World Cup Finals: England vs. West Germany 1966

At Wembley Stadium on July 30, 1966, some 98,000 fans crowded the arena to watch England and West Germany fight for the Jules Rimet Trophy.

West Germany scored in the 12th minute with a Helmut Haller goal, but Geoff Hurst’s score helped England to catch up just four minutes later. Both teams went into half time with an even score of 1-1.

A second goal from Martin Peters took England to lead the game in the 78th minute. With only minutes left in the game, West Germany was awarded a free kick. Referee called a foul when Uwe Seeler backed into Jack Charlton. The score was 2-2.

With a tied score, the game went to extra time. On the 11th minute, Geoff Hurst shot a pass from Alan Ball. The ball hit under the cross bar, then bounced on, or maybe just over the line. The ball was declared as a goal, although not without controversy. The so-called “ghost goal” became the source of arguments for decades. In the last minute of the game, Hurst sealed England’s win by scoring the team’s fourth goal. Final score 4-2 England.