Top 7 Most Emotional Moments in World Cup History

Football is a sport that involves emotions and with the sport attracting over a billion followers worldwide, there is no argument that emotions play a big role. Every time the players take the field, we get to witness their dedication, commitment, and perseverance. Now, when it comes to the grandest stage of football, the World Cup, one can imagine the intensity of these emotions.

Today, Sportco brings you the most emotional moments in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

7) Ghana's World Cup 2010 defeat against Uruguay

The entire African continent placed its hopes in Ghana making it to the World Cup Semi-Finals in 2010 after all other African nations were eliminated. The game went to penalties after the Ghanaian Black Stars scored the opening goal.

Uruguay won the penalty shootout 4-2 to end hopes of seeing the first African team go to the semifinals. The 2010 World Cup was held in South Africa, which made it even more terrible. One of the most painful moments in football history is Ghana's defeat in the World Cup quarterfinal.

6) 2011 Women's World Cup Final between the United States and Japan

Japan received a lift from their women's soccer team winning against the United States, which helped the country bounce back after a terrible tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident.

Strikers Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach helped the strongly fancied Americans seize the lead on two consecutive occasions, scoring goals of 1-0 and 2-1 respectively for the Americans.

However, the captain of Japan's national team, Homare Sawa, scored in the 117th minute to revive the nation's hopes and assure that the game would go to penalties. In the 81st minute of the nail-biting game, the equalizing goal that forced overtime was scored.

With all the momentum now in its favor, Japan would go on to win the World Cup via penalty kicks when goalie Ayumi Kaihori denied three attempts from the United States, giving her country its biggest victory in soccer history.

5) 2014 FIFA World Cup Final: Germany vs. Argentina

The 2014 World Cup final is up next in our list of the most emotional football moments. The World Cup final is a highly charged occasion. The stakes are high because everyone in the world is watching. An entire nation's hopes rest on the shoulders of the 11 players.

Argentina's World Cup players were unable to control their emotions after putting up a valiant battle against Germany. When Mario Gotze of Germany scored in the 113th minute, Argentina's World Cup ambitions were ended. While Germany's team was joyfully crying, Argentina was coming to terms with the defeat. After the last whistle, the feelings of joy and pain were quite palpable. It was among the saddest moments in the world cup. 

The bids are set high for Germany and Argentina for this world cup since many fans are excited to witness the action-packed matches from the stands, while the fifa world cup Qatar 2022 live streaming  would also be available across many channels so the intense performances won't be missed.

4) 2006 World Cup Semifinal: Italy vs. Germany

Another game when injury time is the star.

In Dortmund, in front of a capacity audience of 65,000 spectators, the bitter rivals Italy and Germany played an exciting 118 minutes of scoreless football.

Cameras captured the absolute anguish of the audience as supporters wearing German flags and face paint were driven to tears after left-back hero Fabio Grosso scored one of the World Cup's most famous goals and staged one of the tournament's most dramatic celebrations.

Italy prevented Germany from competing in the tournament's championship match in Berlin, and Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero secured the outcome with the game's decisive kick minutes later.

3) The 1994 killing of Andres Escobar

Andres Escobar represented Colombia in 51 matches abroad, and fans of the national team highly value his achievements.

He contributed to the United States 2-1 defeat at the 1994 World Cup by scoring an own goal. Escobar was shot ten days after his return to Colombia and ultimately passed away in a hospital in an apparent act of revenge for his own goal.

The defender's untimely death, which happened when he was only 27 years old, damaged Colombia's reputation and image abroad.

2) Brazil versus Germany in the 2014 World Cup

It is always disappointing for the host country to come up short in the World Cup final. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil saw one of the most dramatic moments in football history.

Brazil committed a terrible error, and their elimination from the semi-finals following a crushing 7-1 loss to Germany just made it worse.

The entire team, who had already been under a lot of pressure leading up to the competition, took it personally. Home crowds were hoping for the hosts to take home their sixth World Cup that year.

Germany, however, completely destroyed each and every Brazilian player in the semifinals. Unquestionably, it was and will remain the most depressing moment 

The players were in tears after the game, and celebrities like David Luiz issued public apologies.Even the Brazilian supporters in the crowd were shedding tears at the humiliation of their nation. Brazil’s loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup is one of the emotional football moments that will make you cry.

Read More: Sportco Top 10 Greatest World Cup Moments Of All Time

1) Iniesta's World Cup-winning goal

What possible agony could compare to losing a loved one? The longtime friend of Andre Iniesta and captain of Espanyol, Dani Jarque, passed away in 2007 from a heart attack that occurred during a preseason workout. Iniesta's play during the season was significantly impacted by this brutally painful incident.

Spain won its first-ever World Cup three years later in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final thanks to the Spaniard's game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands. Iniesta unzipped his jersey during the boisterous celebration to unveil a message for his friend Dani Jarque that read: "Dani Jarque: Siempre con Nosotros," which translates to "Dani Jarque: Always with Us."

It couldn't have happened at a better time for Iniesta to receive a contract for his loyalty to his friend. However, despite Iniesta's gesture, the referee remained unmoved and harshly fined him; nobody seemed to care, anyhow. One of the most heartfelt moments in football history is Andres Iniesta's World Cup-winning goal in 2010.

Cover Credits: Sportsmania