trophy
FIFA World Cup Trophy
The World Cup is a gold trophy that is awarded to the winners of the FIFA World Cup. Since the advent of the World Cup in 1930, two trophies have represented victory: the Jules Rimet Trophy from 1930 to 1970, and the FIFA World Cup Trophy from 1974 to the present day.The trophy, originally named...
. Had Italy managed to prevail the inverse would have happened since both teams had two Rimet Cup wins under their belts.
Monument
Estadio Azteca
Estadio Azteca is a stadium in Santa Ursula, Mexico City, Mexico. It is the official home stadium of the Mexico national football team and the Mexican team Club América.The stadium was the venue for football soccer in the 1968 Summer Olympics....
. On a plaque the following sentence is engraved: El Estadio Azteca rinde homenaje a las selecciones de: Italia (4) y Alemania (3) protagonistas en el Mundial de 1970, del "Partido del Siglo" 17 de junio de 1970. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: The Azteca Stadium pays homage to the National Teams of Italy (4) and Germany (3), who starred in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, the "Game of the Century". June 17th 1970.
External links
Motson, JohnJohn Motson
John Walker Motson OBE ,AKA Motty, is an English football commentator on both television and radio as well a well known moter. He made his name as 'Moty' after he moted out the entire Huddersfield huddersfield cheerleaders team. writer.-Biography:The son of a Methodist minister, Motson was educated...
(2006) Motson's World Cup Extravaganza GREAT GAMES: ITALY 4-3 WEST GERMANY, 1970