Heading to the bar mid-match is always a risk. It’s a toss up between wetting your whistle and staying put to catch a crucial goal, sending-off or penalty. Using the expertise of sport data specialists Opta, Budweiser has compiled the top 45 moments of football no one wanted to miss and some great stats to show off with down the pub*:
And to help you avoid missing crucial moments during this year’s tournament, Budweiser has launched a limited edition Trophy Bottle especially for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Cleverly designed to last a whole 45 minutes of football, the limited edition bottle is 50 per cent bigger than regular bottles, making it the ultimate refreshment.
The Perfect 45 Minutes…
1. After just 11 seconds, Turkey's Hakan Sükür scored the fastest goal in a World Cup history against South Korea in the 2002 third place play-off
2. Johan Neesken's second minute penalty against West Germany in 1974 remains the fastest ever goal in the final of a World Cup, as well as being the first ever spot-kick in a final
3. Paraguay's Carlos Gamarra kick-started England's 2006 World Cup Finals campaign, netting an own goal in the Three Lions' opening game of the tournament
4. Tibor Nyilasi bagged the first of Hungary's 10 goals against El Salvador (the game ended 10-1), becoming the only side ever to hit double figures in a World Cup Finals game
5. Saudi Arabian striker Saeed Owairan picked up the ball in the fifth minute and ran almost the entire length of the pitch before finishing off one of the greatest World Cup goals against Belgium in the 1994 Group Stages
6. Diego Maradona scored arguably the most infamous World Cup goal ever, when the ‘Hand of God’ knocked the ball past Peter Shilton six minutes into the second half of Argentina’s 1986 quarter-final against England
7. Zinedine Zidane helped France make the perfect start in the 2006 final against Italy, converting a spot-kick in the seventh minute. However, he would end his World Cup career in a rather less positive manner.
8. Robert Prosinecki became the only player to have scored for two countries in World Cup Finals when he netted a free-kick for Croatia, eight minutes into their second half against Jamaica in 1998. He had previously scored for Yugoslavia at Italia 90.
9. Against Germany in the 1970 Third-Place Play-Off in the 9th minute, Uruguay's Julio Cortes fired in his 25th shot of the competition without scoring a goal, a high in any Finals tournament from 1966 to 2006.
10. The 1970 Group 3 game between England and Brazil was only 10 minutes old when Gordon Banks made one of the most famous saves in World Cup history from Pele's header.
11. Helmut Haller of West Germany scored the first goal of the 1966 final in the 11th minute, but ended on the losing side as England came back to win in extra time.
12. German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher's vicious lunge at the oncoming French substitute Patrick Battisiton went unpunished 12 minutes into the second half of the 1982 semi-final, despite Battiston subsequently falling into a coma.
13. Gheorghe Hagi scored the decisive goal 13 minutes into the second half as Romania stunned Argentina in a 3-2 Second Round win that eliminated the 1986 & 1990 finalists in arguably the best match of the 1994 tournament.
14. Henri Camara of Senegal scored a golden goal in the 14th minute of extra time as Senegal knocked Sweden out of the 2002 World Cup at the Second Round Stage.
15. Diego Maradona scored his last-ever World Cup goal 15 minutes into the second half against Greece in 1994, and celebrated the strike with a now infamous celebration in front of a TV camera lens. He failed a drug test soon after.
16. Michael Owen announced himself on the world stage with a magnificent solo goal against Argentina in the Second Round of the 1998 Finals, to put England 2-1 up in the 16th minute.
17. Wayne Rooney is sent off for England 17 minutes into the second half of the 2006 quarter-final against Portugal, prompting Cristiano Ronaldo to flash a famous wink at a team-mate.
18. Gerd Muller scored the winner 18 minutes into extra time in the 1970 World Cup quarter finals as West Germany completed a comeback from 0-2 down to win 3-2 and knock out the holders.
19. Geoff Hurst netted the first of his three goals in the 1966 final against Germany in the 19th minute, the first and only time a hat-trick has been scored in a World Cup final.
20. Miroslav Klose opened the scoring in the 20th minute as Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 in 2002 and went on to complete a hat-trick, all three goals from headers.
21. Italy’s Gianluca Pagliuca, sent off in the 21st minute of the Group E game against Norway in 1994, remains the only goalkeeper to receive a red card in a World Cup Finals competition.
22. 22 minutes into the Last 16 clash in 1990, Holland's Frank Rikjaard and Germany's Rudi Voller were both sent off for fighting, which led to Rikjaard's infamous spitting in the direction of Voller.
