2. England v Germany
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiBxyPqV1BY Some would argue that this is a rivalry generated solely by the English population but nevertheless it is a substantial football rivalry that has roots embedded throughout history. When discussing any rivalry between England and Germany you would be remiss to mention the effect that the Second World War played in their establishment as footballing rivalries are generated first by the history of the two competing nations and secondly by the on-field exploits which eventually amplify them. These two national teams have 26 times since 1930 with England edging Germany in the wins column 12-11. Some of the more notable matches between the two all come in the post-WW2 era. The first meeting to discuss was the World Cup Final of 1966. This was one of five times England and Germany have met in the world's biggest footballing tournament. Played at Wembley in July of '66 in front of 98,000 people, the first and only World Cup success for England came against a West German side and finished with a highly entertaining and controversial 4-2 result. The match was tied after 90 minutes at 2-2 and what happened eight minutes into extra time was to remain a part of World Cup folklore. Geoff Hurst's second of the match was dubbed a 'ghost goal' as his shot deflected off the crossbar and was ruled to have crossed the line when replays suggest it had not (this depends on whether you were born German or English however). Hurst added a third later in extra time to complete his hat-trick and a victory for the English National Team on home soil was the sweetest of successes. The most recent meeting of the two came at the second-stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Germany went onto the park that day with the strongest team it had had since its 1990 tournament victory and dismantled England 4-1 to advance to the quarter-finals. The irony of this particular meeting was that shortly before half-time a Frank Lampard shot deflected off the crossbar and replays showed the ball crossing the line but the goal was not given. If the correct decision was made it would have been 2-2 at half-time and the result may have been different. However, you cannot blame German fans of the redemption felt for what they believed was a great injustice almost half a century earlier.