England 2 Greece 2 - 2001
All great tales need a character looking for redemption and this one is no different. This match was to be a walk in the Old Trafford park for Sven-Goran Eriksson's men needing just a draw to qualify for the 2002 Finals. However England fell behind twice to the plucky Greeks (who would go on to win Euro 2004) and despite the on-field heroics of captain David Beckham found themselves going into injury time facing defeat and a World Cup qualifier play-off match. After countless previous free kicks from similar range, Beckham again found himself 25 yards out in front of goal and proceeded to curl the sweetest of strikes into the top left hand corner of the Greek net. With St Etienne all but forgotten cue delirium on and off the pitch and a bizarre smile/smirk from Sven and England were on their way to the Finals in Japan and South Korea with the eventual winners Brazil putting the end to England's World Cup dreams and delivering another four more years of hurt. Let me know if you think I've missed any other worthy contenders. Hopefully this has reminded you of some great World Cup qualifying games and put you in the mood for this week's matches. From one England fan to no doubt countless others, see you on the other side.