23. 23 minutes into the second half of Scotland’s game against Holland in the 1978 Group stages, Archie Gemmil's jinking run and deft finish remains one of the competition's greatest goals and an iconic moment for Scottish football.
24. After netting Italy's second goal in their 3-1 final victory over West Germany 24 minutes into the second half, Marco Tardelli wheels away in delight, providing another great enduring World Cup image.
25. Thierry Henry was sent off 25 minutes into France’s match against Uruguay in 2002 as France gained their only point in the Group Stage. They failed to score in all three matches as defending champions.
26. Italian-based player Ahn Jung-Hwan scored a Golden Goal 26 minutes into extra-time as South Korea beat Italy 2-1 in the Second Round of the 2002 World Cup.
27. Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring in the 27th minute of the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil and became the first player to score two headed goals in a final.
28. From long-range in the 28th minute, the USSR's Igor Belanov scored one of the all-time great World Cup goals against Belgium in a dramatic 1986 Last 16 encounter which Belgium would eventually win 4-3.
29. Fabio Grosso scored for Italy in the 29th minute of extra time as Italy finally broke the host nation Germany's stubborn defence in the 2006 semi-final. Alessandro Del Piero then netted the latest ever World Cup goal to put the icing on the cake.
30. Papa Bouba Diop scored for Senegal in the 30th minute against holders France in the opening game of the 2002 tournament, giving the World Cup debutantes a shock win over a French side who wouldn't make it out of the Group Stages.
31. Esteban Cambiasso provided the finish to a 24 pass, nine-man move in the 31st minute for Argentina against Serbia & Montenegro in the 2006 Group stages, undoubtedly one of the great World Cup team goals.
32. Hungary's Laszlo Kiss scored the fastest hat-trick in World Cup Finals history (7 minutes) when he netted three against El Salvador in 1982, scoring his landmark third goal 32 minutes into the second half.
33. Jurgen Sparwasser scored the only goal of the game for East Germany after 33 minutes as they shocked hosts West Germany in the 1974 World Cup.
34. Romanian icon Georghe Hagi scored an all-time classic goal in the 34th minute against Colombia in the 1994 Group stages, bending the ball out of reach of 'keeper Rene Higuita from the left wing.
35. 35 minutes into the second half, Dane Preben Elkjaer-Larsen scored the third of his hat-trick in a 6-1 drubbing of Uruguay in the 1986 Group Stages. He also bagged two assists in the game.
36. After receiving a red card for dissent in the 36th minute of Argentina's 1966 quarter-final clash with England, Antonio Rattin took an age to leave the pitch, prompting an infuriated Alf Ramsey to brand the Argentines "animals"
37. Bobby Charlton scored a stunning 30-yard strike in the 37th minute as England beat Mexico 2-0. After a goalless first match, this was England's first goal en route to glory in 1966.
38. 38 minutes into the second half of Czechoslovakia's Last 16 game against Costa Rica in 1990, Tomas Skuhravy netted his third headed goal, becoming the first player ever to bag a hat-trick of headed goals in a World Cup Finals game.
39. 39 minutes into the second half of their 1974 Group 2 game against Brazil, Zaire's Meupu Ilunga inexplicably kicked away a Brazil free-kick before it had been taken, receiving a booking and a place in World Cup folklore for his trouble.
40. Jorge Burrachaga raced through to score the winning goal against West Germany as Argentina won the 1986 final 3-2. Oddly Andy Brehme's winning penalty reversed the outcome in 1990 also in the 40th minute of the 2nd half.
41. 41 minutes into the second half of the 1970 World Cup final, full-back Carlos Alberto smashed home one of the all-time great World Cup goals as Brazil beat Italy 4-1.
42. In 1986, Josimar scored a classic long-range goal 42 minutes into his debut for Brazil against Pat Jennings who was celebrating his last competitive match as a professional footballer.
43. Gerd Muller nets the winner in the 43rd minute of West Germany's 1974 2-1 final win over Holland. It was also his 14th (and last) in World Cup Finals, then a record haul.
44. David Beckham exorcised his demons by converting a 44th minute penalty against Argentina in 2002 to win the game 1-0 after his infamous sending off against the same opposition in 1998.
45. Dutch master Dennis Bergkamp provided a moment of sheer magic, when in the dying seconds of Holland's 1998 quarter-final against Argentina in Marseille, he bagged the winner with a sublime finish.
Budweiser’s new Trophy Bottle is now available in pubs and bars across the country.
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