10 Most Shocking World Cup Moments Ever
5. The Battle Of Santiago
The ‘Battle Of Nuremberg' at the 2006 World Cup went down in history for featuring the most red and yellow cards, but the 'Battle Of Santiago' was way worse. It was the 1962 World Cup and the host nation, Chile, was going up against Italy in a group stage clash that would go down in history as one of the most violent football games on record.
Red and yellow cards didn’t actually exist back then, but two players were sent off and police had to intervene multiple times to break up fights between the two teams. It only took 12 seconds for the first foul to occur and an Italian player was sent off just 12 minutes later. Both Chilean and Italian players were seen throwing punches and kicks at each other throughout the game, which English referee Ken Aston struggled to control.
The build-up to the game had been riddled with tension after a petty war of words between Italian and Chilean journalists. One Italian player was left with a broken nose from a particularly nasty punch and the two teams repeatedly clashed in a match that ultimately ended in a 2-0 win for Chile.