10 Most Shocking World Cup Moments Ever
3. The Hand Of God
It was the quarter finals of the 1986 World Cup and England were playing Argentina. The teams had cancelled each other out in the first half, but six minutes after the restart, Diego Maradona did something that many English fans will never forgive him for.
Attempting a one-two with a teammate, Maradona burst into the box. England midfielder Steve Hodge misplaced his interception and inadvertently set up the diminutive Argentinian for one of the most famous goals he’d ever score. Maradona leapt into the air, using his left hand to punch the ball over England keeper Peter Shilton, who was a lot taller than the Argentina midfielder, and into the net.
It was a goal that stunned millions of spectators into silence. Everyone had seen that Maradona had used his hand. Well, everyone except the referee and the linesman, who decided to let the goal stand. The mercurial Maradona scored again a few minutes later and Argentina won 2-1. In post-game interviews, Maradona famously said he’d used his head to score the goal, with a little help from the ‘hand of God’.