20 Best FIFA World Cup Goals Ever

The third-place playoff is often dismissed as the World Cup's most meaningless game, an inadequate consolation trophy for teams already in a miserable mood after their earlier elimination. But that doesn't mean that it can't produce moments of great spectacle.

The 1978 Brazil team were unfortunate to even be in the playoff at all. They hadn't lost a single game in the tournament (which then operated via two group stages to reach the final) and had been level on points with eventual winners Argentina. Brazil's elimination on goal difference only happened after a suspiciously comfortable 6-0 win for the Argentinian hosts against Peru.

Perhaps, then, they had something to prove in the playoff. Certainly, after going a goal down to Italy, Brazil came out fighting.

Just over an hour in and still 1-0 down, Brazil found Cruzeiro right back Nelinho far out on the right wing. Nelinho struck the ball with the outside of his right foot into the box and it swerved wildly into the goal. The curl on the ball is enough to make it look like it took a deflection off an Italian defender, but it didn't, Nelinho's strike just curved that much and left Dino Zoff, one of the greatest goalkeepers in history, completely helpless.

Years later Nelinho admitted that the goal was a mishit cross, but that shouldn't take away from what a stunning shot it turned out to be instead.